Please join us!
Please join us!
with the assistance of Samadhi, a vipassana teacher and a member of an Insight Dialogue facilitator development group.
By admitting Mahapajapati (the stepmother of the Buddha) and her 500 courageous companions into the Noble Sangha, the Buddha pointed in several ways to the equal possibility for women to attain enlightenment. Numerous inspiring examples of this can be found in the early Buddhist texts. This Insight Dialogue retreat hopes to provide a practice space for women that diminishes any possible gender-specific aspects of the monastic discipline while in interpersonal practice.
The retreat combines silent insight meditation with Insight Dialogue— an interpersonal meditation practice that extends mindfulness into the sphere of relation through contemplative speaking and listening. Through both silent reflection and relational practice, we will explore the processes underlying personal and shared experience. Topics to be explored will point to communal harmony, spiritual friendship, and awakening.
What is Insight Dialogue?
Insight Dialogue is a fully engaged relational meditation practice. It brings together meditative awareness, the wisdom teachings of the Buddha, and the power of relationship to support insight into the nature, source, and release of human suffering.
The retreat will be held in Social Silence as we explore the power of listening and speaking from silence. There will be times of silent sitting, mindful movement, and dialogue in groups of 2 or more, with precise direction of contemplation. Teachings will be offered in English and translated into Sinhala.
This retreat is open to bhikkhunis and lay women; experience with Insight Dialogue is not necessary. The program includes individual sitting and walking meditation, Insight Dialogue meditation, Dhamma contemplation, and group discussions with the teachers. Outside of the interactive sessions, silence is practiced as an integral part of the retreat.
In an environment of profound mutual respect, participants will practice Insight Dialogue in pairs and small groups, strictly guided by the six Insight Dialogue guidelines. We will turn our attention to the Early Buddhist teachings (Dhamma), exploring the historical wisdom, unique challenges, and pathways to awakening experienced by women and nuns. This retreat offers a rare opportunity for Bhikkhunis and laywomen to connect deeply, cultivate meditative qualities of calm and joy, and realize a shared peace within a safe, gender-specific space.