Meditation, Nature, and Awakening
With Peter Williams and Chas DiCapua
October 1 - 8, 2023
This retreat engages two powerful forces for happiness – insight meditation and immersion in nature. Insight meditation has been the key practice for accessing the profound wisdom of the Buddhist tradition for 2500 years. It is extraordinary in its simplicity, its lack of dogma and, above all, its results.
When we take the meditation practice outside, nature acts as a people whisperer, quieting the mind and gladdening the heart. This deepens our meditation practice which, in turn, deepens our connection with nature. This leads to a surprising fulfillment in the simplest of pleasures – a dewdrop on an aspen leaf, a meadow shimmering in sunlight, the otherworldly bugling of an elk. All this sets the stage for the meditative insight that fosters letting go and true freedom of heart.
This retreat will combine traditional formal meditation in our outdoor practice tent with meditation on the land and mindful hikes (suitable for all levels of walking). We will explore beautiful old growth forests during fall foliage time. Mindful exercises outdoors will engage the senses and reveal the unity of nature in and outside the body. Depending on the weather, we may also practice masked indoors. The retreat is suitable for beginners and seasoned practitioners. The retreat is held in silence.
COVID Safety Measures: Please review our current COVID Safety Measures, which are subject to change. We are creating this web page in January and retreats will not begin until late May. We very much understand how much things can change between now and the start of our retreat season. Our Medical Committee is actively and regularly updating our protocols.
Teachers
Peter Williams has practiced meditation for 31 years years, primarily in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, with some practice in the Tibetan tradition. He has done more than 41 months of silent retreat. He has taught insight meditation (mindfulness) since 2003 and has completed the Community Dharma Leader training through Spirit Rock Meditation Center. His primary teachers have been Joseph Goldstein, Michelle McDonald, and Guy Armstrong. Peter leads meditation retreats and dedicated practice groups based out of Longmont, CO. He has taught mindfulness to diverse audiences, from juvenile justices to school teachers to environmentalists. He is one of the founders of…
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Chas has been practicing mindfulness and Buddhist meditation, primarily in the Early Buddhist school, for over 30 years, including over two years of combined time in silent, intensive retreat. He has trained with Burmese meditation masters, western monastics of the Thai Forest tradition and senior western Vipassana teachers. In 2003 Chas was invited to be the Resident Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA where he continues to serve in that role. Chas is a graduate of the four year Insight Meditation Society (IMS) / Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program led by Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein and others.…
Learn more about Chas DiCapua