Our fifth annual retreat will be February 10 - 17, 2017 at Garrison Institute, and the theme is: “Are You Ready to Meet Your Mind? An Exploration of the Mind through Meditation.” Learn more
The WBC 2017 Annual Retreat
The secular mindfulness movement has resulted in a widespread awareness of the benefits of meditation, but this popularization has led to a number of over simplifications. The main misunderstandings are that mindfulness is synonymous with meditation and that meditation is about emptying the mind of thoughts. But mindfulness, while a key element in meditation, only refers to one of type of meditation practice. And meditation is about changing the way we experience thoughts and view reality, not about stopping what is a natural aspect of our being, the thinking mind.
This year’s retreat will focus on the dynamics of meditation practice – what it is, what are its main varieties, how each of them functions and how each can serve as a means for understanding and transforming our minds. To do this, we will spend time each day exploring one of the traditional meditation practices, examining how each has its own particular flavor and function. At the same time, we will maintain continuity and depth by focusing part of the day on our tradition’s fundamental style of practice.