Forest Refuge Schedule 2026

This month at the Forest Refuge will emphasize awakening the heart through embodied practice. Reflections and talks will contribute to cultivating and deepening our practice of both vipassana and metta meditation.

The Magic of the Mind

Can we see life as a miracle? Faced with the difficulties of modern life, how can we learn to increase our creativity, compassion, understanding, and stability?

This retreat will explore universal aspects of our lived experiences from a practice perspective. Through embodied awareness and curiosity, our practice can help us understand the intricacies of our mind. In turn, this practice can reveal new ways to navigate through life with wisdom and skillful means, enabling new possibilities to emerge, even amidst the challenges and change of our contemporary times.

The title of this retreat is borrowed from Ven Nyanananda’s brief essay elaborating the Kālakārāma sutta (AN: IV, 24 / II 24). We will draw upon this text, and others, to support a deepening and broadening of experiential wisdom. Reading ahead is not required.

Priority will be given to those applying for the full month or longer.

Participants are expected to observe the eight precepts, if they are able to do so.

The Cultivation of Intuitive Wisdom

During this retreat we will study and practice Satipaṭṭhāna meditation with an emphasis on intuitive wisdom (paññā). Ways of cultivating intuitive wisdom will be described from both a theoretical and a practical point of view.

Sayadaw U Vivekānanda will explain how the etymology and definitions of the term paññā reveal different facets of this perfection (pāramī). We will also explore the factors contributing to the acquisition of wisdom.

The texts speak of sharp, strong, clear, and progressive intuitive wisdom, and the meaning of these qualities will be explained. Throughout the month, the gradual unfolding, the benefits, and the goal of intuitive wisdom will be outlined.

Priority will be given to those applying for the full month or longer.

Participants are expected to observe the eight precepts, if they are able to do so.

Seeing Things as They Are: Cultivating Liberating Interest in the Present Moment

During this month-long retreat, Deborah and Mark will be offering instructions from their training in the Burmese lineage of Theravada Buddhism. The instructions offered will emphasize a direct, relaxed, and continuous interest in the immediacy of present moment experience. Retreatants will be encouraged to cultivate skillful means including the use of a primary meditation object, the mental noting of predominant experience, and other traditional techniques in ways that support a natural stability of present moment awareness. It is the continuous, clear, and subtle discernment of the conditional unfolding of body and mind that is the cause for liberating insight to arise. Please join us for this month as we do our best to practice in the footsteps of the Buddha and our many wise teachers from the Burmese monasteries.

Applications for July 2026 will be collected through March 1, 2026. Due to the style of teaching and flow of instructions, preference will be given to those who apply for the full month.  Partial month applications will be sent to the teaching team for review and placed on a waitlist.

Partial month attendance must begin at the first of the month (July 1 – July 14) or the second half of the month, (July 15 – July 31), for a minimum of two weeks, with preference given for a longer stays.

* Acceptances for partial month  (either July 1 – July 14 or July 15 – July 31) will be made by April 1, 2026.

Awareness and Wisdom Retreat

The teachings for this month will explore the four foundations of mindfulness with open awareness and receptive attention, with an emphasis on recognizing the attitude of mind and cultivating the perspective of wise view. The teachings will be influenced by both teachers’ practice with Sayadaw U Tejaniya. We request that you agree to work with the instructions offered during the retreat.

Practice discussion meetings will primarily be in small groups, meeting twice a week. The teachers will offer some sign-up interviews, so there will be a chance for a private meeting if there is something you don’t feel comfortable bringing up in the group.

Applications for August 2026 will be collected through April 1, 2026. Due to the style of teaching and flow of instructions, preference will be given to those who apply for the full month. Partial month applications will be sent to the teaching team for review and placed on a waitlist.

 Partial month attendance must begin at the first of the month, for a minimum of two weeks, with priority given for a longer stay.

* Acceptances for partial month  (either July 1 – July 14 or July 15 – July 31) will be made by May 1, 2026.

Touching the Earth: a NatureDharma Retreat

On this month-long retreat, we will have the opportunity to connect our dharma practice with the natural world. The Buddha practiced, became enlightened, taught, lived, and died outdoors—and throughout history, Buddhist practice has been intimately connected to the natural world as a teacher, a place of practice, and a refuge. Fundamental to our time together is the understanding that through mindfulness and presence, the natural world can be our teacher. Our sitting, walking, dharma talks, and instruction will be outside. The forest, the meadows, and the open sky will be our meditation hall. You will have the opportunity to practice while sitting on a bench near others on the Forest Refuge’s decks, or to find a quiet place along the extensive trails to practice alone in the woods. When weather conditions are less supportive, we will sit in the meditation hall. The instructions and dharma talks will provide context, invitation, and skillful means for deepening your nature practice. Support and guidelines will be offered to address concerns about the challenges of practicing outside.

A minimum stay for the full month of September is required.

The Brahmaviharas: A Refuge for the Heart

The Buddha described the Brahmaviharas (Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity) as sublime expressions of an awakened heart. We will immerse ourselves in these boundless qualities—deepening our capacity for love and wisdom. With dedicated practice, we uncover the natural radiance of the heart, learning how these qualities serve as both refuge and path. For those attending the full month, there will be space to explore metta as a concentration practice, gently gathering the mind into stillness. Through dharma reflections, instructions, and individual support, we will explore the transformative power of the Brahmaviharas.