Who Am I? Half-day retreat with Heather Iarusso

Retreat Description:

Who am I? These three little words have been contemplated for millennia by prominent philosophers and psychologists, spiritual teachers, and by us (extra)ordinary folk. It’s a perennial question with innumerable responses. Siddartha’s spiritual quest to investigate and end human suffering resulted in his awakening to the profoundly liberating experience of “not-self.” Or as Suzuki Roshi poetically said: “What we call ‘I’ is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and exhale. It just moves, that is all.” 

Teacher Bio:

Heather Shōren Iarusso lives San Francisco and is the Branching Streams director, providing guidance and support for San Francisco Zen Center affiliate sanghas. Before being in this role, Heather spent nine years total living at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. She completed 17 cloistered, 90-day practice periods and 10 summers of work practice. Heather has held numerous roles at Tassajara, including being the supervisor of the meditation hall (ino), the head cook (tenzo), the director, and the tanto (head of Zen practice).

Heather first received the precepts in January 2003 and was ordained as a Zen priest in October 2014. She received Dharma transmission in 2022. Heather holds master’s degrees in communications, creative writing, and English literature. She writes and podcasts on her Spark Zen Substack.

Gratitude Practice:

The registration fees for the retreat cover the basic costs of putting on the retreat. None of the fees go to the teacher who spends much time and energy preparing the talks. Please consider supporting Heather with dana (financial generosity) so that she may continue offering the teachings in the future. Dana comes from the heart and is entirely optional. Any amount is supportive. 

Cancellation Policy:

We understand that life happens and you may not be able to attend the retreat. If you are able to let us know more than two weeks before the event starts, we are happy to provide a full refund to you minus a $10 admin fee. If you cancel less than two weeks before the event, we can offer a 50% refund (no less than $10 withheld). If you have to cancel two days before the class, we appreciate you letting us know but are unable to provide a refund. If you have to cancel, you have the option to donate your partial or entire registration fee to the BDC scholarship fund. This would be much appreciated and help us make sure no one is turned away from BDC retreat’s due to lack of funds.