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Upcoming Meditation Retreats 2010-2012 |
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Upcoming North America Retreat Dates
• 13-day retreat, Dec. 27, 2010-Jan. 9, 2011 at Cloud Mountain Retreat Center in Castle Rock, Washington, USA • 11-day retreat, March 16-27, 2011 at Salt Spring Island, near Victoria, B.C., Canada • 3-day retreat, June 23-26, 2011, at Vajrapani Retreat Center in Boulder Creek, California, USA • 9-day retreat, Aug. 12-21, 2011, at Cloud Mountain Retreat Center in Castle Rock, Washington, USA • 21-day retreat, May 12-June 8, 2012, at Cloud Mountain Retreat Center in Castle Rock, Washington, USA • 3-day retreat, Dec. 9-12, 2011, at Cloud Mountain Retreat Center in Castle Rock, Washington, USA
13-day Retreat, December 27, 2010 - January 9, 2011 at Cloud Mountain in Castle Rock, Washington, USA Concentration Meditation: Purification of Mind This retreat will focus on unique aspects of concentration meditation as it is intended—as a practice designed to purify the mind stream. The Samatha portion of the Buddhist path is often referred to as “Purification of Mind,” and does exactly that. We will explore the major landmarks that yogis encounter as the mind begins to cohere into a unified awareness (concentration), and as serenity allows for a deep settling. The purification of mind that occurs in concentration practice allows for many benefits both on and off the cushion, in further meditation practice as well as daily life. 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. This retreat is taught in the lineage of Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw of Burma, considered by many to be the leading living teacher of the jhanas. This retreat is suitable for people who have completed two prior week-long retreats, or have attended our 3-day introductory retreat. Cost: $780 plus dana. Register at: http://cloudmountain.org/index.php?page=12rasmussensnyder
11-day Retreat, March 16-27, 2011 at Stowel Lake Farm on
Salt Spring Island near Victoria, B.C., Canada Concentration Meditation: Purification of Mind This retreat is sponsored by Buddhist teacher Heather Martin and the Salt Spring Island Vipassana Community, located near
Victoria / Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The retreat will be held at Stowel Lake Farm, an organic farming community
and wellness center. You can learn more about the center at http://www.stowellakefarm.com/. This retreat is suitable for people who have completed four prior week-long
retreats, or have attended our 3-day introductory retreat. Cost: $TBD, plus dana. Register at: http://ssivipassana.org/?cat=12 (scroll down their website page to see our retreat). Please note that
it appears as if you can not register until 2011, but if you click on the registration button you can indeed register now. 3-day Weekend Retreat, June 23-26, 2011 at Vajrapani Retreat Center in Boulder Creek, California, USA Introduction to Concentration Meditation for Retreat and Daily Practice This 3-day retreat will provide an overview of concentration meditation as taught in
the lineage of Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw of Burma, considered by many to be the leading living teacher of advanced meditative absorptions
known as jhanas. Concentration meditation is part of the Samatha portion of the Buddhist path. Meditation instruction will
be provided for both daily and retreat practice. We will also explore how the Samatha practice fits with the larger Buddhist
path, types of concentration, and benefits of undertaking Samatha practice. This retreat is suitable for all levels of meditators,
from beginning to experienced. Cost: TBD. Register at: Posted
soon. Concentration Meditation: Purification of Mind Cost: $630 plus dana. Register at: http://cloudmountain.org/index.php?page=0811rasmussensnyder21-day Retreat, May 12-June 8, 2012 at Cloud Mountain in Castle Rock, Washington, USA Concentration Meditation: Purification of Mind Cost: $TBD plus dana. 3-day Weekend Retreat, Dec. 9-12, 2011 at at Cloud Mountain in Castle Rock, Washington, USA Introduction to Concentration Meditation for Retreat and Daily Practice Cost: $TBD plus dana. Register at: http://cloudmountain.org/index.php?page=0811rasmussensnyder |
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Upcoming Dharma Talks and Daylongs |
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Dharma Talk, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010 in Sacramento, California from 7:00 - 9:00 pm We will give a talk at the invitation of the Sacramento Buddhist Meditation Group, a self-led, multi-lineage sitting group founded in 1991. See sbmg.org/teachers.htm for details. The talk will be held at a synagogue just south of central Sacramento. The evening begins with announcements and introductions, moves to a 40-minute silent sitting led by the evening's teachers, followed by a 10-minute break and then a talk from 8-9 PM. Introduction to Concentration Meditation Dana-only Daylong, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010, in Tiburon,
California from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm This daylong
will include an overview of the samatha meditation practice that leads to purification of mind. It will include meditation
periods, silence for much of the day, and several teaching segments with Q&A. This event is offerred on a dana (donation)
basis. Pre-registration is required. Please email us with your name at rasmussent@aol.com to register, as space is limited. 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 page. |
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Past Events |
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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. 2-week 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.”
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