Three-Month Retreat

Registration for this retreat is closed

Closed
Registration is closed for this retreat.
September 10 - December 03, 2016 (Saturday to Saturday)


This retreat is full with a short waitlist. To be added to the list, submit a registration and deposit.

All scholarship funds have been awarded.

All You Choose fee spaces for people of color and young adults (18-32 year olds), for either Part 1 or Part 2, have currently been awarded. If you wish to be placed on a wait list, email registration@dharma.org to apply.
See Current News for more information.


This three-month course, including its six-week partials, is a special time for practice. Because of its extended length and ongoing guidance, it is an opportunity for students to deepen the powers of concentration, wisdom and compassion. Based on the meditation instructions of Mahasi Sayadaw and supplemented by a range of skillful means, this silent retreat will encourage a balanced attitude of relaxation and alertness, and the continuity of practice based on the Buddha's Four Foundations of Mindfulness.

Éowyn Ahlstrom will offer optional sessions of yoga once a week during the first half of this retreat.

Silence and renunciation are at the heart of any IMS retreat, and a sincere commitment to honoring them has a direct and profound bearing on our deepening in meditation. The teachers of this retreat request, for the sake of your practice and your fellow retreatants' practice, that you participate in the entire course, without leaving and returning (except in the case of emergencies or medical needs).

An intensive silent meditation course such as this can be a positive and life-transforming experience. At the same time, the practice can be strenuous and requires some stability of physical and psychological health.

If you have recently experienced considerable trauma, significant depression or anxiety, or are currently experiencing strong PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), a silent retreat of this length may not be appropriate for you at this time in your life. Shorter retreats or daily life practice may be more beneficial meanwhile. To help you assess this, we urge you to discuss your situation with a therapist. Please contact our registration department if you have any questions or concerns.

The teachers also request that you agree, on registering, to refrain from using cell phones and other communication devices, for the duration of the course. This includes phone calls, emails, texts and other internet use. (Please notify our Front Office if arrangements need to be made for messages to reach you 24/7 from dependent or fragile family members. You can reach our staff at 978-355-4378 or at rc@dharma.org.)

To further protect your retreat time, please also make sure that you schedule any medical appointments, fill prescriptions, and take care of financial or other arrangements before your course gets underway.

Prerequisite is two silent retreats of a week or more with recognized insight meditation teachers. Please document this experience, including teachers' names, dates and length of courses when registering. You will also need to submit a questionnaire when signing up, your course participation cannot be confirmed until this is received and approved.

Special fees and deadlines apply for cancellations or confirmed date changes. 3MO and Part 1: up to July 17, 2016, $100; afterwards, $400 for 3MO and $250 for Part 1. Part 2: up to August 28, 2016, $100; afterwards, $250. Please note that transferring from one part of the course to another, i.e. any date change within this three-month period is only possible if space is available; otherwise, you will be placed on a wait list.

A limited number of You Choose fee spaces are available for people of color and young adults (18-32 year olds), who might not otherwise afford the cost, for either Part 1 or Part 2 of this retreat. This means you can establish your own retreat fee, for these six weeks, based on your financial means. A minimum of $17 per night is required for this period (minimum total of $714). Paying more, however, allows IMS to continue offering financial aid to as many people as possible. See Current News for more information.

Teachers

Assisting