New Years Retreat

John Orr and Ronya Banks

December 28, 2019 - January 3, 2020

Date and Time Details: Check-in is from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on the first day of the retreat. Orientation begins promptly at 5:00 p.m. on the first day.

# Nights: 6

Registration Opens: Aug 1, 2019

  • Dormitory for Women – $510.00
  • Double Room – $540.00
  • Heated Single Cabin – $660.00
  • Tent Platform (Camping) - Volunteer Week & Work Weekends – $0.00
  • Single Cabin (Kuti) - Volunteer Week & Work Weekends – $0.00

Our retreat has three inter-woven themes: Vipassana Meditation, practice with the non-duality of relative and ultimate experience, and living from the open heart.

Vipassana or “Insight Meditation” is a practical method of self-awareness that makes it possible to encounter the tensions of daily life in a calm and balanced way. Vipassana trains us to be awake, noticing the moments of life with a compassionate heart. We deepen in the wisdom that the emotions and body sensations with which we have become so self-identified, are really just arising out of myriad conditions and passing away.

Awareness notes from a spacious perspective that fear, pain, sadness, or whatever, has arisen. That which is aware of fear is not afraid. That which is aware of anger is not angry.  And yet, there is sometimes pain, fear, anger and sadness. We deepen in compassion for all humans who do experience such challenging expressions of our humanity and at the same time know that they are non dual with what the Buddha referred to as the unborn, uncreated, undying, deathless reality, which is our ultimate experience. Please join us for an in depth dharma retreat and a celebratory welcoming of the New Year!

The retreat will include Vipassana instruction, heart-centered meditations, dharma talks, chanting from various traditions, optional yoga, and individual meetings when requested.

Prior attendance at two or more silent residential Buddhist/Spiritual  retreats of at least 5 nights in length is required to attend this retreat. No one can leave the retreat early without prior permission from the teacher, which needs to be granted before the person arrives. If you have any questions about the suitability of this retreat please contact John at bodhinc@gmail.com.

About the Teacher

John Orr

John Orr (he/him) received Theravada Buddhist ordination and training for a period of eight years while living as a monk in the 1970’s in Thailand and India. His Asian teachers are Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Buddhadasa and S.N. Goenka. Drawing from a range of wisdom teachings he has also practiced in the Dzogchen and Taoist traditions. […]

Learn more about John Orr

Ronya Banks

Ronya Banks (she/her) is the founding teacher of the Asheville Insight Meditation center in Asheville, NC, in the USA.  In addition to having lived as a Theravada Buddhist nun, Ronya’s teaching is informed by over 35 years of intensive Vipassana meditation practice, studying with more than 30 different Buddhist teachers, spending more than one year […]

Learn more about Ronya Banks

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