"Anicca" in Appalachia
How the Buddha's teachings on impermanence connect with the land surrounding Southern Dharma Retreat Center.
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One of the final gusts of September blows up this valley and the leaves around me quiver. I sit on a moss-covered rock, Southern Dharma Retreat Center nestled behind me on the slopes above.
The creek nearby canters along, pulling water down from the mountain into Wooleyshot Branch and then on to Spring Creek, eventually joining the French Broad River at its confluence in Hot Springs. For millions of years, water has lapped away at these Appalachian hills. In a few more million, this once-Himilayan-sized mountain range will be licked flat and raw.
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