Spring 2026 Retreat
A Meditation Retreat led by resident teacher Suzanne Kilkus and entrusted teacher Kim Neuschel, with guiding teacher Flint Sparks
Wednesday April 22, 7p to Sunday April 26, 12p
The Heart Sutra as the Ground for Being
Avalokiteshvara, who helps all to awaken,
moves in the deep course of
realizing wisdom beyond wisdom,
sees that all five streams of
body, heart, and mind are without boundary,
and frees all from anguish.
The Heart Sutra (Prajñāpāramitā Hrdaya) is often called the “beating heart” of Zen Buddhism. It is not simply a philosophical text; it offers a foundation—or blueprint—for Zen practice by addressing several core tenets of Buddhism, including:
Insight, wisdom rising through direct experience;
Emptiness, the boundless freedom of reality;
Non-duality, the realization of this freedom;
Non-attachment, the embodiment of this realization.
By stripping away our habitual reliance on the senses and the intellect, the Heart Sutra opens us to a deeper truth, freeing us from fear, longing, and aversion. It tells the practitioner that there is nothing to gain and nowhere to go—only a reality to be awakened to, exactly as it is. And this awakening is liberation.
But liberation for its own sake misses the point. It is important to remember who the subject of the sutra is: Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. It is Avalokiteśvara who practices, sees, and offers the teaching. Compassion acts as the ground of being, the heart of the Heart Sutra. And the wisdom that arises there is never passive. As we awaken to reality as it is, we meet each moment with greater clarity and care. Action is no longer driven by fear or grasping but arises as a natural response to what is.
In this retreat, we will explore our own beating heart and how the Heart Sutra and the Buddhist path invite us not away from the world, but more fully into it.
Retreat Leaders
A student of Flint’s for over 20 years and a member of Open Door Zen Community since its inception in 2014, Suzanne received teacher entrustment from Flint Sparks and Peg Syverson in October of 2020 and was installed as the resident teacher of Open Door Zen Community in April of 2023.
Kim is a newly entrusted teacher in the Soto Zen lineage. She received entrustment in the Spring of 2025 from Roshi Flint Sparks and her sangha sister and teacher, Suzanne Kilkus. Kim has been studying with Flint since 2004 and is deeply grateful for the endless blessings of this path.
Flint is a Zen teacher and former psychologist, dedicated to assisting people in the unending path of growing up and waking up. An experienced therapist and a master teacher, Flint's teachings bridge the fields of traditional Buddhist practice and the psychology of awakening. His vow is to help soften barriers to love. In addition to serving as the Guiding Teacher for Open Door Zen Community in Madison, Wisconsin, Flint remains a senior teacher at Appamada in Austin, Texas, and is also a guiding teacher to the Just This consortium of sanghas across the UK. To learn more, visit flintsparks.org
Registration Information
Join us in person - as a resident or commuter - at Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Highway M, Middleton, WI 53562.
Or, join us online.
The dharma teachings begin Wednesday April 22 at 7p. The first evening is the essential dharma gate where the groundwork for the entire retreat is laid out. We conclude the retreat Sunday April 26 at noon. Please plan to attend the retreat in its entirety.
ODZC is committed to financially accessible teachings, so please pay what you can based on your circumstances. For reference, the amount to cover costs to attend in person is $xxx, and online is $xxx.
In person registration closes April 7 at 5p and online registration closes April 19 at 5p.
Please carefully review the Covid and Respiratory Illness Policy for in person participation.
Here is the Cancellation Policy.
To reserve a room at Holy Wisdom Monastery, please email Brooke Livingston blivingston@holywisdommonastery.org
In the subject line of the email type, ‘ODZC April Retreat room request’. In the body, include your first and last name, phone number, email, billing address and dates if different than those of the retreat.
To preview room rates visit Holy Wisdom Monastery’s personal retreat page.
Mostly single and a few double rooms (2 single beds) are available.
Residential space is limited to 21 people so when booking a double room please consider a roommate.
Rooms are held for ODZC participants until March 22, and released to the public after that.
For questions email opendoorzencommunity@gmail.com