Please join us!
Please join us!
Using the poems from ‘The First Free Women’ which are based on the Therigatha, the world’s oldest collection of women’s literature, we will be exploring the struggles and moments of awakening of the very first nuns at the time of the Buddha. These women came from all walks of life and their realizations took many forms. Investigating these teachings connects us with the challenges and doubts, as well as with the perseverance and profound compassion embodied by these courageous women. Their lived experience and insights are deeply and immediately relevant to our own lives as practitioners today.
From the forward by Bhikkhuni Anandabodhi: “For me, these poems have been an invitation to bring light to the hidden corners and the broken parts, to the confused parts and the angry parts, to all the parts that have been pushed aside. Because it’s only when we bring everything onto the Path that the Path can truly transform us”
In this retreat we will come together to practice silent meditation as well as Insight Dialogue, bringing together the wisdom teachings of the Early Buddhist Nuns and the power of meditation in relationship to support deep insight.
We warmly welcome practitioners of all gender expressions to join us.
The retreat starts on Thursday, Nov 19, 1 pm PT/4 pm ET and ends on Sunday, Nov, 22, 3:30 pm PT/6:30 pm ET
Ayya and Nic will offer a similar retreat based on the poems for the European Time Zone (CEST) on the weekend 13-15 November, hosted by Tilorien Monastery. To find out more about and to register, see: www.samita.be
Online Retreat Schedule 19-22 November 2020
(Times given here are ET. You can use timee.io or timeanddate.com to convert these times to your local timezone if you are outside central Europe).
| Thursday 19 November | |
| 4 – 7pm | Introduction & group practice session |
| Friday 20 & Saturday 21 November | |
| 9 – 10am | Group meditation |
| 11.30 – 2pm | Group practice session |
| 4 – 6.30pm | Group practice session |
| 8 – 9pm | Group meditation |
| Sunday 22 November | |
| 9 – 10am | Group meditation |
| 11.30 – 2pm | Group practice session |
| 4 – 6.30pm | Group practice session & closing |
Note: Group sessions are on zoom and may include silent meditation and interpersonal practice, dhamma reflection and contemplation, movement and walking (offscreen periods). Retreatants are encouraged to continue their practice in between sessions to benefit the most of this retreat.