May 1- 6; 5 days with Santikaro

Vipassana

During this retreat we will cultivate the path of Samatha-Vipassana and Anapanasati (mindfulness with breathing) as taught in the Buddha's discourses. We will examine and practice according to the original sources, where anapanasati is offered as the most thorough way to practice the four foundations of mindfulness, cultivate concentration, and foster vipassana in order to navigate the noble eightfold path of liberation from suffering. We will explore the practice on the cushion and while walking, as well as in application to ordinary life. Practice will be supported by daily instruction, Q&A sessions, and personal interviews. Daily talks will reflect on the central Dhamma teachings of early Buddhism that nurture the right view needed to practice wisely and cultivate liberation of mind. Our routine will also include Sutta recitation and posture instruction.

Santikaro, was ordained as a Theravada monk in 1985, and subsequently trained at Suan Mokkh with Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, a leading Thai teacher, scholar, and reformer of Theravada Buddhism. He became Ajahn Buddhadasa's primary English translator and was abbot of nearby Suan Atammayatarama. He is a founding member of Think Sangha, a community of socially engaged Buddhist thinker-activists that has given special attention to the ethical and spiritual impact of consumerism and militarism. He teaches Buddhism and meditation with an emphasis on the early Pali sources, and is a lucid interpreter of the original teachings and discourses. In 2001, he returned to the USA's Midwest, and to lay life in 2004. He is the founder of Liberation Park, a modern American expression of Buddhist practice, study, and social responsibility within community. There he continues to teach, translate the work of his teacher, and work for a Dhammic society.

Retreat cost: $300 plus dana offering.  Register Here

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May 7 - 10; Thursday to Sunday, 3 days with Adrianne Ross

Metta for Women

Metta (Loving-Kindness) Meditation is a complementary practice to Vipassana [Mindfulness] Meditation. It is a formal practice originally taught by the Buddha as an antidote to fear. When we practice Metta we awaken to our own intrinsic wholeness, peacefulness and kindness and we provide an opportunity to deepen our equanimity. There will be specific instruction in Metta and in walking meditation, mindful movement and a dharma talk each day, group interviews and opportunities for discussion with the teacher. This silent retreat is suitable for beginning and experienced students of meditation.

Adrianne Ross MD, has been involved with meditaton and healing since 1978. Her teaching is influenced by Burmese and Thai streams of Therevada, as well as Dzogchen. She leads retreats in Canada and the US and teaches Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction to people with chronic pain and illness. She has enjoyed giving womens retreats for over 10 years.

Retreat cost: $180 plus dana offering.  Register Here

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May 15 - 21; Friday to Thursday6 days with Master Wu

Qigong level II
Pre-requisite: Completion of Level I

Life-long Training Program:

• Chinese shamanic Qigong principles
• Yijing (I Ching) I – Bagua (Eight Trigrams), divination
• Fundamentals of diagnosis and healing
• Five Dragons Qigong
• Internal alchemy meditation II

With annual opportunities to meet with a growing qigong family, this program is an invitation to promote balance, peace, and harmony in your life. The purpose of this program is to create communities of practitioners dedicated to the study of Classical Chinese Wisdom Traditions to support each other on this path to deeper Knowing and Enlightenment. Traditional teachings in Chinese Shamanic Qigong will be offered over the long term. Traditional style teaching in China encompasses two key components. First, a student commits to learn from a master for his/her whole life. Second, the master commits to transmit knowledge from the lineage directly to the student. The training is deeply grounded because the knowledge received grows as it is cultivated through daily practice. The training is deeply grounded because the knowledge received grows as it is cultivated through daily practice.

Master Zhongxian Wu was born on China’s eastern shore in the city of Wenlin in Zhejiang Province, where the sun’s rays first touch the Chinese mainland. He began practicing Qigong and Taiji at an early age. Inspired by the immediate strengthening effects of this practice, Master Wu committed himself to the life-long pursuit of the ancient arts of internal cultivation. He devoted himself to the study of Qigong, martial arts, Chinese medicine, Yijing science, Chinese calligraphy, ancient Chinese music and Tibetan Buddhism over the next thirty years, studying with some of the best teachers in these fields.

Registration for this program is done directly with Master Wu.
Contact him at: qi@masterwu.net or 503-936-3390
His web site is: www.masterwu.net

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May 22 - 25; 3 days with DaeJa Napier

Karuna: The Practice of Compassion

The practice of compassion awakens the strength, courage and balance needed to keep the heart open and caring, even in difficult times. It allows us to embrace our selves and others with wise understanding, forgiveness and love.

This retreat will offer both mindfulness and guided compassion practice. The schedule will include sitting and walking meditation, an interview with the teacher, optional afternoon discussion group and evening dharma talk. Both new and experienced students are welcome.

DaeJa Napier teaches with a particular emphasis on the Brahma Viharas. She has studied and practiced in various Buddhist traditions for over thirty years and has been teaching for seventeen. Her root teacher is Zen Master Soeng Sahn . Dedicated to exploring the depths of the awakening process, she maintains a yearly schedule of intensive practice. Most recently she practiced under the guidance of Sayadaw U Janaka, Sayadaw U Pandita and Joseph Goldstein. DaeJa is the mother of five adult children.

Note: Registration is through the Brahma Vihara Foundation.
Retreat cost: $180 plus dana offering. Scholarships are available.
For registration or other information please visit www.brahmaviharas.org.

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May 29 - 31; 2 days with Jude Rozhon

Retreat Practice 101: Basic Mindfulness, Insight and Lovingkindness Meditation

This is very much a “beginner's mind” retreat. You are invited to attend a weekend of mindfulness, lovingkindness and insight meditation designed primarily for those who are attending their first retreat, though experienced meditators are also welcome to come, too. Enjoy the power of silence to nourish, refresh and heal while beginning to learn meditation, attending your first retreat, or re-visiting the basics.

During the weekend schedule of alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, Jude will introduce basic techniques of Mindfulness and Insight meditation derived primarily from the Theravada tradition, and will close each day with an introduction to the basic techniques of Lovingkindness meditation. In addition, she'll offer introductory comments about retreat practice itself, its forms and conventions, to help first-timers feel comfortable as they embark on this wonderful vehicle for deepening practice. There will also be group question/answer sessions designed to allow opportunities to clarify the practice. Bibliographies and other articles will be provided as “handouts” before you leave, in order to support ongoing practice.

Jude Rozhon has been practicing Buddhist meditation from the three main Buddhist traditions for more than 30 years, teaching for 15 years, and has been an instructor for the Insight Meditation Correspondence Course for 10 years. The Correspondence Course was authored by Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg and is published by Sounds True Recordings. Jude has degrees in Philosophy and East/West Psychology and was Director of Merriam Hill Center's Meditation Studies Program in New Hampshire for several years. She most recently taught classes in /Mindfulness and Lovingkindness Meditation/ and /Women in Religion/ at Maui Community College, The University of Hawaii, and in Tacoma, Washington. For the foreseeable future, she will be dividing her time between practicing in retreat in Crestone, Colorado and teaching meditation in the Puget Sound area of Washington State, where she teaches classes and sitting groups in Tacoma, Seattle, and now in Olympia.

Retreat cost: $125 plus dana offering.  Register Here