This retreat is nearing full. We have select rooms available. If interested, please email andreas@bigbearretreatcenter.org with your room request/preference (ie female double room)
Join us in the serene San Bernardino Mountains amongst the pine trees! This retreat is a hybrid, to join online click here.
Please note this retreat meets the requirements for participants in Jack Kornfield + Tara Brach’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification program through Sounds True.
The form of the retreat is held in contemplative silence and includes meditation instruction, Dharma talks, classical meditation practices, Qi Gong, multiple daily sessions of chanting, mantra practice, and ceremony. There will be opportunities to meet with the teachers and share within the group.
This retreat is offered to strengthen refuge and resilience to better resource ourselves within the intensity of these times by drawing from a unique synthesis of Insight meditation and the Kuan Yin Dharmas. This approach, cultivated over the years by Kittisaro and Thanissara, provides a context for the practice of contemplative inquiry, which supports embodying the transformative power of the Bodhisattva path.
The beloved Elder, Thich Nhat Hanh, taught, “we are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.” At this inflection point in our planetary journey, we are caught between a regressive, divisive force energized by fear, and an evolutionary longing to leap beyond old painful systems of extraction and oppression that are destroying the Earth.
At the crux of this dynamic is the free will of the human heart/mind. The Buddha said this mind “is the forerunner of all things.” Endeavoring to honor his words we will be working with body, mind, and heart, aligned within the deep listening of Kuan Yin to better prepare ourselves as conduits for service, as taught by Ajahn Chah, of the Living Dharma.
The teaching team supporting this retreat, all bring exceptional contributions to our collective exploration of awakening and cultivation of the Bodhisattva heart. Special attention will be given to the care of self and body alongside care from the team to hold the space with realness, mutual respect, and a lightness of being.
Tentative Schedule (subject to change)
Day 1:
2:00-4:00 Arrival and Check-In
5:30 Dinner
7:00 Opening Ceremony
9:30 Rest/Further Practice – Sharing of Blessings
Days 2-6:
6.00 Quan Yin Bowing
6:10 Silent Sitting/Stationary Meditation
6:50 Chanting
7:15 Walking/Movement Meditation
8:00 Meal Time
9:00 Instructional Sitting/Stationary Meditation with Teacher Input
10:00 Walking/Movement Meditation or Small Groups (when assigned)
10:45 Silent Sitting/Stationary Meditation
11:30 Qi Gong
12:30 Lunch
2:30 Silent Sitting/Stationary Meditation with a Few Words and/or Chant
3:00 Walking/Movement Meditation or Small Groups (when assigned)
3:30 Silent Sitting/Stationary Meditation
4:15 Walking/Movement
5:00 Silent Sitting/Stationary Meditation
5:30 Evening Meal
7:00 Chanting and Sitting/Stationary Meditation
7:30 Break
7:40 Dharma Talk
8:30 Walking/Movement Meditation
9:00 Silent Sitting/Stationary Meditation
9:30 Rest/Further Practice – Sharing of Blessings
Day 7:
5:30 Wake-up
6.00 Quan Yin Bowing
6:10 Silent Sitting/Stationary Meditation
6:50 Chanting
7:15 Work Period (when assigned) or Walking/Movement Meditation
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Closing Ceremony
10:45 Retreat Ends (please be checked out by 12pm)
COVID Requirements (read more):
-Proof of full vaccination + boost
-Proof of negative covid PCR test within 3 days prior to arrival
-Masks Required Indoors for first 48-72 hoursTo offer or join a ride share, click Sign-Up to the left. Thank you for supporting fellow practitioners.