Dharma Zephyr Insight Meditation Community

Insight Meditation Community

meditation

Resting in the Dharma with John M. Travis Summer Residential Retreat at Lake Tahoe

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John Travis

 

Resting in the Dharma –

Collecting ourselves through breath And body.
Allowing awareness to unearth, a deep, Sense of ease.
Dharma, can heal the wounds of the past bringing peace to our lives.

 

 

About the Teacher:

The guiding and founding teacher of Mountain Stream Meditation Center, John M. Travis, has been a student of meditation since 1969. His vision and teaching have been instrumental t in the growth and development of Buddhism and meditation in the Northern Sierra Nevada region.

The Dharma Zephyr Community has benefited greatly from John’s personal warmth and his teachings over the last 30 years.

For more detail please visit https://www.mtstream.org/our-teachers .

Accommodation:
Accommodations for sleeping are two person rooms. Your same-sex roommate will be assigned at registration, unless you indicated a roommate preference during the registration process or that you plan on camping, staying in a teepee or have been told that a single room is available for you.  About two weeks before retreat we will know if single rooms are available.

COST:

  • includes lodging and three mails per day
  • $609 camping is still available all rooms are occupied
  • pay in full at registration

Dharma Zephyr has some funding available for partial scholarships for multi-day retreats. For information on retreat scholarships, click HERE.

Dana:
Dana is a Pali word meaning “generosity”. Considered priceless, the Buddha’s teachings have been given freely since the time of the Buddha. That 2500-year tradition continues today. In keeping with this tradition, teachers do not charge for their services, but are sustained by the generosity of their students. Registration fees cover only the operational expenses of the retreat. There is no expected amount, but you are encouraged to give generously to the extent you are able. There will be an opportunity to offer dana to John, the staff and DZIMC, at the end of the retreat.

COVID-19:

In the spirit of lovingkindness and ethical behavior, DZIMC will follow all CDC, state, and local mandates regarding COVID-19. In addition, for the safety and wellbeing of our community, Dharma Zephyr encourages, but does not require, that participants at our activities and events be vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19. To care for all who attend our events, we ask that if you are sick (cold, cough, sore throat, runny nose, etc.) or have had a fever, vomiting or diarrhea in the 24 hours prior to an event, that you not attend the event.

You will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID antigen test (home test) taken within 48 hours of arriving at Camp Galilee. If you have medical insurance or are on Medicare, free tests are available at most major pharmacies. DZIMC will have some tests at the check in.

COVID-19 protocols such as masking and social distancing for this retreat will be determined by the conditions at the time the retreat is held. You will be asked to confirm that you have read the complete COVID-19 and Wellness Policy when you register.

Register NowRegister for John Travis August 10-15 Pay BalancePay Balance for John Travis August 10-15

Daylong Retreat with Heather Sundberg on Zoom

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Heather Sundberg
Taking the One Seat: Choiceless Awareness & Essence of Mind Practices with Heather Sundberg on Zoom
Sunday January 28th, 10am to 3:30pm (lunch break Noon – 1pm).

The teaching and practice of “Taking the One Seat,” out of the lineage of Ajahn Chah, is a practice of choiceless awareness with all experience at the 6 sense doors, which can grow into the recognition of the essence of mind itself.

Enjoy a day of quiet sitting and walking meditation, which allow our body and mind to settle down and our hearts to open to an inner wisdom. In addition to insight meditation practice, Heather will offer teachings and guided meditations on the theme, as well as time for discussion about how to live these teachings in our daily lives. This retreat is suitable for beginners as well as experienced meditators.

In this daylong we will explore the Taking the One Seat teaching/practice from the following perspectives:
– Somatic, heart and pure awareness practices which offer balance and perspective with the constant grasping and pushing away in the mind,
– Learning to ‘hit rewind’ with reactive patterns growing from feeling tone into liking and disliking,
– Pure Awareness practice through the use of open questions and 5 aggregates investigations, including working with subtle identification with awareness itself.

Registration: Opens Dec. 10th. To register and receive the retreat Zoom link, please email Tom Gray: tom@dharmazephyr.org

Dana (donation): The Teacher offers the teachings freely in the tradition of the Buddha, and her livelihood is completely sustained by the generosity of the communities she serves. Dana (donation) for these priceless teachings will be gratefully accepted by the teacher, giving participants the opportunity to freely engage in the practice of generosity, the first step toward freedom.

Heather Sundberg has taught insight meditation since 1999, and completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training program under Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein. She has been a visiting teacher for Dharma Zephyr daylongs and residential retreats since 2011. As a teacher, Heather’s style is warm and practical. She emphasizes embodiment, awareness-emptiness and including strong heartfulness in practice. She carries an interesting combination of supporting a ‘less is more’ easeful style of practice, plus a passionate ‘no holds barred’ attitude about awakening. For more information or to make a donation, see: www.heathersundberg.com

A number of Dharma Zephyr community members train with Heather in her ongoing MahaSati Awareness-Emptiness Training programs for experienced students. See: www.mahasati.info

ReTreat from the Holidays 2023 in Carson City

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Offer yourself a day of silence!
Return to your body, relax, and breathe after the busy-ness of the holidays.

We will offer techniques to use throughout the day (and the coming year) to center, calm and ground yourself. The day will be in silence except for instructions in sitting and walking meditation, a dharma talk, and a question and answer period with the teachers.

This short daylong event is offered in person only.

Please prepare for comfort with layered clothing for outdoor walking meditations and indoor sitting and movement. Bring a sack lunch for a relaxed and silent meal, and your cushion or bench if you wish to sit on the floor. Chairs are provided (but do bring your own if you have one you especially like). Especially suited for new meditators, and a great tune-up and quiet day for experienced meditators.

This is a Dharma Zephyr Insight Meditation Community event. As such, there is no charge. Your generosity provides a donation to Sierra Foot & Ankle for the space and support for the teachers.

Kathy Schwerin, Christy Tews and Angela Sullivan will co-lead this mindfulness, movement and meditation day. Kathy, Christy and Angela are long-time practitioners and teachers, as well as friends. You may find Kathy’s and Christy’s full bios at dharmazephyr.org/about/who-we-are.  Angela Sullivan, founder of Sun Mountain Yoga, will provide periods of gentle movement.

We ask that you let us know you are coming to help us with planning.

To register or for questions contact Tom Gray, the retreat coordinator, at tom@dharmazephyr.org.

COVID-19 and General Health Policy summary: In the spirit of lovingkindness and ethical behavior, Dharma Zephyr offers our updated health and covid policy:  DZIMC will follow all state and local mandates regarding Covid. In addition, for the safety and wellbeing of our community, Dharma Zephyr strongly encourages, but does not require, that participants at our activities and events be vaccinated and boosted for Covid. To care for all who attend our events, we ask that if you are sick (cold, cough, sore throat, runny nose, etc.) or have had a fever, vomiting or diarrhea in the 24 hours prior to an event, that you not attend the event. Adopted 11/19/22.

The Jhanas and Insight: A 10-day (9-Night) Residential Retreat with Leigh Brasington at Lake Tahoe

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This retreat is now full and the waiting list is closed.

The jhanas are eight progressive altered states of consciousness that can be identified with the aspect of the Buddha’s Eightfold Path called right concentration. Training in concentration leads to these states, each of which yields a deeper and subtler state of awareness than the previous one. The jhanas are not in themselves awakening, but they are a skillful means for stilling the mind in a way that leads in that direction, and they are attainable by anyone who devotes the time and sincerity of practice necessary to realize them. Jhana practice is helpful for gaining the deep insights necessary for ending personal suffering. The jhanas are an advanced topic in Buddhist meditation. Learning the jhanas comes more easily for those who have previously attended at least two one-week or longer silent meditation retreats and have a daily meditation practice of 45 minutes or more.

This residential retreat will take place at scenic Camp Galilee, on the lovely eastern shore of Lake Tahoe. The retreat is offered in one 10-day (9-night) length only.

Leigh Brasington (leighb.com) is a teacher of insight meditation who was the senior American student of the late Venerable Ayya Khema, who authorized him to teach the jhanas. Leigh has taught them, along with other insight practices, at well over one hundred residential retreats throughout the United States and Europe. He is casual and warm, and is skilled at providing individualized instruction during retreats. Leigh is also the author of the excellent and helpful books Right Concentration, A Practical Guide to the Jhanas (2015), and Dependent Origination and Emptiness: Streams Of Dependently Arising Processes Interacting (2021).

COST: $895-$1,350 sliding scale registration fee, plus a voluntary donation to the teacher at the end of the retreat. The estimated actual per-person cost for this retreat (if we used a fixed rate) is $1,052. By selecting a registration fee amount above this level, your generosity supports those who need to select a lower rate to attend. A non-refundable $350 deposit is required with registration to secure a spot. Registration fee balances will be due by September 16th. The registration fee pays for shared lodging, three delicious vegetarian meals per day and teacher transportation. A limited number of single rooms may be available for an extra $350, depending on space. Partial scholarships are available; contact registrar Tom Gray tom@dharmazephyr.org to apply for one. See Dharma Zephyr Scholarship Policy HERE.

DANA (donation): Compensation for the teacher is not included in the registration fee. The teacher offers these teachings freely in the tradition of the Buddha, and will gratefully accept voluntary dana at the end of the retreat. Dana for Dharma Zephyr will also be gratefully accepted.

TO REGISTER: This retreat is FULL. To join the waiting list, please email tom@dharmazephyr.org.

THE RETREAT IS FULLRegister Online

Please email tom@dharmazephyr.org to be added to the waiting list.

Registration will occur in two stages: 1) April 2-16, 2024 for Dharma Zephyr (DZIMC) participants only, and 2) April 17, 2024 and beyond for everyone until the retreat fills.

PAY BALANCE ONLINEPay Balance for Leigh Brasington Retreat

CANCELLATION: The $350 deposit is non-refundable. Cancellation before September 16, 2024: full refund except deposit. Cancellation between September 16 and October 7, 2024: refund one half of all payments except deposit. Cancellation after October 7, 2024: no refund.

COVID-19: In the spirit of lovingkindness and ethical behavior, Leigh and DZIMC are requiring everyone to follow this protocol from Insight Retreat Center to protect us all during the retreat: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oN7OjOvuJnyQepk3Z0NhrOad6Jgs1_dAxFr_2i46C84/edit. In summary, each person must bring two (2) Covid FDA-approved rapid tests and at least one N-95, KN-95, or KF-94 mask to the retreat. To speed up the check-in process, please self-administer your first test up to a few hours before arrival at the retreat center and bring a photo of your negative result to show the greeter. If your result is positive please do not come to the retreat. We will all self-administer our second tests 48-72 hours after arrival as directed by the retreat manager and/or Leigh. Have your mask handy when indoors in case they are required (or if you prefer to wear one even if not required). See the above link for more details.

QUESTIONS? Contact Tom Gray tom@dharmazephyr.org.

Dharma Zephyr Insight Meditation Community: Mindfulness of Breathing retreat at Camp Galilee
Photo: T.Gray

ReTreat from the Holidays 2023 in Reno

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Offer yourself a day of silence!
Return to your body, relax, and breathe after the busy-ness of the holidays.

We will offer techniques to use throughout the day (and the coming year) to center, calm and ground yourself. The day will be in silence except for instructions in sitting and walking meditation, a dharma talk, and a question and answer period with the teachers.

Prepare for comfort with layered clothing for outdoor walking meditations. Bring a sack lunch for a relaxed and silent meal, and your cushion or bench if you wish to sit on the floor. Chairs are provided (but do bring your own if you have one you especially like). Especially suited for new meditators. And a great tune-up and quiet day for experienced meditators.

This is a Dharma Zephyr Insight Meditation Community event. As such, there is no charge. Your generosity provides a donation to The River School for the space and support for the teachers.

Kathy Schwerin and Denise Barclay will co-lead this mindfulness, movement and meditation day. Kathy and Denise are long-time practitioners and teachers, as well as friends. For full bios go to dharmazephyr.org/about/who-we-are.

To help us with planning, please let us know you are coming.

To register and for questions, contact Tom Gray, the retreat manager at: tom@dharmazephyr.org

COVID-19 and General Health Policy summary:  In the spirit of lovingkindness and ethical behavior, Dharma Zephyr offers our updated health and covid policy:  DZIMC will follow all state and local mandates regarding Covid. In addition, for the safety and wellbeing of our community, Dharma Zephyr strongly encourages, but does not require, that participants at our activities and events be vaccinated and boosted for Covid. To care for all who attend our events, we ask that if you are sick (cold, cough, sore throat, runny nose, etc.) or have had a fever, vomiting or diarrhea in the 24 hours prior to an event, that you not attend the event. Adopted 11/19/22.