Weekend Meditation Retreat with Howie Cohn Nov 22-24 [2024nov22ac]

RETREAT DESCRIPTION

Still Life
In Pablo Neruda’s poem Keeping Quiet he says,
“If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with
death.”

Let’s do our part to create a safe and peaceful world by joining us in finding a “still life.” Calming our restless minds and bodies with sitting and walking meditation, we can recover the joy of experiencing ourselves directly, not just thinking about ourselves. This weekend retreat is open to all levels of practice and experience.

Retreat Schedule (all times are PST, detailed schedule below):

Friday Nov 22: 7:15pm - 9pm

Saturday Nov 23: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Sunday Nov 24: 9:00am - 3:30pm

GENERAL INFORMATION

Registration: Please register for your ticket on Eventbrite before the start of the event. There will be no registration onsite at the door. If you are unable to register online or have any questions, please contact jess@bcims.org

In-Person COVID-19 Safety Measures: This retreat is planned to have a limited number of attendees. All health guidelines in place at the time of the retreat for group gatherings will be followed and communicated to attendees. Please note we will continue to monitor BC's COVID protocols and will communicate any potential changes to the event via email.

We encourage attendees to be fully vaccinated including booster vaccinations. We will not be asking for proof of vaccination during sign in.

A mask mandatory event: This event requires all attendees to be masked while indoors, including while seated in the meditation hall.

Please do not attend if you have any symptoms of a fever, cough or a cold, if you have had recent contact with anyone with COVID, or if you have tested positive for COVID. Refunds are available upon request.

Click here for BCIMS' COVID Safety webpage.

Cancellation Policy: You may request a refund up to 24 hours before the start of retreat. Please note there is a $25 non-refundable registration fee. To cancel your ticket, log on to Eventbrite with your email address. Go to your tickets for this event and click on "Request a Refund".

Ridesharing: The information collected during registration regarding ridesharing will be shared by email to all interested attendees 7 days prior to the retreat. Attendees are then responsible for connecting directly with each other to make any ridesharing arrangements.

Sliding Scale Retreat Fees: Fees for this retreat are offered on a sliding scale of $80, $140, and $200 for the full weekend. Please choose the rate you can joyfully offer. We are also offering a small set of Friday Night Only tickets for $40.

Teacher Dana: Fees cover retreat organizing costs only. Donations (dana) for the teaching may be given at the retreat, or offered through online options. See below for more information.

Financial Assistance: No one is turned away for lack of funds. If you require additional financial assistance to attend this retreat please contact jess@bcims.org.

Accessibility: Please visit this UBC website outlining accessibility to the Asian Library, located in the Asian Centre.

Before you go: Information about preparing for the retreat, including what to bring, and safety reminders, are sent to attendees a few days before the start of the retreat. You may also click here to view the information and reminders.

DANA

In-person offering: Envelopes labelled "Dana" will be available at the retreat for you to offer cash dana to Howie.

Other options for offering dana: Dana may be offered to Howie virtually. More info will be shared with registrants on retreat.

TEACHER BIO

Howard Cohn is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in the San Francisco Bay area. He has guided Mission Dharma Meditation Community in San Francisco, been in private practice as a counselor/mentor and led Vipassana retreats worldwide since 1985. He incorporates the influences of Theravada, Zen, Tibetan Dzogchen and Advaita Vedanta in his teaching, with an emphasis on reawakening our intrinsic freedom. Among his many teachers and mentors are Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, U Pandita Sayadaw, Tulku Urgyen Rimpoche, Tsoknyi Rimpoche, and the Advaita Vedanta Master H.W.L. Poonja. His partner Annie and daughter Molly have been his latest gurus.

For more information about Howard and his practice: Howard Cohn Profile

DETAILED SCHEDULE

Friday

6:30 - 7:15 PM Check in

7:15 - 9:00 PM Sit and Dharma Talk

9:00 PM Evening Session Ends

Saturday

9:00 - 9:45 AM Instruction and sitting meditation (latecomers: please walk)

9:45 - 10:30 Instruction and walking meditation

10:30 - 11:15 Sitting meditation

11:15 - 12:00 Walking meditation, or practice discussion at the front of the hall for new meditators

12:00 PM - 12:30 Sitting

*12:30 - 1:30 Lunch (Optional lunch gathering for newcomers, see below)

1:30 - 2:00 Sitting

2:00 - 2:15 Questions and Responses

2:15 to 2:30 Dana talk

2:30 - 2:45 Walking meditation

2:45 - 3:30 Dharma talk

3:30 - 4:15 Walking meditation, or practice discussion at the front of the hall for retreatants A through G

4:15 - 5:00 Sitting

Sunday

9:00 AM - 9:45 Instruction and sitting meditation (latecomers: please walk)

9:45 - 10:30 Walking meditation, or practice discussion at the front of the hall for meditators H through O

10:30 - 11:15 Sitting meditation

11:15 - 12:00 PM Walking meditation or practice discussion at the front of the hall for meditators P through Z

12:00- 12:30 Sitting

12:30 - 1:30 Lunch

1:30 - 2:00 Sitting

2:00 - 2:30 Walking meditation

2:30 - 3:20 Dharma talk / Questions and Response

3:20 - 3:25 Teacher Closing / Dedication of Merit

3:25 - 3:30 Closing Announcements

**5:00 - 6:00pm OPTIONAL Post-Retreat Gathering**

* Optional Lunch Gathering for folks newer to meditation: Rachel Lewis will be holding space in an informal setting on Saturday during lunch to check-in, ask questions, and share in community.

**Post-Retreat Gathering in the Asian Centre Foyer: Please join us immediately following the retreat in the Foyer from 3:30pm-4:30pm for treats and to come out of noble silence in conversation with fellow retreatants. This will be an opportunity to connect with Dharma friends old and new - we would love to see you there!

With heartfelt gratitude, BCIMS acknowledges we are based in what is now known as Vancouver, BC, the beautiful, traditional, and unceded lands of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, who live on and have stewarded this land for thousands of years.