Finding the heart of freedom

This nine-day online retreat provides an opportunity to explore the Four Noble Truths that form the heart of the Buddha’s teaching. These teachings invite us to examine our relationship to dukkha: stress, distress, unsatisfactoriness, suffering, on deeper and deeper levels.

Most of us though, have an instinctive resistance to suffering, so we need to practice working skilfully with the different obstacles that often show up along the path to freedom. As we learn how to release these obstacles, we’re able to live with greater ease, happiness, and peace, and to connect with the wisdom and compassion that are our true nature.

Each day, there will be three online sessions that everyone is asked to attend, plus two or three small-group meetings with the teacher to check in about your practice.

Apart from these sessions, the rest of the schedule is optional. In fact it is intended to be flexible, allowing you to do however much formal practice you can, so that you have an opportunity to practice integrating meditation into whatever your current life circumstances are.

Online practice sessions - all please attend

NOTE: All times are New Zealand Time NZT

Check your timezone here: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

9:30-11:00 am Instructions and Sitting

In this session, we will explore the fundamentals of insight practice, based on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness or Satipatthana Sutta

2:30-4:00 pm Short talk and optional relational practice

Here, there will be a 15-30 minute talk about the retreat theme, followed by optional relational practice, practising together in dyads (pairs) to explore key aspects of the Four Noble Truths

7:30-9:00 pm Dharma talk and Sitting

The evening talk will explore different aspects of the Four Noble Truths and the Four Establishments of Mindfulness to support a fully integrated path of practice.

Teachers: Jill Shepherd and Julie Downard

Jill Shepherd began practicing insight meditation in Thailand in 1999, and since that time has lived and worked at several meditation centres and monasteries in the US, Australia, England, and Thailand. She recently spent seven years on staff at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts, and is a graduate of the IMS / Spirit Rock teacher training program in the US, under the guidance of Joseph Goldstein and Gil Fronsdal.

Julie Downard has been practising meditation since 1991 when she was living in England. She has practised intensively with teachers in both the Insight and Zen traditions in India, England, California, Australia, France and New Zealand. Julie has been teaching on retreats and Dharma Gatherings since 2007. She lives in Christchurch, and is a co-founder and trustee of Southern Insight Meditation.

Experience level: This retreat is best suited to people who have done at least two previous insight meditation weekend retreats.

Retreat fee: $100 registration + dana for the teachings

The registration fee covers only a small contribution to the direct cost of running the retreat. The teaching is freely offered, and there will be an opportunity to give dana* to the teachers at the end of the retreat.

Cancellation policy: The registration fee is not refundable.

*Dana: In most Buddhist traditions the teachers are not paid to teach. Instead, the teachings are given on a ‘dana’ basis – dana being the Pali word for generosity or giving freely - so there will be an opportunity to offer a donation for the teaching at the end of the event.