Weekend Insight Meditation Retreat with Nikki Mirghafori [Nov6ac]

A Weekend Non-Residential Silent Insight Meditation Retreat on the Protective Power of Mettā with Nikki Mirghafori, Fri Nov 6-Sun Nov 8
About this Event

The general schedule (all times are Pacific Time):

Friday, November 6: 7:00–8:30 PM
Saturday, November 7: 9:30 AM–5:00 PM
Sunday, November 8: 9:30 AM–3:30 PM

Please note: these are the correct start and end times for this retreat. You may see other times listed in the Eventbrite description and this is due to an Eventbrite glitch around Vancouver's new adoption of permanent Pacific Time. Eventbrite is in process of resolving this error.

RETREAT DESCRIPTION - Finding Refuge in a Distracted World: Mettā, Mindfulness, and AI

How can we nourish the heart and care for our attention in a world that asks so much of both?

This two and a half day retreat offers space to rest, deepen our practice, and explore how lovingkindness and mindfulness can guide us through everyday life—including our encounters with technology and AI. Through guided meditation, silent sitting and walking, Dharma reflections, and practical exercises, we will cultivate warmth, steadiness, and wise engagement.

Saturday — Resting in Lovingkindness: Mettā as Refuge and Foundation

Mettā—lovingkindness—is the practice of cultivating goodwill toward ourselves and others. In the Buddhist tradition, it is both a refuge for the heart and a foundation for the path of awakening. As a samatha practice—a cultivation of calm and collectedness—mettā steadies and unifies the mind-heart, supporting the clarity from which insight can grow.

Mettā is neither forced positivity nor a saccharine gloss over life’s difficulties. It invites an honest, patient willingness to meet experience with goodwill, even when warm feelings are absent. With practice, we can learn to meet ill will and self-judgment with kindness and find greater ease amid difficult circumstances.

Saturday offers time to step out of habitual busyness and deepen this practice through guided meditation, silent sitting and walking, and Dharma reflections. Whether you are beginning meditation or nourishing an established practice, this day invites you to rest in mettā and cultivate qualities that sustain us both in stillness and in the world.

Sunday — Caring for Our Attention: Mindfulness, Mettā, Technology, and AI

The kindness we cultivate in meditation can accompany us into every part of our lives—including the moments we reach for a phone, read the news, or engage with AI. Sunday invites us to bring that same care to our attention: to understand its habits, nourish its steadiness, and choose more consciously what we give ourselves to.

Drawing on Buddhist teachings and her background as an AI scientist, Nikki will weave together an exploration of attention, the influences of digital environments and AI, and practical ways to cultivate a wiser relationship with technology. Through meditation and everyday examples, we will learn to notice when attention is pulled away, return without self-criticism, and support the mind’s capacity to settle and stay present.

Attention needs nourishment and rest as well as training. We will explore what Attention Restoration Theory (ART) suggests about the restorative qualities of natural environments, alongside a contemplative invitation to reconnect with nature outside and within us—the living world around us and the unfolding life of our own bodies and minds.

Throughout the day, we will discover small, accessible ways to carry this practice home: pausing before checking or responding, recognizing when we need rest, and bringing kindness and discernment to our digital interactions. Together, we will explore how our engagement with technology and AI can reflect what we most value: clarity, connection, and care.

Each day is complete in itself; Saturday’s cultivation of lovingkindness will also enrich Sunday’s exploration. Beginning and experienced practitioners are welcome. To inquire about attending only Saturday or Sunday, please contact BCIMS.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Registration: Please register for your ticket on Eventbrite before the start of the event. There will be no registration onsite at the door. If you are unable to register online or have any questions, please contact [email protected]

In-Person Health and Safety: This retreat is planned to have a limited number of attendees. All health guidelines in place at the time of the retreat for group gatherings will be followed and communicated to attendees. Click for BCIMS' Health and Safety webpage. Please do not attend if you have any symptoms of a fever, cough or a cold, or have had recent contact with anyone with COVID.

A mask optional event: This is a mask optional gathering. We will have masks on site for those who prefer to remain masked. We may change our masking policy should community health conditions shift. We shall communicate any changes on this page and with registrants directly.

Fees: A sliding scale of fees is offered. Please choose the highest rate you can comfortably offer:

Supported Ticket $75 CAD: The supported rate covers about 60% of what is needed for retreat costs and to run our organization. To balance our budget and wisely manage our resources, donations must supplement registration income.
Sustaining Ticket $125 CAD: The sustaining rate represents the actual cost to BCIMS to operate our programs.
Generosity Ticket $175 CAD: The generosity rate covers the cost of the program and also provides funds to subsidize supported tickets and financial assistance. Tax Receipts: Please note that we are unable to offer tax receipts for folks who purchase the Generosity Ticket. If you are interested in receiving a tax receipt, we recommend you purchase a Sustaining Ticket and offer a donation of any amount to BCIMS via our page.
Friday Night Only Ticket $40 CAD: We offer a small number of tickets for folks only able to join for the Friday evening portion.
Back To School Student Discount $60: We welcome this option to current students!
Financial Assistance: No one is turned away for lack of funds. If you require additional financial assistance to attend this retreat please contact [email protected].

Please note that your registration fee goes toward retreat costs and BC Insight Meditation Society organizational expenses which allow us to continue offering retreats such as this one. Financial support for the teacher is offered separately.

Teacher Dana: In the Buddhist tradition, teachings are offered freely because they are considered priceless; in the Buddhist tradition we also practice dana, or generosity, by making monetary offerings to the teachers. Dana is not payment for goods or services rendered; it is given from the heart. Your generosity is a gift that supports not just the teachers, but also the Sangha, the larger Dharma community, and your own practice. More info on Dana is shared below.

Cancellation/Refund Policy: You may request a refund up to 24 hours before the start of retreat. Please note there is a $25 non-refundable registration fee. To cancel your ticket, log on to Eventbrite with your email address. Go to your tickets for this event and click on "Request a Refund". Cancellations within 24 hours of the start of retreat will not receive a refund.

Ridesharing: The information collected during registration regarding ridesharing will be shared by email to all interested attendees 7 days prior to the retreat. Attendees are then responsible for connecting directly with each other to make any ridesharing arrangements.

Accessibility: Please visit this outlining accessibility to the Asian Library, located in the Asian Centre.

Before you go: Information about preparing for the retreat, including what to bring, and safety reminders, are sent to attendees a few days before the start of the retreat. You may also to view the information and reminders.

DANA

Dana may be offered to Nikki by E-transfer, Paypal, and Venmo. Onsite cash donations of Canadian or USD are also welcome. More info will be shared with registrants on retreat.

TEACHER BIO

Dr. Nikki Mirghafori is an Artificial Intelligence scientist and an internationally known Buddhist teacher. She serves as a Stewarding Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, where she is also on the Board of Directors, and is also a Teacher at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. She teaches with clarity and warmth on topics ranging from mindful leadership to cultivating kindness, with a rare expertise on mindfulness of death. Dr. Mirghafori is widely published in AI, has led international collaborations as a Berkeley academic, and has advised technology startups. She is of Persian heritage, an advocate for wisdom and compassion in daily life, as well as ethical AI in our zeitgeist.

DETAILED SCHEDULE

Like all phenomena, the schedule is subject to change. All times listed are Pacific Standard.

Coming soon!

With heartfelt gratitude, BCIMS acknowledges we are based in what is now known as Vancouver, BC, the beautiful, traditional, and unceded lands of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, who live on and have stewarded this land for thousands of years.