Gratitude Awakening
April 4 (Friday) – April 11 (Friday), 2025
Do you live a life of gratitude?
Gratitude Awakening Retreat awaits you! When we are in touch with our true nature, our sense of gratitude deepens and expands beyond measure. Come and experience the joyful essence of inner and outside nature in the spring mountain forest with Rev. WonGong at Southern Dharma.
To access our inner calm, we will observe noble silence. In the flow of practice between rest and motion, we will utilize many forms of meditation—sitting, moving, journaling, breath work, and lying-down relaxation. During the retreat, you will learn a unique meditation technique in Won Buddhism—Dahnjon abiding breathing rooted in ancient Taoist practice. Our daily practice will be facilitated by the Threefold Study—equanimity, insight, and mindfulness.
We will explore the fundamental philosophy of gratitude in Won Buddhism—the Grace of Heaven & Earth, Parents, Fellow Beings, and Just Laws. We will practice finding gratitude amid difficulties and challenges, transforming anxiety and fear into hope and resilience.
This retreat will include group and individual teaching and sharing with ample free time for hiking and rest. In harmony with the interconnectedness of all things, we will practice outdoors as weather permits and bathe in the vibrant mountain early spring energy.
Please sign up only if you are committed to participating throughout the entire retreat. The retreat will provide generous personal time, but please be aware that your full participation in group activities is essential. This retreat requires prior multi-day residential retreat experience, or permission from the teacher. (Rev. WonGong’s email: WontempleNC@gmail.com).
Please sign up directly HERE through Southern Dharma Retreat Center.
Rev. WonGong is a lifetime dedicated dharma teacher. She started her training in 1988 and was ordained a Kyomunim (dharma teacher) in 1994 after seven years of intensive training in Korea. She subsequently served in the KangNam Temple in Seoul and the Rockville Temple in Maryland. She obtained a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland and worked as a therapist and for Child Protective Services in North Carolina.
A pioneering Won Buddhist dharma teacher, she has established temples in Chapel Hill and Raleigh, North Carolina. She is a guest lecturer at schools, colleges and meditation centers, teaching Buddhist philosophy and meditation to people of all ages and backgrounds.
Rev. WonGong leads workshops, retreats, and youth dharma camps, integrating creative forms of meditation—body movement, vocalizing & breathing techniques, guided meditation, and laughter. She is active in the international interfaith community and is a leading Korean-to-English translator of dharma teachings, serving as a spiritual bridge between East and West.
Rev. WonGong loves gardening and singing. She has released two albums: Chants of Samadhi for Daily Practice and Chants for Healing.