Insight Meditation Retreats
A Buddhist practice developing calm
awareness
At a beautiful
secluded
retreat center nestled in the hills of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom
Also
known as Mindfulness, or Vipassana Meditation, this simple
method aims at clearing the mind, giving us a chance to experience
truth directly for ourselves. We use awareness of breathing and
other body sensations to calm and focus the mind. The retreat
will be held mostly in silence and will focus on sitting and walking
practice. There will be instructions, guided meditations, and
inspirational talks based
on the teachings of the Buddha.
We usually have several guided yoga sessions during the retreat led by
a visiting yoga teacher.
Retreats begin at 6:00
on
Friday and end around 3:00 on the last day
registration
deadline: 7 days before
retreat Limited to 14 people
To register send a
non-refundable deposit of the listed
basic fee to:
Sky Meadow Retreat,
63 Winchester Rd., Greensboro Bend, VT 05842
Led by Miles
Sherts
Miles
began practicing meditation in a Buddhist monastery in
Sri Lanka in 1976. He has sat intensively at IMS in the U.S., and in
Thai Monasteries abroad, and has integrated mindfulness into a simple
lifestyle based on daily contact with nature. His teaching style
emphasizes what can be known in this present moment rather that formal
doctrine or terminology. His practice and teaching are influenced
by A Course in Miracles and Byron Katie.
The fees listed on the schedule page for
each
retreat represent the costs for housing and food.
Teaching
donations
The tradition of Buddhist Insight Meditation comes directly from the
monasteries of Southeast Asia where the monastics are fully supported
and have all of their essential needs met by the communities they
teach. One way this tradition is being translated into our
culture is that the teachings are freely offered and donations are
accepted to support the teacher. This is a very foreign
concept to many of us raised in a society where most things have a set
cost. We have learned to value something based on it's
cost, rather than what it offers us.
The spirit of a teaching
donation is quite different. The teaching and support are offered
to you without cost and you decide the value it has for you when you
offer monetary compensation to the teacher. At the end of a
retreat you are asked to check in with yourself about the value of your
experience. The money you offer to the teacher represents
what the experience was worth to you.
The teachings of awakening originally
presented by the Buddha are considered priceless in the cultures where
they still thrive today. To put any price on them would be to
vastly understate their significance and reduce them to a common
commodity. In following this tradition of teaching by donation
we are leaving it up to you to place your own value on the
inspiration and guidance you receive here.
INSIGHT
MEDITATION RETREATS
AT SKY MEADOW RETREAT CENTER
Insight meditation is a simple
practice of bringing direct awareness to the
experience of each present moment. Doing this brings clarity and
calms the mind
enabling one to see through interpretations and
concepts and know the freedom of a
direct experience of reality. Intensive retreats are a time
to train the mind in this
direction and provide a foundation to carry meditation practice
into daily life. These
retreats are held mostly in silence and consist
primarily of sitting and slow walking
meditation periods. Participants are expected to follow the daily
schedule and maintain silence while on retreat. There will
be simple instructions, short individual interviews, and inspirational
talks based on Buddhist teachings.
Sky Meadow Retreat offers
comfortable beds in shared dorm rooms with shared
bathrooms nearby. There is a large light filled meditation hall
and indoor walking area, lounge area
and dining room. The retreat is located at
the end of a quiet road, offering privacy and silence with easy access
to nature. . The land provides wooded trails, ponds
and a hilltop with great views. Simple vegetarian
food will be served buffet style with an emphasis on the
noon meal. Retreats here are small, usually from 6
- 12 people, providing a unique sense of intimacy, cohesiveness, and
silent
support from other participants.
Miles learned this practice at a
monastery in Sri Lanka in 1976. The instructions
and supporting teachings come from the Therevadin Buddhist tradition
found in Sri
Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and other parts of Southeast Asia. This
tradition emphasizes
the simple practices taught by the Buddha and involves very little
ritual or complex
systems of thought. Miles has sat intensively and been on staff
at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Mass, and has done retreats
at other Asian and European Monasteries.
The teachings during these retreats will focus on
experience learned through years
of practice rather than Buddhist language or theology. Some
basic teachings of the
Buddha will be offered to create a context for the practice of
meditation. The teachings will relate directly to each persons
current experience and the application of direct awareness to that
experience. The main focus will be on loosening the mind from
habitual patterns of holding in order to experience the present moment
as it is.
The costs of each retreat covers food and
lodging. You are expected to bring your
own linens and towels unless you make other arrangements with us.
In the Buddhist
tradition, an additional teaching donation is appreciated. You
may offer whatever
amount you choose at the end of the retreat. These retreats are
intended to be a time for experienced practitioners to receive the
support of group practice,
and for beginners tohave an introduction to meditation.
