An Online “Householder” Retreat

Working with the Eight Worldly Winds: An Online ‘Householder’ Retreat

hosted by Barre Center for Buddhist Studies (BCBS)

REGISTER through the BCBS website

Alone together, in our own and shared worlds, we will learn how to frame the day and intersperse moments of mindfulness practice throughout, in real time and in good company with others.

Together we will focus on the existential and unavoidable Eight Worldly Winds: Pleasure and Pain, Gain and Loss, Praise and Blame, Fame and Disrepute. How can we negotiate these ever changing vicissitudes of life with balance? How can we remain upright when unfavorable winds are blowing through the internal and external landscapes of our lives? We will address these challenges through reflections and mindfulness exercises offered each day of the retreat.

For many of us, bringing mindfulness into our daily lives is a significant challenge. Without significant instruction from our teachers about how to move through our non-retreat days mindfully, we often flounder and get discouraged soon after leaving retreat.

This online retreat is specifically designed to address this disheartening practice dilemma by offering meditative handholds for engaging mindfulness in daily life. During this precarious time, with fear and anxiety still running high, making meditation practical and relevant to our lives feels more important than ever.

Over one full week, two practice periods will ‘bookend’ each weekday, in the morning and in the evening, with a more expanded time for practice and reflection on the first evening and final morning. This leaves the weekday afternoons as a time to mindfully attend to the activities and commitments of a typical week.

NOTE FROM BCBS: As we work to become a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse community, we invite feedback/suggestions you may have regarding ways that we can make participation in the program more accessible and welcoming; please email us at contact@buddhistinquiry.org.

Online Retreat: This retreat will be hosted on the Zoom video conferencing platform and closed captions are available. Our intention is to build sangha and provide meaningful virtual interactions with each other and with teachers in our online programs. When registering for this retreat, please plan to attend as many sessions as possible. All sessions will be recorded, so that those who miss a period can meditate at another time during the same day.

COST: Teacher dana (will be discussed at the retreat)

SCHEDULE for this retreat (shown in US Eastern Time) is as follows:

Sunday, May 2

7:00 - 9:00 PM: Opening Talk and Meditation; Sitting, Standing, Walking

Monday, May 3 – Friday, May 7

10:30 - 11:15 AM: Guided Meditation (the online daily BCBS sit)

11:15 - 11:45 AM: Group Discussion & Instruction

7:00 - 8:00 PM: Meditation and Daily Wrap-Up

Saturday, May 8

10:30 - 11:15 am: Guided Meditation (the online daily BCBS sit)

11:15 - 1:00 pm: Meditation, Closing Discussion

Please check the time of the group meetings in your timezone here. Sessions will be recorded and shared with registered participants shortly after each session.

REGISTER through the BCBS website