This two-week retreat for experienced meditators offers a rare opportunity to do a longer meditation retreat in New Zealand.

Led by three highly experienced meditation teachers, Jill Shepherd, Willa Thaniya Reid and Elizabeth Day (partial), it will combine approaches from the Thai Forest and Western Insight traditions. Together, these will provide retreatants with an in-depth exploration of a variety of Buddhist teachings and practices, including the Four Establishments of Mindfulness that orient us to deep freedom, and the four Brahmavihāra practices of kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity that open the heart and mind. At the beginning and end of the retreat, there may also be some relational practice meditating together in pairs or small groups, to strengthen our sense of sangha/community. The rest of the retreat will be held in Noble Silence.

Teachers: Jill Shepherd, Willa Thaniya Reid and Elizabeth Day (partial)

Willa Thaniya Reid spent 18 years in Ajahn Chah monasteries in Thailand and the UK extending her practice of meditation and Buddhist contemplation. As the senior nun of the Chithurst community in England for eight years, she supported both the lay and monastic communities. She has taught retreats in Europe, America, Australia and the UK, and continues to teach in the US and NZ. She has a Masters of Counselling, and clinical pastoral training.

Dr Elizabeth Day has been practising meditation and yoga for over 30 years, including as an ordained monastic within the Ajahn Chah monasteries in the UK. She has held leadership positions in the Health and Higher Education sectors, including as Head of Department of Psychotherapy and Counselling at AUT in Aotearoa New Zealand. She has a Doctorate in intersubjectivity, and is a qualified yoga teacher and Gestalt psychotherapist. She teaches meditation retreats locally and internationally.

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 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.

Experience level: This retreat is best suited to people who have done at least two previous insight meditation retreats of five days or longer.

Accommodation: Rooms are mainly curtained cubicles with shared bathrooms. Men and women and couples are housed separately from each other. A limited number of single rooms/cabins/cottages are available at a $30 a day surcharge#.

Food: The centre will provide simple vegetarian meals for the retreat. Please indicate on the registration form if you have any food allergies or special dietary needs.

Special diets: The centre requests a $10 per day surcharge to cater for special diets. This additional fee of $140 is payable directly to Te Moata so please bring cash for this.

Work meditation: To help integrate mindfulness into daily life activities, there will be a period of work meditation each day of approximately 45 minutes.

Retreat fees: sliding scale $1600-$1200 + dāna*

Supporter rate $1600 - Slightly more than actual-cost ticket: covers cost of food and accommodation, and a contribution to scholarships for low-income attendees

Actual cost $1400 - Actual-cost ticket covers cost of food and accommodation

Scholarship rate $1200 - Below cost ticket covers a contribution towards cost of food and accommodation only

To reserve a place on the retreat, you will need to pay a deposit of $100 through Humanitix. The balance of the retreat payment is due one week after registering with Humanitix, but if necessary, you can pay the balance in three instalments, due December 19, March 20 and June 19.

(Note: the first instalment will include the $100 paid through Humanitix, so for example, if you chose the mid-rate option you would pay $400 on December 19, and $450 on March 20 and June 19 to make a total payment of $1400).

Account details for balance payments will be included on your Humanitix confirmation email.

Cancellation policy:
The retreat fee is refundable - minus a $50 administration fee - up to two months before the retreat begins, ie Monday 19 June 2023.
If you cancel after that time, the retreat cost will be forfeited and used to help subsidise low-income tickets.
If we have to cancel the retreat you will receive a full refund, minus a $50 administration fee.

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

#Please note: Single Accommodation, Bedding, and Special Diet Surcharges are payable directly to Te Moata so either pay the centre in advance, or bring cash and pay on arrival.

Contact the host of Insight Meditation two-week retreat August 2023 Coromandel