Getting away from the distractions and busyness of daily life enables one to engage more fully with meditation, and meditating several times a day means that the benefits of meditation can accumulate and go deeper. A retreat offers excellent conditions in which to explore meditation and Buddhism, to find the space to get to know oneself better, and to break old habits, sometimes even making a dramatic breakthrough.
All triratna centres run retreats from time to time, and some even have their own retreat centres outside of the city environment. However, in North America, the only independent, triratna wholly owned retreat centre is ‘Aryaloka’ in New Hampshire. Other centres here in North America, including Vancouver, make use of the many excellent rental retreat facilities available, either for a weekend, or longer, as in the case of the San Francisco triratna Buddhist Center’s one month total immersion retreat held at the Jikoji Zen Center in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.
vancouver retreats
Our residential retreats are held out of the city in a rural setting and currently run from a Thursday evening through to Sunday lunchtime.
These extended weekend retreats allow for participants to experience the supportive conditions that allow for a deepening of Buddhist practice under the guidance of an experienced retreat leader and supported by the local sangha.
We have traditionally run a Spring retreat and an Autumn retreat.
Our favoured locations for these events have been in the dramatic desert landscape of The Environmental Learning Center of Camp Delaney in Sun Lakes State Park across the border in Washington’s central plateau – and at the Sea-to-Sky Tibetan Retreat Centre located on the East side of Daisy Lake, just South of Whistler, B.C. overlooking the majestic Tantalus mountain range.
See calendar for details of upcoming long weekend retreats.
It would be best if prospective participants in our residential retreats have some prior experience of triratna meditation and devotional practice, unless the retreat is specifically aimed at novices.
Our non-residential retreats are held from time to time at our centre and can be two full days of practice usually around a central theme. Typical times are 9:00-5:00 both days with a break for a pot-luck lunch or time to eat outside in the neighbourhood.
See calendar for details of upcoming day or weekend retreats to be held at our centre.
To reserve a place on any triratna vancouver advertised retreat, you need to contact us to find out if space is available, if it is, you will be asked to make a donation to reserve your spot.
