Next Steps Retreat: Learning to Make Retreat, Daily Practice and a Life in the Dharma Work for You

Led By: 
Julia King Tamang with assistance from Bill Spangle and Dora DeCoursey
Location: 
Ser Cho Osel Ling
Date: 
Jun 25 2010 5:00pm - Jun 28 2010 3:00pm

 

 

This is an opportunity for beginners who want to learn to use retreat experience as a support for a blossoming Buddhist practice. We’ll explore some of the ways to maximize practice on retreat, such as silence; traditional shrine room decorum; skillful participation in formal question and answer periods and shrine-keeping. We’ll experiment with mindfulness practice; guided and un-guided zhinay (calm abiding meditation), contemplation and walking meditation. Retreatants will learn the philosophy of work as practice and will have an opportunity to do slightly more than an hour of mostly-silent work on SCOL’s retreat land on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a daily chore. The use of interviews both inside and outside of retreat will be addressed, and there will be some opportunity to meet with a teacher for those who have not yet done so. We’ll end the retreat with a discussion of how to apply the learning and momentum of the retreat to enrich your practice at home.
 
We will approach these aspects of practice through the traditional lens of the Five Paths. This will allow retreatants to more clearly see where the path goes, where they currently are, what the path ahead might look like and how they can have a strong role in affecting their own progress on the path.
 
The aim of the retreat is to give newer practitioners a firm grounding in the means to successfully use retreat for deepening practice and for gaining and keeping momentum in spiritual life. If you’ve done some practice, but are looking for a way to feel more “on the inside” on retreats, this may be right for you. 
 
Goldendale
The retreat land is 240 acres of meadowland and forest, with a small house and a big, old barn. There are old logging roads for walking as well as a small year round stream that runs through the property.

Please be prepared for varied weather by bringing appropriate clothing. It is likely to be hot during the day and cool at night. There is an occasional mosquito at dusk and a small chance of encountering ticks. To reduce risk of being bitten by a tick, it’s best to wear light colored, long sleeved shirts & long pants, tuck your pant legs into your socks when walking in brush, use tick repellent, and check yourself daily.  Please keep in mind, that if you have health or medical issues, this is a rural setting and any medical care may be significantly delayed and limited by size and distance of local facilities.

 
The retreat facility includes indoor shrine/teaching hall, sleeping quarters, cooking, dining and bathing facilities.

 
Accommodations
Indoor accommodations
The north wing has cabins and rooms that sleep 2, and 2 dorm rooms sleeping 3 or 4. These spaces include beds and mattresses but not bedding. There are no singles available.

Camping
Designated camping areas offer some shade. Please bring all your own equipment and bedding.

There are three bathrooms and 2 showers in the retreat center. Showering will be at designated times, by gender. Meals will be served in the kitchen and dining areas.

 
Shrine Room
Please bring all sitting gear-- zabutons (floor mats or blankets for under your cushion), cushion(s) or sitting bench, and a "pecha" table (little low table to put your writing implements and handouts on) if you want one
 
Chores
Retreatants will be asked to participate in a small daily chore, as well as helping out with final clean-up at the end of the retreat. No chores will interfere with attending scheduled meditation sessions.

Meals
Meals will be vegetarian. Tea and snacks will also be provided. Most dietary restrictions can be accommodated with advanced notice. Please be sure to indicate any such restrictions on your registration form, and plan to adhere to those restrictions throughout the duration of the retreat.
 
Travel Information
Arrival:June 25th- no later than 5:00 PM & no earlier than 12 Noon. Orientation will be at   7:00 PM.  Dinner is served at 5:30pm. There is likely to be some rush hour traffic leaving Portland, so leave ample time for the commute. Carpooling is encouraged.

Departure: June 28th- after Lunch & final chores. Approximately 3pm

It takes approximately 2 hours to get to Goldendale, Washington from Portland, Oregon.

More information about carpooling options and travel will be sent to you when we receive your registration forms.

Price and Registration
Price for the regular retreat price is$135 for Camping $135 or$165 for Dorm Style / Cabin. The price for people that have pledged financial support to KCC is $115 for camping or$145 for Dorm Style / Cabin. This is a significant discount over our usual pricing structure.
or at the KCC urban center, or by contacting Sherry Bohannan at 503-381-5669, or sherrybohannan@comcast.net

Registration must be completed by June 20th. The cancellation policy is in place so that KCC can cover the financial costs of hosting a retreat. If you discover that you are unable to attend this retreat, please immediately contact Sherry Bohannan (sherrybohannan@comcast.net). Your deposit, minus a $10 fee, is refundable up to June 20th. Your deposit, minus a $60 fee is refundable up to June 25th. If you cancel after June 25th, you forfeit your deposit. Any amount paid above the deposit amount is refunded in full, regardless of cancellation date.

Upon registration, more information will be sent to you including: directions to SerChoOsel Ling, information about carpooling and travel options, a retreat schedule, and information about what to bring.
 
Meeting with a Teacher During Retreat
There will be some limited possibility of meeting with a teacher during retreat.


Scholarships
For more information about scholarships, please see: www.kcc.org/about-kcc/governance/policies-procedures/Scholarship%20Committee%20Guidelines
 
Offerings (Dana)
For some, retreat participation depends on the kindness of others in the form of monetary donations for scholarships. The number of scholarships directly depends on donations to the Scholarship Fund. With your help we can expand our sharing of the dharma with those who otherwise would be unable to participate. Please consider contributing to the Scholarship Fund. There are a limited number of scholarships available (up to 50% of the retreat cost) for individuals with serious financial constraints. To request a scholarship, please include a brief written statement of financial need and practice history along with your completed registration form and deposit of $70.
 

KagyuChangchubChuling (KCC) http://www.kcc.org, a Dharma Center in Portland, Oregon, is sponsoring this retreat. KCC was founded in 1976 by the Very Venerable KaluRinpoche, one of the eminent meditation masters of modern Tibet and a holder of the Karma Kagyu and ShangpaKagyu lineages. The mission of KCC is to make the teachings of these lineages accessible for all practitioners, whether they are just beginning to investigate Buddhism or are long-time students.
 
 
 

 

 

 

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Next Steps Registration form 2010.pdf45.62 KB