Justin At Green Gulch Farm Zen Center

Nineteen years ago, Justin Stone held a five-day meditation retreat at Green Gulch Farm, part of the San Francisco Zen Center, just north of the city. About 25 T’ai Chi Chih teachers attended, many of us leaving jobs and family to participate. We came from several states to experience meditation with Justin, a rare opportunity.

I had never done sitting meditation before and wondered if I would be successful in just sitting for five whole days. Many who attended felt the same: we didn’t want to disappoint Justin and we wanted to be successful in meditating for long periods of time with him. That first day, though, Justin’s leadership and guidance soon dispelled any fears or doubts in us. He told us, “We will take baby steps together … and we will discover how deep this group is willing to go.” It was an amazing invitation to each of us, to let go and trust.

Later that first morning, we all quietly gathered at the zendo (meditation hall) to do sitting meditation. We removed our shoes, bowed and entered. No one else but our group was there. The coastal winds and heavy fog created freezer conditions in the dark temple interior. We had been advised to wear jackets and bring blankets. We got settled, each on a raised platform with a cushion to sit on. It was very quiet. We could hear the wind howling outside. We sat, wrapped in blankets like seated stone mummies.

After a while, we heard Justin remark that we were done. He told us to get up, get our things and leave. We gathered in another room at the farm and began to thaw out. With great relief, I was secretly glad that Justin had taken things into his own hands. He had decided for all of us that the temple was just too cold to tolerate. From that moment on, I appreciated his humanity and that encouraged me to “go deep.”

It was a beautiful example of Justin’s leadership: his deep knowledge of meditation and how to guide and encourage others. He had a masterful ability to lead a diverse group of people and be human at the same time. It was a special time together that I still savor today. On the third day of the retreat, he said he would travel to any place in the world to meditate with this group. Thank you, Justin.