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Springwater Center
''Springwater Center'' is a retreat center located in Springwater, New York. Founded by Toni Packer in 1981, Springwater Center is located in the Finger Lakes region of the upper state, an hour south of Rochester. It was originally named the Genesee Valley Zen Center, but the name was changed to Springwater Center as Packer moved increasingly away from the traditional and dogmatic practices of formal Zen training. Springwater Center is a building located on 200 acres of land that includes rolling hills, a rushing stream, miles of hiking trails, hardwood forests, and a pond. The center hosts 14 shared guest rooms, and a meditation hall that can accommodate forty-five guests. There is a dining room, library, exercise room, sauna, and solarium. Springwater Center is operated by full-time staff. Springwater Center is a (501)(c)(3) non-profit organization, and retreats, membership dues, and donations are tax-deductible. Silent Meditation Retreats There are numerous retreats sche ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Retreat (spiritual)
The meaning of a spiritual retreat can be different for different religious communities. Spiritual retreats are an integral part of many Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian and Sufi communities. In Hinduism and Buddhism, meditative retreats are seen by some as an intimate way of deepening powers of concentration and insight. Retreats are also popular in Christian churches, and were established in today's form by St. Ignatius of Loyola (14911556), in his Spiritual Exercises. Ignatius was later to be made patron saint of spiritual retreats by Pope Pius XI in 1922. Many Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox Christians partake in and organize spiritual retreats each year. Meditative retreats are an important practice in Sufism, the mystical path of Islam. The Sufi teacher Ibn Arabi's book ''Journey to the Lord of Power (Risālat al-Anwār)'' is a guide to the inner journey that was published over 700 years ago. Buddhism A retreat can either be a time of solitude or a commun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Springwater, New York
Springwater is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 2,439 at the 2010 census. Springwater is in the southeast part of the county. History The first settlers arrived around 1807. The town was established in 1816 from the towns of Sparta and Naples. (Naples is a town in Ontario County.) In 1866, a serious conflict between landowners and squatters resulted in the wholesale eviction of many people who were not living on their own land. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.03%, are water. The south town line is the border of Steuben County, and the east town line and part of the north town line is the border of Ontario County. The southernmost part of Hemlock Lake, one of the smaller Finger Lakes, is in the north part of the town. The Springwater Valley through the center of the town terminates at the lake, and includes many streams that feed into Hemlock Lake, including Sprin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toni Packer
Toni Packer (April, 1927 – August 23, 2013) was a teacher of "meditative inquiry", and the founder of Springwater Center. Packer was a former student in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Zen Buddhism, and was previously in line to be the successor of Phillip Kapleau at the Rochester Zen Center. Biography Toni Packer was born in Berlin, Germany in 1927. Her family was Lutheran in name only, as they endeavored not to divulge the fact that her mother was of Jewish descent. It was in her childhood, growing up amidst the turmoil of Nazi Germany, that Packer first developed mistrust for authority. The family eventually made a move to Switzerland, where she married her husband Kyle Packer in 1950. The pair moved to New York near the State University of New York at Buffalo, where Kyle came to earn a degree in psychology. Toni began reading the pioneering works about Zen Buddhism by Alan Watts, D. T. Suzuki and Philip Kapleau. It was the last which had the greatest impact on her, and she so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tax Deduction
Tax deduction is a reduction of income that is able to be taxed and is commonly a result of expenses, particularly those incurred to produce additional income. Tax deductions are a form of tax incentives, along with exemptions and tax credits. The difference between deductions, exemptions, and credits is that deductions and exemptions both reduce taxable income, while credits reduce tax. Above and below the line Above and below the line refers to items above or below adjusted gross income, which is item 37 on the tax year 2017 1040 tax form. Tax deductions above the line lessen adjusted gross income, while deductions below the line can only lessen taxable income if the aggregate of those deductions exceeds the standard deduction, which in tax year 2018 in the U.S., for example, was $12,000 for a single taxpayer and $24,000 for married couple. Limitations Often, deductions are subject to conditions, such as being allowed only for expenses incurred that produce current benefits. C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
