Awakening the Bodhisattva Heart Residential Retreat

A 10-day Insight meditation retreat drawing on the Kuan Yin Dharmas

With Kittisaro & Thanissara, Sara Shapouri, Dawn Mauricio, Gullu Singh and Adam Stonebraker

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.

The form of the retreat is held in contemplative silence and includes Dharma talks, classical meditation practices, yogic-somatic movement, chanting, mantra practice, and ceremony. There will be opportunities to meet with the teachers, share within the group, and a full day at the end of the retreat focused on integration and strengthening Sangha.