Co-hosted by
Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community and
Calgary Insight Meditation Society
Insight Meditation
8-Day Residential Retreat
The Buddha’s Path to Happiness
with
Guy and Sally Armstrong and
Jeanne Corrigal
June 1-8, 2024
Queen’s House and Retreat Centre
Saskatoon, SK
THIS RETREAT IS FULL. PLEASE SEE HERE TO ADD YOUR NAME TO THE WAITLIST.
In his lifetime the Buddha was known as the Happy One, or Sugata. He often said that the purpose of his teachings was to bring happiness to many beings. A king visiting the Buddha remarked on how cheerful his disciples were, smiling and unruffled.
In these stressful times in an unsettled world, it’s easy to lose touch with our capacity for happiness, but in fact joy may never be far away. It’s still possible for us to notice and appreciate the joyful qualities of mind that come when we turn our hearts to loving-kindness or let go into a calm spacious attitude or relax into the beauty of a moment in nature.
Insight meditation leads to a deep acceptance of the moment as it is, while the practice of loving-kindness opens us to a caring connection with ourselves and all of life. In this week-long retreat we will develop a greater capacity for abiding in the present moment and opening to the beautiful qualities of peace and ease, of understanding and compassion, that are the foundation for a lasting happiness.
This retreat will include dharma talks, meditation instructions, individual practice talks, the brahma viharas, and mindful movement.
About the teachers
Guy Armstrong has practiced insight meditation for over 40 years, including training as a Buddhist monk in Thailand with Ajahn Buddhadasa. He began teaching in 1984 and has led retreats worldwide. He is an Insight Meditation Society (IMS) Core Guiding Teacher and author of Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators.
Sally Armstrong began practicing vipassana meditation in India in 1981 and started teaching in 1996. She is a member of Spirit Rock Teacher’s Council and has served as a co-guiding teacher at Spirit Rock. She developed and led Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioners Program for many years and also created the Advanced Practitioner Program. She has a keen interest in supporting students who want to deepen their practice and understanding, and regularly teaches the long retreats at Spirit Rock and IMS.
Jeanne Corrigal has been practicing since 1999, is a graduate of the IMS teacher training program, and is the guiding teacher for the Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community. She leads retreats in Canada and the U.S. Jeanne is certified with Indigenous Focusing Oriented Trauma Therapy (IFOT), is a certified MBSR teacher, and has trained with Mindful Schools and Somatic Experiencing. Jeanne is a member of the mixed heritage Métis Nation. One of her first teachers in loving presence was Cree Elder Jim Settee.
Details
Dates: 7 PM, Saturday, June 1 until 11 AM, Saturday, June 8, 2024
Location: Queen’s House and Retreat Centre, 601 Taylor St. W, Saskatoon, SK S7M 0C9
Cost: Retreat fee plus dana for the teachers. Accommodation and fee details for all room options are listed on the wait list page.
Accommodation: All rooms are private and all meals included. Accommodation details are explained on the waitlist page.
Questions? Please contact: contact@saskatooninsight.com or cimsretreats@gmail.com.
Need to know:
Registration is capped at 54 retreatants. To avoid disappointment, it is best to register and pay the deposit to secure your spot as soon as possible.
Retreat preparation and commitment
Dedicating to a week of silence is a special commitment to yourself, and a precious gift. Please be prepared to refrain from podcasts, interactions with the internet, e-mail, and/or mobile phone, and extensive reading or journalling, so you can settle into the inner journey. Please be prepared to stay at the retreat center for the full duration of the practice, from 7 pm June 1 to 11 am June 8. If you are commuting, please arrange to be quiet at home and be able to attend full days of practice.
noble silence
The retreat will be held in noble silence except for discussions with the teacher. You are encouraged to take care of all errands and personal matters before the start of the retreat so that you can create a quiet mind which will support your retreat.
To support the retreat experience for you and other participants, cell phones should be turned off or left at home.
what to bring
Straight-backed chairs will be available. All other sitting materials must be brought with you. You will likely want to bring a cushion and mat, or blanket, especially if you plan to sit on the floor. Warm, comfortable, loose fitting clothing is best for indoor wear and a blanket or shawl, for extra warmth, as well as outdoor clothing that is appropriate for the weather. There may be periods of lying down meditation, so it will be useful to have a mat, blanket, and pillow available for that practice.
What is dana?
Dana: In continuation of a practice that began in the time of the Buddha, our teachers do not charge a set fee for leading the retreat and mentoring yogis, but gratefully accept donations. Dana supports their ability to continue sharing the Buddha's teachings as their livelihood, enables students of Dhamma to engage in their own practice of generosity, and allows individuals of various means to attend retreats now and into the future.
There will be an opportunity to offer cash or cheque dana to the teachers near the end of the retreat. Information on how to offer dana online or by e-transfer will be included in the retreat package you’ll receive prior to the retreat.
For more information about dana, please see this article.
Questions?
If you have questions, please contact: contact@saskatooninsight.com or cimsretreats@gmail.com
Ready to register?
THIS RETREAT IS FULL. PLEASE SEE HERE TO ADD YOUR NAME TO THE WAITLIST.