‘Rooted in desire, friends, are all things.
Born of attention are all things.
Arising on contact are all things.
Converging on feelings are all things.
Headed by concentration are all things.
Dominated by mindfulness are all things.
Surmounted by wisdom are all things.
Yielding deliverance as essence are all things.
Terminating in Nibbana are all things.’

In the Mula sutta, a beautiful teaching of the Buddha, a pathway is described from the agitation of desire to the peacefulness of letting go. We will take this rich teaching as a basis for exploring how the establishment of mindfulness and clarity shifts the dynamic of our experience from stress to spaciousness and release.

In the radical truth the Buddha illuminated, every experience has inherent within it freedom from stress, when enough skillfulness is established. This fact gives our hearts the confidence to meet with compassion whatever is arising so we can know this for ourselves.  There is nothing we have to contend with, rather the path is to recognize that everything is of the same nature, and to experience the relief of knowing, ‘It’s like this.’

Our time of practice together will be focused on cultivating what is needed to experience the fullness of this possibility, of having a heart that is at peace with the world.

The retreat structure will create a holding for contemplative practice in an ethical environment, with noble silence as a support. There will be daily Dhamma reflections, Q&A opportunities, and personal practice dialogues offered. The schedule will include structured periods of sitting and walking meditation, as well as the opportunity for less structured practice for those more experienced in retreat. There will be time set aside in the schedule for yoga, or other forms of exercise suited to the contemplative environment.

***Both Willa Thāniyā and Elizabeth were trained in the lineage of the Thai Forest Tradition, in which teachers offer Dhamma reflections in response to the present moment (the ‘here and now’ Dhamma), rather than prepared Dhamma talks. They speak informed by the graduated teachings of the Buddha, drawing on primary texts relevant to the unfolding learning in the retreat itself.

Experience Prerequisites: 

Partial attendance is not offered on this retreat. Additionally, please consider attending this retreat only if your current life circumstances allow you to engage in an important modern renunciation practice of staying offline and off phone/text during the entire course of the retreat (some exceptions related to pressing family situations may be granted.)