Guided and Silent Meditation

Zenshin Dillon Balmaceda, Meditation Instructor

Course Description:

Daily meditation at MISMA, designed to support participants' music journey, will consist two types of meditation: morning silent meditation and evening guided music meditation.

Music can lead one to express parts of the Self that words sometimes cannot express. The energy that is generated when playing an instrument or listening to music can exalt the inner being and potentially bring forth a part of the Self that has not been heard before. The hidden becomes the seen. When one tunes into the process of listening or playing music, to the elements of energy bouncing off external and internal environments, a new discovery and connection can occur. That is, when one listens from the heart, the external and internal become inter-fused. The interconnection of listening and being listened to occurs when we are integrated in the process of this experience. We take a backward step, and learn to listen from the heart. When we learn to listen from the heart, music can become a tool for liberation. 

About the Instructor:

Zenshin Dillon Balmaceda studied music at Miami College and traveled for several years as a percussionist. He was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest in 2018 at the San Francisco Zen Center. He practiced at various Zen monasteries for 15 years and during that time met his root teacher, Shohaku Okumura. He continues to practice and study with teachers in the Zen tradition.

Zenshin Dillon trained as an interfaith Buddhist chaplain at Sati Center for Buddhist Studies, and during that time worked in hospice settings and prisons. He is currently studying at Dharma Realm Buddhist University. He is interested in learning about the different Buddhist traditions and how they can develop an integrated person. Zenshin Dillon also holds the role of Campus Coordinator for Sudhana Center at Dharma Realm Buddhist University.