As the seasons change and the natural world around us falls asleep, we let go of our busy summer activity and begin again to cultivate our inner wakefulness and light. Autumnal energy invites us to settle into ourselves, finding ease and spaciousness. It is in this spaciousness that we are able to look deeply into our lives.

We will be exploring teachings on the transformation of suffering associated with grasping and attachment: to sense pleasures, to views, to societal norms, and to our experience of a separate self.  We will learn to look at the world around us with peaceful clear eyes, and to turn our attention inward to the true source of our unrest – the seeds of suffering in our own heart.  We will learn to take care of these seeds, to grow what is wholesome, and to develop the capacity to transform our experience of the unwholesome.

Please join us at this retreat where through the practices of deep looking and right understanding we will learn to let go, and to experience true meaning and fulfillment in each moment of life.

The program will include sitting and walking meditations, dharma teachings and discussions, mindful meals, and the quiet beauty of a New England fall. We will also have the opportunity to take the Five Mindfulness Trainings, or to renew our commitment to these core principles of the Plum Village Tradition. Held at Green Acre Baha’i Conference Center in riverside Eliot, ME (5 miles from historic Portsmouth, NH), the setting and facility are extremely nurturing and supportive. The campus is both expansive and intimate, offering a variety of stately buildings and residences originating from 1890. We will begin our time together Thursday evening (arrival time beginning 4:00 PM) and stay together as a sangha through Sunday early afternoon.

Hosted by the Heart of the Valley Mindfulness Practice Center, MorningSun Community, Mountains and Rivers Mindfulness Community, andPeaceful Path Sangha, the retreat will be facilitated by Dharma Teachers in the Order of Interbeing Richard Brady and Michael Ciborski.

Richard Brady
Richard co-founded the Mountains & Rivers Mindfulness Community (VT) eight years ago and the Washington (DC) Mindfulness Community in 1989. In 2001 he received the transmission from Thich Nhat Hanh to teach in his tradition. He he is a consultant with a focus on supporting mindfulness in educational institutions and is co-editor of Tuning In: Mindfulness in Teaching and Learning (2009). More information about Richard is available on his websitewww.mindingyourlife.net.

Michael Ciborski
Michael lived and worked intimately with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh both as a monastic and lay practitioner. He practiced for seven years as a monk in Plum Village, France, and received the teaching transmission in 2001. He is married to Fern Dorresteyn, a Dharma teacher in the same tradition. They now live in New Hampshire with their son and two daughters. Together with others, they are building a mindfulness practice community for sustainable living. For more information, see: www.morningsuncommunity.org.

For details and inclusive pricing on accommodations, please see this page.

Our hope is that anyone who wants to attend the retreat is able to do so. We are offering scholarships, however due to limited funding, they are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Further information about scholarships is provided on the Summary or Fees Page of the registration web site.