Yong is a Dharma Council teacher at the Durango Dharma Center and a core teacher for Sacred Mountain Sangha, and is also a visiting teacher for other community centers across North America. He teaches retreats at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Big Bear Retreat Center, and Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center. He is a graduate of the 4-year Insight Meditation Society Retreat Teacher Training program, Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s 2-year Community Dharma Leaders program, and the Sacred Mountain Sangha 2-year Dharmapala training, taught by his primary teachers Kittisaro and Thanissara. Yong is also a retired acupuncturist, is passionate about Nature and Dharma, and has particular interests in devotional expression, supporting caregivers, and offering teachings to communities of color in the Dharma.
This talk explores renunciation as a practice of "letting in" rather than "letting go." Yong shares personal experiences with caregiving and grief, emphasizing that true liberation comes through refuge and love. He suggests that renunciation isn't about forcing ourselves to release attachments, but about creating safety through refuge so that letting go happens naturally.
Reflections on suchness and the Tathagatha, what we can be inspired by from the story of the Buddha underneath the Rose Apple Tree, learning to trust resting and listening. Bhavana as doing less, not more.
