Natural Awakening: Insight Retreat (Residential)

This is the RESIDENTIAL component of the retreat. If you’d like to register for the ONLINE component, please click here.

Step into a week of silent retreat at Wonderwell to deepen your meditation practice, explore liberating insights from centuries of Buddhist teachings, and connect with the natural awakeness of mind and heart through instructional dharma talks and insight meditation.

In this silent retreat, we will draw on Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen traditions to explore how meditation cultivates freedom, clarity, and compassion. Supported by the quiet beauty of Wonderwell, daily dharma talks, and sangha, we will engage with diverse teachings to gain perspective on our own lives and meditation practice.

Please join us to:

• Reflect on spiritual literature from diverse Buddhist traditions including Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen lineages
• Experience the path of meditative development as it unfolds naturally under the right conditions
• Explore the virtues of renunciation, kindness, and community
• Deepen your meditation practice with guidance in insight meditation and contemplative techniques

For centuries, meditators seeking peace and wisdom have retreated to quiet places in nature to observe their mind and body and to experience the liberating insights transmitted through generations of Dharma practitioners. Early teachings from the Pali canon describe how the path of meditative development unfolds naturally under conducive conditions, while subsequent literature across Buddhist traditions conveys the freedom, clarity, and confidence that emerge through meditation practice.

In this silent hybrid retreat, we will be supported by the presence of fellow practitioners, the natural beauty and quietude of Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, and daily dharma talks that draw on Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen literature. Through these talks and instruction in insight meditation, we will gain perspectives on our own lives and meditation practice, learning from the hermit poet monks of Japan and China, ancient Tibetan masters, and the elder nuns of India. With these insights and the support of community, we will explore our practice and daily life with renewed depth and clarity.

As part of retreat practice, we will also recite the Three Refuges and Five Precepts, exploring the virtues of renunciation and kindness and creating a foundation for shared community. Whether you are new to meditation or a seasoned practitioner, and regardless of Buddhist lineage or spiritual tradition, this retreat offers a space to cultivate insight, compassion, and connection.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Typical Retreat Schedule

(All times are Eastern time zone)

First Day — Opening session begins around 7:00 pm.

Last Day — The closing session typically ends by 12:00 pm.

These times are just for reference. An expanded schedule will be provided in pre-retreat information emailed during the week prior to the event.

Important Health Information

COVID-19 testing is no longer required. Masks are optional and encouraged if you are at higher risk. We encourage you to stay at home if you are symptomatic to protect others.

Scholarships

Cancellation Policy

We understand that personal circumstances may require you to cancel your registration. In these cases, please contact us right away at register@naturaldharma.org. Cancellations affect our ability to offer rooms to others and create additional work for our staff, therefore we charge the following fees to help mitigate these costs.

For cancellations (based on program start date):

• > 45 days: 100% refund minus a $75 admin. fee.
• 31-45 days: 50% refund of the required deposit; or 75% refund if registration paid in full.
• 21-30 days: 50% refund of total registration cost
• < 21 days: nonrefundable

If you must cancel due to an emergency or extenuating circumstances, please contact us at register@naturaldharma.org.

Access to Recordings

NDF offers unlimited access to recordings, which are accessed in your user dashboard (more information about user accounts provided in a pre-retreat letter). If you have a user account, please register with the same email you use to log into your dashboard. If not, an account will be created for you using your registration address.

Availability will vary depending on the type of event and the backlog for our precious resource volunteers. Thank you for your patience.

Natural Dharma Fellowship Full Calendar