The Great Way is not difficult
for those who do not pick and choose.
When preferences are cast aside
the Way stands clear and undisguised
From Shinshinming, by Sengcan, Third Ch’an (Zen) Patriarch
Trust in Awareness - Practicing with Sengcan’s Poem
Four Tuesdays - Nov, 4, 11, 18, 25
11:00 am – 12:30 pm, Pacific Time
You’re welcome to join even if you can’t attend all the live sessions.
This may be taken as a stand-alone experience or as the prerequisite for
The 2-Year Non-Dual Meditation Teacher Training, 2026-2027
Ch’an (Zen) emphasizes direct inquiry into the nature of Mind/Awareness. Sengcan’s poem, Shinshinming (“Trust in Mind”), teaches us that, when opposites soften…
your mind can become quiet and expansive,
awareness moves to the foreground of experience,
and your heart becomes undefended and open to all life.
IN THIS 4 SESSION JOURNEY, WE’LL ASK:
What is the nature of a life lived in freedom?
Can we learn to take the backwards step through meditation?
What is experienced when the thought-function of mind gives way to the awareness-function of life?
What does it mean to live with complete trust in Awareness?
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I invite you to approach meditation not merely as a technique, but as an embodied way of meeting life. The view of non-duality is the view of love itself. Love is the dissolving of boundaries—that leaves nothing out. Not old age, not illness, not death, and not the more-than-human world. This is the spirit we’ll cultivate together: not striving, but letting go into love - married to life!
We are living in a time when the story of separation has reached its limits. What we need now is a different kind of soil—one rich with love, humility, and deep presence. Through meditative self-inquiry and the non-dual spiritual arts - including the poetry of Sengcan - I believe we can cultivate that ground together. And from it, something beautiful may grow.
With warmth,
Jonathan
Questions: Please contact Marlene, Associate Director at PGI, at jonathan@purposeguides.org
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What makes this exploration different?
Many meditation explorations are lineage specific. This retreat is trans-lineage or post-lineage — following the perennial thread that runs through multiple non-dual traditions. We will round out our study of the Shinshinming with excerpts from the Sufi Master Ibn Arabi’s, essay, Know Thyself: An exploration into the Oneness of Being.
Some meditative explorations put an emphasis on the progressive path teachings. Instead, we will place the accent on the direct path and pathless path teachings of non-dual wisdom.
This 4 week exploration — a cross between a retreat and a group exploration — will feature:
Guided & silent meditations
Presentations on Shinshinming & Know Thyself
Spiritual talks
Group exploration & discussion
TRUST IN AWARENESS - An Exploration of Shinshinming - with Jonathan Gustin
When: 4 Tuesdays in November 2025: 4, 11, 18, 25
Time: 11:00 am - 1:30 pm PT. (2pm-4pm ET, 8pm-9:30pm CET)
Where: Zoom
Cost: $100
Recording: If you cannot attend the full series, or wish to view it at your own pace, you can sign up and receive the recording.
Registration: Click HERE (or button below)