Silent Meditation Retreat
with Upasaka Upali (Paul Peterson)
April 3 - 7, 2024
This four-night meditation retreat will serve as a platform to support your practice, wherever it’s at, and aims to provide a space where it can deepen and flourish. It will be filled with extended periods of meditation, personal one on one interviews, evening teachings, nourishing food, and natural surroundings. Upali’s formal training comes from a Shamatha-Vipassana background as expounded upon in The Mind Illuminated, but he teaches with a student-centric approach, aiming to uplift the experience and values each student brings to their own practice.
About Upasaka Upali (Paul Peterson)
Upasaka Upali is a Dharma teacher who aims to demystify meditation, provide tangible instruction, and create a rewarding experience for practitioners. Upali received transmission in a lineage that can be traced back to the Buddha through Namgyal Rinpoche (Ananda Bodhi), and he took his Upasaka vows in 2015. He has a degree from St. Olaf College and has studied Dharma and meditation with Tucker Peck, Ph.D. and Upasaka Culadasa. He was a founding member of the Open Dharma Foundation and also served as its founding Executive Director. He is currently the co-host of the podcast Teaching Meditation. You can read more about Upali HERE
This will be Upali's 6th Retreat that he has led at Well Being Retreat Center.
About the Four-Night Meditation Program
The retreat will be held in noble silence (meaning minimal talking and distraction). It is open to beginning and advanced practitioners alike. The only prerequisite to attend is a history of consistent meditation practice. Upali will often explain meditation through the lens of Shamatha-Vipassana techniques which emphasizes both stable attention and strong awareness, but all traditions and styles of meditation are welcome. If you have any questions about whether this retreat will be a good fit for you, send a message to upasakaupali@gmail.com
About the Venue
Three freshly prepared, delicious, mostly gluten-free vegetarian meals will be offered daily. (Vegetarian meals may include organic eggs and organic dairy.) Teas, coffee, chilled lemon ginger water, and snacks will be available throughout the event. The event will be held indoors in the main Conference Building Meeting Room and, weather permitting, in the open-air Powell River Pavilion. A variety of lodging options are offered which are shown on the Registration Form below.
Schedule
Check in will be at 4 - 6 pm.on Wednesday April 3, 2024 and the program will end by 2 p.m. on Sunday. April 7, 2024. Twelve meals are included from Wednesday supper through Sunday lunch. Cabins (but not Cabinettes) have equipped kitchenettes if you have "special" foods you want to bring. Sessions will be held indoors in the Main Conference Building.
Registration for April 3 - 7, 2024 Retreat
Register with Well Being Retreat Center for Accommodations using the online form below.
The retreat is offered on Dana, which is a Pali word meaning generosity. This means the registration prices are at cost. Upali teaches on Dana to make retreats as accessible as possible. You will be asked to give Dana in respect to Upali's teaching at the end of the retreat, so please take this into consideration as part of your attendance.
Pictures of Cabins and Cabinettes are shown here. Accommodations (lodging, meals and snacks) for this 4-night retreat range from $535 to $955, depending on the lodging selected.
Well Being Retreat Center's Policies for Accommodations are here.
If you have any questions about the program content or structure, please contact Paul at upasakaupali@gmail.com
If you have any questions about lodging or Well Being Retreat Center facilities, please contact Patty: patty@wellbeingcc.org; Tel: 423-626-9000; Text: 408-510-0660
Please register with Well Being Retreat Center for accommodations (lodging and meals) using the form below:
After you have "Previewed" your Registration form, scroll again to bottom of page to "Submit" your registration. You will then be redirected to PayPal to make payment for your Accommodations. Payment may be made using your credit card or your PayPal account. You do not need to set up a PayPal account to make this payment.