April 4 – 11; 7 days with Steve Armstrong

Awareness is not enough!

While mindful awareness is an essential element of living in harmony, tranquility of mind and wisdom; the practice of liberation requires much more. On this retreat we will practice sustained clarity and refinement of understanding through awareness in all activities. Instructive reflection on clarifying one’s aspiration, fulfilling morality, establishing faith in the Buddha, reliance on the sangha, self-inspiration, protecting one’s practice, the path of insight and the goal of nibbana will be offered.

This retreat will be conducted in silence with dhamma instruction, ample time for guided reflection, asking questions and individual or group check in. The primary instruction will be mindfulness of mind throughout all activities. There will be scheduled group practice sessions as well as unscheduled individual practice periods. This retreat is suitable for beginning students interested in a comprehensive foundation for establishing awareness as well as experienced students interested in further deepening of insight.

Steve Armstrong has practiced insight meditation since 1975. He has served for many years at the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts as Executive Director, Board member and senior teacher. As a monk in Burma under the guidance of Sayadaw U Pandita he undertook intensive, silent practice of insight and lovingkindness meditations for 5 years and in Australia, he studied the Buddhist psychology (abhidhamma) with Sayadaw U Zagara. He continues his practice under the guidance of Sayadaw U Tejaniya. Steve is a co-founding teacher of the Vipassana Metta Foundation’s dharma sanctuary and hermitage on Maui. He has been leading meditation retreats internationally since 1990 and encourages spiritual development through cultivating insightful awareness and liberating understanding of the core teachings of the Buddha in all life activities.

Retreat cost: $375 plus dana offering.  Register Here

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April 25 - 30; 5 days with Heather Martin

Vipassana Meditation

Insight or Vipassana meditation is the simple practice of observing one’s direct experience in this very moment, with a gently relaxed, open and careful awareness. By learning to be present with this attitude, we are able to access our natural qualities of a spacious, calm, clear mind, and a kind and peaceful heart. As we develop this way, we respond to the inevitable joys and sorrows of life with increasing sensitivity, stability and love. Metta or Loving Kindness meditation cultivates connecting with and caring for ourselves and others. It is true friendliness. We can deliberately nurture our heart’s natural capacity for peacefulness and kindness, acceptance and forgiveness. These practices intertwine and are mutually supportive. This retreat will take place in Noble Silence, and the format will include: specific training in both Vipassana/Insight and Metta/Loving Kindness meditation; daily Dharma talks; periods for questions and answers; and opportunities for discussion with the teacher. It is suitable for both beginning and experienced students of meditation.

Heather Martin has practiced meditation since 1972, finding the dhamma in 1981 by studying with S. N. Goenka for 8 years. Since then she has been influenced by both Burmese and Thai streams of the Theravada tradition, having studied with many of the senior western teachers, and more recently by Tibetan Dzogchen with Tsoknyi Rinpoche. She is training with Jack Kornfield and leads retreats in Canada and the US. She worked for 20 years as a midwife, continues to prepare parents for Childbirth, and lives on Saltspring Island, B.C.

Retreat cost: $275 plus dana offering.  Register Here

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