About Us
Mission
As part of Houston Zen Center, Auspicious Cloud Zen Retreat Center carries on the mission to express, make accessible, and embody the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha.
Auspicious Cloud Zen Retreat Center exists to provide an environment that supports spiritual practice based on the living tradition of Zen Buddhism, transmitted from Shakyamuni Buddha through Dogen Zenji, Keizan Zenji, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, and other exemplary Zen teachers.
Auspicious Cloud Zen Retreat Center’s central value is to express the non-duality of practice and awakening through the practice of Zen and the sixteen Bodhisattva precepts, acknowledging and valuing equally the expression of the practice in formal settings and in daily life, thus affirming both lay and monastic practice as expressions of the Bodhisattva way.
History
In 1968 Margaret Austin invited a group of “guerilla builders” to construct a new home on her 40 acres of land embarking on a remarkable journey that would welcome seekers for years to come. The group of young builders, architecture students calling themselves Southcost whom Margaret met through her daughters Martha and Linda, took on her request for a new experimental, improvisational house where she could get away from the city and relax. A series of boxes, lined up and placed on edge, the house was an architectural wonder inspired by the on-site design/build movement of the time. Named Chappell Hill House it served as Margaret’s home for several years. Soon after, Margaret began inviting friends and small groups for weekends of meditation and quiet reflection and in 1980 the first organized retreat was hosted by Yoga Institute of Houston. Over time Margaret added on to the original structure and decided to move to the land permanently in 1981, eventually expanding the site to include a meditation hall and housing to accommodate the growing number of retreats. Margaret spent 23 years offering her restorative land to those looking for respite and spiritual exploration before she died on September 9, 1992. With the permission of her daughters, Insight Meditation Houston, who had held regular retreats over several years, took over management of the property. Renamed Margaret Austin Center, Insight Meditation lovingly and carefully cared for the buildings and property. In 2020, the board of Margaret Austin Center collaborated with the board of Houston Zen Center (HZC) to transfer stewardship over to HZC who committed to maintaining the vision Margaret Austin established over 50 years ago. Since taking ownership of the property, HZC has spent countless hours repairing and rehabilitating the beloved buildings, as well as putting forth efforts to bring back the original Blackland Prairie landscape, and will continue to carry on the decades-long tradition of sharing the property to all those seeking to restore, relax and reflect.
Chappell Hill House
Southcoast member framing Chappell Hill House
Photo by David Cerruti
Margaret Austin