Courageous Hearts, Radiant Minds
“Finding Grace in the Muck”
A Five Night Silent Meditation Retreat
at the Won Dharma Center, NY
with Jon Aaron and Upayadhi
August 18-23, 2024
Sunday evening to Friday lunchtime
See our DRAFT SCHEDULE here
On the gorgeous campus of the Won Dharma Center with its big skies and rolling hills, we invite you to join us for contemplative and spacious meditation retreat. In this supportive context, we will explore several Bodhisattva figures who embody grace, including in unexpected places and through tremendous difficulty and hostility. As we open to this boundless love, we can be touched by grace, literally "graced" -- and can then offer it to others. Still, with all that is happening in this violent world, grace might seem elusive -- to receive, and to give. Grace encourages us to let go of what is unhelpful and to enter the enormity of our potential. Grace can be the gift of courage.
In the beauty and expansive grounds and vistas of the Won Dharma Center, we will tap into the boundless qualities of the Bodhisattvas through formal and informal practices which open our hearts and mind. Weather permitting, significant parts of the retreat will be held outside in both formal and informal practices. With its sheltered meditation decks, gentle walking trails, open vistas, and friendly residential community, the Center offers a unique set of conditions to deepen our meditation practice.
The retreat will include
• A spacious schedule, including unstructured time for rest, walks and just being.
• A range of meditation practices rooted in the Buddhist tradition.
• Weather permitting, sessions of outdoor seated and walking meditation.
• Dharma talks exploring the themes of the retreat.
• Mindful movement sessions.
• Opportunities for Buddhist chanting and ritual.
• Meditation interviews with the teachers.
• A closing listening circle.
• Non-silent meals at the start and end of the retreat, to ease in and out of silence.
Who is the retreat for?
The retreat assumes prior meditation experience and some degree of regular practice. Thus, it is suitable as a first silent meditation retreat, as well as for those with extensive “time on the cushion” and knowledge of the teachings. We will explore the themes in ways that are meaningful for all, whether anchored in the Buddhist tradition, in other traditions, or no tradition at all.
Note: This retreat is a qualifying retreat for participants planning to pursue MBSR teacher training and other teacher training pathways.
The Won Dharma Center and transportation
The beautiful Won Dharma Center is a 2-hour train ride from New York City. From the Hudson Amtrak station, cabs can be shared to the center, which is in Claverack. Further information on transportation can be found on the Won Dharma Center site. Below the registration section on this page, we have listed recommended train options for arriving and departing.
Optional Work meditation
The Won Dharma Center is not just a retreat center, but a living residential Buddhist community, devoted to the Dharmalife. To support the residential community in running the center, there will be opportunities to sign up on a volunteer basis for light jobs in the kitchen.
Lodging
The Won Dharma Center offers beautiful clean and well-appointed accommodations at different price levels: single rooms, double rooms and a camping option. Rooms have ceiling fans but no A/C. There are many bathrooms in each building, which are adjacent to rooms.
Food
Registration includes all delicious vegetarian meals. The cuisine is mostly Asian, as the Won Dharma community is a Korean lineage. Upon registration you will be asked about any food allergies or special diets and the team will do its best to accommodate you.
Supporting the Teachers
As a form of support to the teachers, we have added $400 to the room and board fees. We were not able to make this retreat entirely dana-based (donations only), as we have to incur a significant financial risk in fronting the deposit to reserve the entire center for this retreat. Thank you for your understanding. We do depend on the generosity of the sangha as a right livelihood and a means by which we can teach, and continue to teach. Thank you for your support.
Supporting Each Other
When you register, you will also be able to make a contribution to our scholarship fund. This is optional, yet vital to the spirit of this retreat. The scholarship fund will be used to help fellow practitioners attend the retreat who are otherwise unable to cover the cost on their own. Thank you in advance for your generosity. It is our intention to turn no one away for lack of funds, but we do need you help to make that possible.
A note on silence
A willingness to explore the practice of collective silence is expected, as the retreat will be held in noble silence. This includes the temporary renunciation of electronic devices – some call this “detox”! We will have wake-up bells for morning meditation. Such silence and the lessening of input allow for our meditation to deepen, and our nervous systems to unwind in ways that are typically impossible in our busy lives. Silence is a rare and nourishing gift we can offer each other. Teachers will be offering instruction and talks, and there will be opportunities for Q&A as well as meditation interviews.
Covid Precautions
We will request that all attendees be fully vaccinated, in order to minimize risks. We will encourage a rapid home test prior to departing to the retreat center. We will also be following any Won Dharma Center protocols which you can read in more detail closer to the start of the retreat, as they may evolve. Of course, if you suddenly become ill or have a Covid positive test result we will fully refund your registration and teacher contribution.
Registration
Please select:
your room and board for five nights, including meals: single, double, or camping. The registration includes support to the teachers.
optional: a contribute to our scholarship fund to help others get on retreat.
See further details on cancellation terms below.
Cancellation Policy
If you need to cancel your registration, please contact us as soon as possible. We are a tiny family business having to front all the fees to the Won Center to hold this retreat, so we kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation in the event of a need to cancel your spot.
If you cancel your retreat, a $80 cancellation fee will be charged, no matter when the cancellation happens.
Unless we are able to offer your spot to someone else seeking to book it, cancellations received:
60-30 days prior to the retreat will be 50% refunded, minus the cancellation fee.
30-7 days prior to the retreat will be 25% refunded, minus the cancellation fee.
less than 7 days prior to the retreat will not be refunded.
Booking your train
Registration on Arrival day is from 3-5pm, with dinner at 6pm, and our first session from 7:30 to 9pm. Train schedules from Amtrak Penn Moynihan in NYC are:
- 1:20pm arriving in Hudson 3:20pm
- 2:19pm arriving in Hudson 4:19pm
- 3:15pm arriving in Hudson 5:16pm
If you need to arrive later, please let us know in your registration form.
On Departing Day, lunch is at 12pm and we warmly encourage you to stay for that.
Train schedules on the 19th from Hudson to Amtrack Penn Moynihan in NYC are:
- 1:28pm arriving in NYC 3:45pm
- 3:32pm arriving in Hudson 5:45pm
To secure the best prices we encourage you to book sooner than later.