Interbeing - A Return to the Heart

Join us for this six night EcoDharma retreat with Carol Perry, Suzie Brown, Lisa Brown and assisted by Lody Levy

Our busy lives can lead to disconnection with the natural world, resulting in a sense of alienation, tension and stress. Most of us feel a yearning to reconnect and remember our true nature.

The Buddha taught that we are interdependent with all beings and all things, both human and non-human - the term interbeing was created by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh to describe this understanding.   

In this retreat we will explore what it is to experience and deeply realise interbeing. With embodied mindfulness practices and supportive Sangha, we will open to the deep interdependence of all life. And this can reveal joy, wonder and our innate capacity for resilience and compassionate action.

Join us on sacred Gumbaynggirr lands in the beautiful forest and ocean surrounds of Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre for this special week of silent sitting and walking meditation (in- and outdoors), Dharma inquiry, gentle Heart Yoga, deep relaxation, meditative and art-based activities to deepen our sense of interbeing,  and connection in a like-minded community. 

The unique combination of teachers offering this retreat brings deep experience in activism, conflict resolution, community building, yoga and embodied practices, and art-based practices, in addition to a depth of Dharma insight and experience.

Accommodation: The Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre has comfortable 4-berth bunk rooms with shared bathrooms. We are offering these rooms as single rooms or twin share rooms. There is also abundant space for camping in tents or campervans.

Cost: The cost for six nights’ accommodation and all meals is $1050 in a single room, $725 in a twin share room, or $650 for camping/campervans (bring your own). Thanks to generous donations, there are limited scholarship places for activists (twin share only) - pre-approval is required to access these places so please contact us first.

Dana: In accordance with a 2,500-year-Buddhist tradition, the teachers provide the teachings as a gift and rely on your return of that gift in the form of Dana (financial generosity) to support the teachings

Digital Detox: For this retreat, to support your connection to the Earth and the Sangha, we invite you to leave your devices at home and switch off your phone for the retreat, if possible.

The teachers:

Carol Perry has 45 years’ experience in the Insight tradition.  She is a senior teacher with Melbourne Insight Meditation and a long-time social activist on ecological and social justice issues.  Carol leads a monthly Women's Wisdom & the Dharma group in the Northern Rivers area, mentors emerging teachers and is a Certified Hakomi Psychotherapist. She recently published a book: The Whole of the Path: Dharma, Community and social action

Suzie Brown is an Insight Dharma teacher, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher and environmental activist. She co-founded the Melbourne Insight Meditation Group in 2009 and has trained as an Insight Dharma Teacher both in Australia, with the Insight Meditation Institute, and in the USA, with James Baraz. Suzie works with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, previously as a mentor in their Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) and, now in their online dharma platform, Banyan. She has also been an environmental activist for over 20 years, founding the national group, Parents for Climate.

Lisa Brown is an Insight Dharma Teacher, Psychologist, Senior Yoga Teacher, and certified Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Teacher. She has a deep interest in the conjunction  of western science, Buddhadharma and earth-based wisdom traditions in health, healing and trauma recovery. Lisa has a dedicated meditation and yoga practice of more than 25 years and currently works in private practice, facilitating groups and workshops on Gumbaynggirr Country, Coffs Harbour. Website: www.mindfulnesspsychologywellbeing.com 

Lody Levy is a Buddhist psychotherapist working in Brisbane (Magandjin) and is a Dharma teacher-in-training with the Insight Meditation Institute of Australia.  She is a meditation teacher and teaches regularly at Heart Insight in Brisbane.  Lody is a facilitator with The Work that Reconnects and is passionate about social and ecological justice.