Retreats and Daylongs

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Events

Upcoming Meditation Retreats 2010-2012

North American Retreats, Daylongs, and Dharma Talks

Event Descriptions

Introduction to Concentration Meditation (3-day retreats and daylongs)
Concentration or serenity meditation (samatha) is one of the three major practices of the Buddhist path, which also include sila (practicing with the ethical principles), and vipassana (insight meditation). In concentration practice, we return our awareness to one object of meditation to the exclusion of everything else, thereby collecting and unifying the mind stream. Samatha practice is often referred to as “purification of mind” and it does that in two ways. First, the practice reveals with heightened clarity our habitual patterns that cause us to suffer both on and off the cushion. Second, as we build the capacity to turn away from these patterns, a laser-like awareness can develop that can lead to profound stillness and joy, as well as the possibility of the arising of deep meditative absorptions known as the jhanas. These events offer an overview of anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) concentration meditation as taught in the lineage of Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw of Burma, considered by many to be the leading living teacher of samatha practice and the jhanas.

Concentration Meditation: Purification of Mind (retreats of 12 days or more)
In addition to the contents described above for shorter events, these longer retreats focus on unique aspects of concentration meditation as it is intended—as a practice designed to purify the mind stream. We will explore the major landmarks that yogis encounter as the mind begins to cohere into a unified awareness, and as serenity allows for a deep settling. We will also explore the further reaches of the Samatha practice—the meditative absorptions known as “jhanas” that can potentially emerge as the fruition of practice.

Brama Viharas: Purification of the Heart
The Brahma Viharas, also known as the Sublime Abidings, are meditation practices employed to invite a softening of our heart, our relationship to ourselves and others, as well as our unbroken connection to the ground of being/ the unconditioned. The four sublime abidings are: metta (loving kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (empathetic joy), and upekkha (equanimity). The Brama Viharas are part of the samatha (concentration / serenity) portion of the Buddha’s path of practice. In these retreats you will experientially practice each of these four meditations. Also, you will gain a deeper understanding, through dharma talks and Q &A, of what the impact of these meditations can be upon our “sense of self” and the relationship between our meditative intention and the path of liberation.

Events Schedule

Introduction to Concentration Meditation 3-day Retreat: Dec. 9-12, 2011 at Cloud Mountain in Castle Rock, Washington, USA
Cost: $210 plus dana. Register at: http://cloudmountain.org/index.php?page=0811rasmussensnyder

Concentration Meditation Daylong, Saturday Jan. 14, 2012 at Spirit Rock Medication Center in Woodacre, California, USA
Cost: $50-$108 (sliding scale) plus dana. For details and to register, please visit the Spirit Rock site at: http://www.spiritrock.org/calendarDetails?EventID=3270

Brama Viharas 3-day Retreat: March 23 - 26, 2012 at Cloud Mountain in Castle Rock, Washington, USA
Cost: $TBD plus dana. Register at www.CloudMountain.org.

Daylong Retreat and Evening Dharma Talk: Saturday April 21 & Sunday 22, 2012 at Sacramento Buddhist Meditation Group in Sacramento, California, USA
Cost: $TBD plus dana.

Purification of Mind 13-day Retreat: Sept. 8-21, 2012 at Cloud Mountain in Castle Rock, Washington, USA
Cost: $TBD plus dana. Registration will be posted in early 2011.

Purification of Mind 25-day Retreat: Oct. 13 - Nov. 8, 2013 at Samish Island Retreat Center near Seattle, Washington, USA
Estimated cost: $1350 ($54/night) plus dana. All accommodations are single cabins. Registration will officially open in January 2013, managed by the Bellingham Insight Meditation Sangha (BIMS). PRE-REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN. We will take names in order of pre-registration and up to the limit of 49 people, pre-registrants will be GUARANTEED a space at the retreat. If you pre-register, you can drop out or re-join the list without financial or other penalty. In January 2013, the BIMS retreat manager will open registration with a firm price, to people who have pre-registered. Two weeks later, we send a broader email and open registration to all. If you would like to pre-register for the retreat, please email us at info@jhanasadvice.com and we will hold a space for you, and email you when registration opens.

Dharma Talks and Retreats Upon Request at Your Location
We are available to give dharma talks or lead retreats at your location. For a sample of our dharma talks, please visit the Dharma Talks page. If you or your sangha are interested in organizing a retreat or dharma talk for us to lead, please contact us directly as found on the Contacts Us page.

Past Events

12-day Retreat, Cloud Mountain, Washington, Aug. 13-25, 2011
Our first long retreat not held during winter, the yogis were able to practice without sneezing and coughing! It was a beautiful time full of radince inside and out.

Evening Dharma Talk at Marin Sangha in San Rafael, California, July 2011
Dharma talk at the sangha of Phillip Moffit, co-guiding teacher at Spirit Rock Medication Center.

Concentration Meditation Daylong, Jan. 2011, Spirit Rock Meditation Center
This was our first daylong at Spirit Rock. We were pleased to find that 120 people attended. The usual daylong attendance is about 35 people. We co-taught this daylong with Donald Rothberg, who is a teacher on the Spirit Rock teachers' coundil and has been practicing meditation since 1976.

13-day Retreat, Cloud Mountain, Washington, Dec. 2010-Jan. 2011
This retreat was described by some of the yogis as the "team jhana" retreat, because of the sense of community and rigorous practice that everyone engaged.

Concentration Meditation Dana-only Daylong: Tiburon, California, Nov. 13, 2010
This event was offerred on a dana (donation) basis, as described above.

Dharma Talk:   Sacramento Buddhist Meditation Group, Sept. 19, 2010
We gave a talk at the invitation of this self-led, multi-lineage sitting group founded in 1991. See sbmg.org/teachers.htm for details an audio recording that can be downloaded for free.

3-Day Retreat: Introduction to Concentration, Cloud Mountain, WA, July-August 2009
This retreat was a wonderful experience for us, with a wide range of yogis from people who attended as their first retreat to 30 year veterans. We provided a solid overview of the practice in it's daily aspect as well as it's loftiest potential as purification of mind. People had a chance to experience the differences between this and other practices, and settle into the deep stillness that concentration practice can cultivate.

Weekly Sitting Group, June 2011
Our friend Rick Hanson (neuropsychologist and author of the book, Buddha's Brain) invited us to fill in for three weeks while he was away.

14-day Retreat at Cloud Mountain, WA, Dec. 27 2009 - Jan. 10 2010
This 2-week retreat focused on Purificaion of Mind, which is the true purpose of concentration practice. Some yogis described the retreat as "Jedi warrior training" which captured both the intensity and the transformative potential of our time together. We were delighted to have 30 people from three continents in attendance, and were both impressed and touched by everyone's wholehearted dedication to practice. People who had never meditated more than 1 hour in the past, were both eager and very able to sit for 3 hours at a time--and even enjoy it!

Samatha Overview, Theravada Dhamma Society, Daly City, CA, November 2009
Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw asked us to present an overview of the Samatha and Jhanas practice to the Burmese Buddhist community near San Francisco, with the Sayadaw in attendance. This was part of a 21 day teaching the Sayadaw gave to this community. We were honored to be asked, and were greeted by about 150 attendees plus 50 more who were listening to live audio and video streaming online. (See photo above.)

3-Day Retreat: Introduction to Concentration, Cloud Mountain, WA, July-August 2009
(See description above).

1-Day Intensive: The Relationship Between Anatta (no-self) and Jhanas (meditative absorptions). San Rafael, CA, March 21, 2009
In this day-long, we explored a rarely discussed aspect of concentration practice: how the meditative absorptions both cultivate and are a result of the experience of no-self. Once relegated to a practice that cultivated bliss states, or could lead to psychic powers, the jhanas potentially possess a much deeper and more worthwhile aspect: what we call the “thinning of the me.”

1-Day Intensive: From First Sit to First Jhana--Navigating the Proccess of Purification of Mind through the Use of Wise Effort, San Rafael, CA, Nov, 2008
This daylong focused on the phase of practice starting with your first sit, and culminating with the potential fruition of the arising of the first jhana. The eight landmarks of this phase--which some find to be the most challenging segment of the path--is outlined in the new version of our book.

Theravada Buddhist Society of America, Half Moon Bay, CA, August 2008
We were delighted to be invited by the Theravada Buddhist Society of America to teach at their week-long Buddhist Camp for children. Both of us gave an evening talk to about 80 children and 10 adults, and Stephen taught the jr. high and high school kids for two days during the week. It was a wonderful experience for us, sharing the dharma not only with children, but with children of Burmese heritage. Thanks to the Sayadaw Ashin Osadha and Roland Winn for inviting us.

Forest Refuge Retreat, Barre, Mass., July 2008
We were invited by the Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw to join him in teaching the first week of the 4-month retreat at the Forest Refuge in Barre, Mass. The Sayadaw gave the talk the first night, and we gave the talks the following four nights with the Sayadaw and two other senior monks in attendance. We also held interviews with the yogis for the days that we were there, with Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw and Ven. U Jagara (another experienced monk who is teaching with the Sayadaw) observing the interviews.

Monthly Jhana Practice Group, San Rafael, CA, January - June, 2008
The Monthly Jhana Practice Group sessions were recorded, and are available for free MP3 download on the Talks page. This group was designed both for experienced meditators interested in deepening their concentration practice, and for new meditators beginning concentration practice.