Join Beth Sternlieb, Gullu Singh and I April 2 – April 8, 2018 at Royal Way Spiritual Retreat Center for InsightLA’s True Refuge retreat.
“DEEPEN YOUR PRACTICE IN BEAUTIFUL LUCERNE VALLEY…
Time in retreat allows us to step out of the complexity of our life, to listen deeply to our body, heart and mind.
A retreat provides an opportunity and a caring container deepening our mediation practice. The mindfulness practice on retreats is often accompanied and complemented by training in loving-kindness meditation.
Most of the retreat is held in silence, with periods of sitting and walking meditation There are teaching talks, guided meditations, time for questions and answers and meetings with a teacher. Three healthy vegetarian meals are provided for participants and dietary restrictions are accommodated to whenever possible.
Retreatants are encouraged to practice mindfulness in a continuous way, staying with their own present experience as it unfolds, moment to moment. In this silent and mindful environment, awareness sharpens, the body quiets, the mind clears, and space opens for insight and understanding to develop.
By cultivating the power of awareness, clarity and kindness, we discover our path to inner freedom and a peaceful heart deeper, for the benefit or our relationship to our selves, our community and our wider world,.
Retreats are led by a team of experienced teachers. The teachers offer instructions, dharma talks and regularly scheduled practice meetings to provide guidance throughout the retreat.
RETREAT SCHEDULE:
The daily rhythm of a retreat usually involves alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, nature walks, meals and tea, as well as practice meetings, dharma talks and rest periods. The first sitting usually begins before breakfast. Each morning the teachers offer continuing meditation instructions for the day. The whole retreat is a succession of mindfulness training, breathing practices, deep awareness of the body and environment, meditations on the nature of feelings, and awareness of mind are from the Buddhist Insight Meditation tradition.
Sitting Meditation: Sitting meditation is at the heart of silent retreats. In sitting practice silence and stillness develop, concentration deepens, and awareness expands. The training of the heart brings kindness and compassion for all that arises. We come in to presence and learn to find freedom in the midst of life that as it truly is.
Walking Meditation: Walking gracefully and wisely on the earth is also a way to practice meditation. On retreat, periods of walking meditation alternate with periods of sitting meditation. Through walking practice we learn to sustain meditative awareness through movement. In walking meditation we become aware in the midst of activity. Throughout the retreat we learn to cultivate a mindful awareness in all postures, sitting walking and lying dwon.
Eating Meditation: An awareness of food, and the mindful understanding of the entire process of nourishment and eating is included in the practice at retreats. Retreatants are encouraged to bring the same calm, focused attention to eating as is brought to sitting and walking. Mindful eating is a wonderful context for the arising of insights. Every bite of food we eat contains, rain, sun, earth and the work of many, many beings.
Dharma Talks and guided meditations: Each day, the teachers present a different set of teachings that are central to practicing mindfulness and compassion. These teaching can be applied to our own experience. Sometimes the talks focus on retreat practice, and sometimes they offer teachings for wise living in the world.
“True Refuge” refuge in awareness, refuge in the truth of the way things are, and refuge in caring, kind relationship are . Through the practice of mindfulness and compassion we will explore ways to let go of fear and reactive habit patterns so that we can find refuge here and now. Class will include guided meditation instruction, teachings, and class discussion. Recommended reading but not required: True Refuge: Finding Peace & Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart, by Tara Brach
The course is ideal for the student who has already taken the “Basics of Mindfulness Meditation” class, or has completed the “Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program,” and who wishes to deepen their mindfulness meditation practice. If you have some meditation experience but have not taken an InsightLA class, please contact the teacher.
Retreat will be traditional three refuges; Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha can be understood as refuge in compassionate awareness, refuge in the truth of the way things are, and refuge in caring, kind relationship. Through the practice of mindfulness and compassion we will explore ways to let go of fear and reactive habit patterns so that we can find refuge here and now. Class will include guided meditation instruction, teachings, and class discussion. Recommended reading but not required: True Refuge: Finding Peace & Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart, by Tara Brach”