Weekend Meditation Retreat with Bonnie Duran, Oct 11-12, 2024 [2024oct11ac]

We are excited to offer this retreat as a HYBRID! To register for an in-person ticket, please do so on this page. If you are interested in attending as an Online Attendee, please go to the to register.

To help honour the container of our in-person gathering, we ask you to please commit to attending in-person for the entirety of the retreat if possible. If you are only able to attend a part of the retreat, we encourage you to consider an .

Embark on a transformative journey with our short retreat, where we will practice Mindfulness and Lovingkindness meditation. We will learn and practice this ancient tradition within a primordial “Ceremony” framework. This practice, rooted in the present moment and our world, offers a space for acceptance and the cultivation of clarity, confidence, resilience, and strength.

This practice maps the methods and outcomes of our ancient traditional expression of sacred presence, mindfulness, and lovingkindness meditation with the fundamental wellness-optimizing characteristics of an Indigenous Ceremony.

This retreat will be instructional and experiential. Together, we will explore mindfulness/insight meditation techniques and understand the strength-based and resilience-optimizing characteristics of retreat as a Ceremony.

This retreat is open to everyone, including Indigenous people worldwide.

The general schedule (all times are PST):

Friday October 11: 7:15pm-9pm

Saturday October 12: 9am - 5pm

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 COVID-19 Safety Measures: 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. Please note we will continue to monitor BC's COVID protocols and will communicate any potential changes to the event via email.

We encourage attendees to be fully vaccinated including booster vaccinations. We will not be asking for proof of vaccination during sign in.

A mask mandatory event: This event requires all attendees to be masked while indoors, including while seated in the meditation hall.

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.

Click for BCIMS' COVID Safety webpage.

Cancellation 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".

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.

Sliding Scale Retreat Fees: Fees for this retreat are offered on a sliding scale of $50, $95, and $150 for the full weekend. Please choose the rate you can joyfully offer. We are also offering a small set of Friday Night Only tickets for $40. Complimentary tickets are available for Indigenous, Inuit, and Métis community members. Please select this ticket tier if this applies to you.

Teacher Dana: Fees cover retreat organizing costs only. Donations (dana) for the teaching may be given at the retreat, or offered through online options. See below for more information.

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].

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.

In-person offering: Envelopes labelled "Dana" will be available at the retreat for you to offer cash dana to Bonnie.

Other options for offering dana: Dana may be offered to Bonnie by e-transfer or Paypal. More info will be shared with registrants on retreat.

Bonnie Duran met the Dharma in 1982 and has taken teachings from many western teachers including Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, as well as Thai, Burmese, and Tibetan Monastic teachers. Bonnie is a graduate of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS)/Spirit Rock Meditation Center (SRMC) retreat teacher-training program.

She is now a core-teacher of the SRMC Dedicated Practitioners Program and is on the SRMC Guiding Teachers Council.

Bonnie teaches long and short retreats at IMS, Spirit Rock and in other communities, and is also involved in Native American spiritual practices and traditions. Bonnie was introduced to the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist tradition through her partner and is now happily studying and practicing in that tradition as well.

She is a contributor to Hilda Gutiérrez Baldoquin book, Dharma, Color and Culture: New Voices in Western Buddhism and has written for the Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Tricycle, and the Turning Wheel.

Dr. Duran is a Professor Emeritus in the Schools of Social Work and Public Health at the University of Washington and is also faculty at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute. Her academic work is primarily with Tribal, Urban Indian and International Indigenous communities.

Like all phenomena, the schedule is subject to change.

Friday

6:30 - 7:15 PM Check in

7:15 - 9:00 Sit and Dharma Talk

9:00 Evening Session Ends

Saturday

9:00 - 9:45 AM Instruction and sitting meditation (latecomers: please walk)

9:45 - 10:30 Instruction and walking meditation

10:30 - 11:15 Sitting meditation

11:15 - 12:00 Walking meditation

12:00 PM - 12:30 Sitting

12:30 - 1:30 Lunch

1:30 - 2:00 Sitting

2:00 - 2:15 Questions and response

2:15 - 2:30 Dana talk

2:30 - 2:45 Walking meditation

2:45 - 3:30 Dharma talk

3:30 - 4:15 Walking meditation

4:15 - 4:45 Sitting, Questions and response

4:45 - 5:00: Dedication of Merit, Closing, and BCIMS Announcements

Host or Publisher BC Insight Meditation Society