March 20-23, 2025
Queer Retreat: The Paramis as a Revolutionary Act
Leslie Booker
Assisted by Coral Short
Mettā/Lovingkindness Retreat
Teacher
Kate Johnson
When
August 13-17, 2023
Where
Kio-o
Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, QC
Cost
$610 / $670 / $730
Deposit: $305
Mettā is the quality of love that blossoms when we turn our attention toward what is inherently lovely, worthy and good – within us and all around us. In these times of anxiety, loneliness and heartbreak, metta can help fortify our hearts and minds with a love that is more powerful than fear. By centering what we care about, we find the energy to keep moving steadily toward individual and collective liberation.
In this Lovingkindness retreat, we will explore Metta practice as a way of cultivating a warm and courageous heart, as well as a practice of purifying everything that gets in the way of love. We will also work with Metta as a doorway to samadhi – the state of union, stillness and wholeness that leads to clear seeing, insight and the Jhanas.
Teacher
Kate Johnson is a meditation teacher, facilitator, writer and mother. She has practiced Buddhist meditation in the Insight lineage since her early 20’s, and was authorized as an independent dharma teacher through Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s four-year retreat teacher training. Kate began facilitating organizational training and retreats after co-founding the Meditation Working Group at Occupy Wall Street. She later joined the faculty of MIT’s Presencing Institute, and went on to work at Buddhist Peace Fellowship, where she designed online programs integrating spiritual and political education and practice. She is the author of the book Radical Friendship: Seven Ways to Love Yourself and Find Your People in an Unjust World.
As a consultant, Kate works with leaders and organizations committed to equity, sustainability, and wise relationships, using awareness-based and embodied practices to support communication, strategy, and culture. As a meditation teacher, she offers courses and retreats integrating relational spirituality, social justice, somatics and creativity. Kate also coaches a handful of dedicated meditation practitioners in private study to deepen their formal and daily life practices of liberation. In her off hours, she can be found exploring Philly with her kid, sipping tea with friends, and looking for all manner of good trouble.
Website: https://www.katejohnson.com/
Registration Information
LOCATION: Kio-o, 1905 Chemin 6e Rang, Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, QC J0T 2J0.
Most of the rooms are double rooms, with shared washrooms. Single rooms are filled on a first come, first served basis.
ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30-5:30 pm, Sunday, August 13. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Thursday, August 17. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch. The teacher requests that you plan to attend the entire retreat – please arrive on time and stay through the closing talk.
.
COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat. The deposit is included in all of our fees.
Sliding Scale:
$610 - $670 - $730
Deposit:
$305
COVID-19 Safety Measures: Please click here for more information.
Cancellation due to COVID: If TNI cancels this retreat due to COVID, we will offer a full refund to all participants.
Finding our Ground in Generosity, Love and Wisdom
Teacher
Daryl Lynn Ross
When
July 16-23, 2023
Where
Kio-o
Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, QC
Cost
$1030 / $1110 / $1190
Deposit: $515
We are all intricately connected with all human and non-human beings, our planet Earth and the cosmos. Generosity and other ethical practices bring us into alignment with this truth. Love is the warmth of deeply caring in these relationships. Wisdom sees the empty nature of it all with the heart wide open. Please join us in meditation, reflection and other supportive practices as we explore these perspectives on the Dharma.
Teacher
Daryl Lynn Ross lives and transmits the Buddhist teachings from the heart with a sensitivity to the unique path of each person. She has been teaching meditation for over 30 years and is grateful to have teachers and mentors from several Buddhist and other traditions, including mystical Christian. For 22 years as a University Chaplain at Concordia University in Montreal she offered meditation practices and spiritual leadership. Co-founder and guiding teacher for TNI since 2003, Daryl teaches local groups and intensive courses, mentors and counsels in personal meetings and enjoys offering a wide range of retreats. She is known for her clear, gentle, compassionate approach which is both accessible and profound.
Registration Information
LOCATION: Kio-o, 1905 Chemin 6e Rang, Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, QC J0T 2J0.
Most of the rooms are double rooms, with shared washrooms. Single rooms are filled on a first come, first served basis.
ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30-5:30 pm, Sunday, July 16. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Sunday, July 23. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch. The teacher requests that you plan to attend the entire retreat – please arrive on time and stay through the closing talk.
.
COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat. The deposit is included in all of our fees.
Sliding Scale:
$1030 - $1110 - $1190
Deposit:
$515
COVID-19 Safety Measures: Please click here for more information.
Cancellation due to COVID: If TNI cancels this retreat due to COVID, we will offer a full refund to all participants.
True North Insight New Year’s Insight Meditation Retreat
Teachers
Jill Davey
When
Dec. 29, 2023 -
Jan. 2, 2024
Where
Loyola House
Guelph, ON
Welcome the New Year with reflection and intention, silence and community, surrounded by the beauty and warmth of Loyola House in Guelph. We will be supported by the meditation practice, dharma talks, and an old year/new year ritual. This retreat is suitable for those familiar with Vipassana practice (i.e. having attended a silent residential TNI retreat), as meditation instructions will be kept to a minimum.
Please leave your electronics at home and open to the magic of silence and stillness on retreat, open to the intimacy of the present moment. Discover a different kind of connection! There are beautiful nature trails at Loyola House, so bring your cross-country skis, snowshoes or hiking boots, depending on the weather!
This retreat is taught in English.
Teacher
Jill Davey (she/they) is the founder of RiverSound Retreat and Insight Meditation Fergus. Since their first meditation retreat in 2008, Jill has been devoted to the study and practice of Vipassana (Insight Meditation) and sharing this understanding with others. Having been mentored and invited to teach by Molly Swan and Norman Feldman, Jill is a teacher with True North Insight. Jill is particularly interested in connecting the relevance of these ancient teachings of awareness, wisdom and kindness to daily life experience. Jill brings years of previous experience as a community worker to their teaching and is actively committed to the ongoing dismantling of internalized and systemic privilege.
Registration Information
LOCATION: Loyola House, 5420 Highway 6 North, Guelph, Ontario
Loyola House is a retreat house of the Jesuits of Upper Canada used as the venue for groups leading their own retreats, including Dharma organizations. Please note there are Christian symbols on the site.
All of the rooms at Loyola House are single rooms with a sink. Washrooms are shared.
ARRIVAL TIME: ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30-5:30 pm, Friday, December 29. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Tuesday, January 2. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch.
COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat.
A deposit of 50% of the base rate is required to register to the retreat. The deposit is included in all of our fees.
Sliding Scale:
- Benefactor: $1 560
- Sustaining: $1 000
- Base: $800
- Reduced: $700
- Scholarship: upon request (limited number of scholarships are granted)
Deposit: $400
Benefactor
The Benefactor rate provides the opportunity to offer more substantial support for TNI.
Sustaining
The Sustaining rate represents the actual cost to TNI to operate our programs. If you can afford this level or higher, you assist our efforts to offer lower sliding-scale rates and ongoing financial subsidies.
Base
The Base rate covers 82 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Reduced
Payment at the Reduced rate covers only 71 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Scholarship
TNI offers scholarships of up to a 50% reduction of the base rate on our sliding scale to those who request it. Limited number of scholarships are granted.
Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour Retreat
Teachers
DaRa Williams &
Dawn Mauricio
When
June 1-4, 2023
Where
Loyola House
Guelph, ON
Cost
You Choose rate* - Scholarship rate**
$460 / $500 / $545
Deposit: $150
We invite you to True North Insight's fifth meditation retreat for BIPOC folx. While we all may have experiences in common, we are also a tapestry of many colours, backgrounds, cultures, orientations, life experiences, world views, and identities. This retreat aims to bring together a community of people of colour for practice in an environment of safety and ease where all of one's self is welcome and appreciated.
The retreat will offer an introduction to Insight Meditation (Vipassana) and heart practices in noble silence as our container.
Through the offerings of guided stationary (seated, standing, or reclined) and movement (walking) instructions, you will become acquainted with the words and philosophy of the Dharma through talks and reflections by the teachers. This is an accessible retreat for meditators in the beginning stages of practice, as well as for those who have some practice experience.
It is our hope that you will experience the practice as an antidote, medicine to the impact of both the individual and collective stress caused by the cultural and structural manifestation of oppression, racism, genocide, and colonization that has impacted BIPOC for and through the generations.
Teachers
DaRa Williams has practiced vipassana meditation for 25 years and serves as an IMS guiding teacher. She is also a certified coordinating trainer for Aboriginal Focusing Oriented Complex Trauma Therapy and maintains a private psychotherapy practice in the New York City area. "It is my experience that meditation and the Dharma are ideal for transforming suffering. Awareness, wisdom and a compassionate heart become the vehicle for transformation, connection and freedom."
Dawn Mauricio (she, her) has been practicing and studying Insight Meditation since 2005, and has graduated from the first teacher development group of True North Insight, and Spirit Rock's Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training, Dedicated Practitioners' Program, and 4-year Retreat Teacher Training. She is known to teach with a playful, dynamic, and heartfelt approach, and leads daylongs, retreats, yearlong programs, and mindfulness workshops in Canada and the US for Spirit Rock, True North Insight, and for teens with Inward Bound Mindfulness Education. Dawn is also the author of “Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners.” For more information,visit dawnmauricio.com.
Registration Information
LOCATION: Loyola House, 5420 Highway 6 North, Guelph, Ontario (http://www.loyolahouse.ca/)
All of the rooms at Loyola House are single rooms with a sink. Washrooms are shared.
ARRIVAL TIME: 4 - 5:30 pm, Thursday, June 1. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Sunday, June 4. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch.
COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat. The deposit is included in all of our fees.
Sliding Scale:
You Choose rate* - Scholarship rate**
$460 - $500 - $545
Deposit:
$150
*You Choose Rate - So that TNI can offer this form of financial assistance to as many as possible, please be as generous as you can when choosing your rate, at or above $50 per night ($150 minimum total).
** Scholarship Rate - TNI offers scholarships of up to a 50% reduction of the low rate on our sliding scale to those who request it. For this retreat, the low rate is $460. You can ask up for a scholarship of up to 50% of this rate. For example, if you ask for a 50% scholarship, you would pay $230.
COVID-19 Safety Measures: Please click here for more information.
Cancellation due to COVID: If TNI cancels this retreat due to COVID, we will offer a full refund to all participants.
Embodying the Dharma in Everyday Life
Teachers
Jean Esther. Assisted by Bernadine Mellis
When
October 13-20, 2023
Where
Le Manoir de la Forêt
Cantley, QC
It is notable that the Buddha did not limit his teaching to those who committed to a monastic life. Indeed, his teachings also addressed the ‘householder life’ as experienced by lay practitioners. The Buddha laid out very specific maps of engaging within our lives from a place of non-harm, mindfulness, wisdom, and compassion.
In this weeklong silent retreat, we will take time through our practice to meet our direct experience with receptivity, wisdom and compassion. Though dharma talks and small group discussion we will apply the Buddha’s teachings to our direct experience. The more we practice in this way the more these teachings take root in the ground of our being, informing our lives well beyond our meditation cushion. They become refuge, resource and guideposts for an embodiment of dharma in our everyday lives.
This retreat is taught in English.
Teacher
Beginning her formal training in meditation in 1975, Jean Esther has trained in the Buddhist Theravadan tradition with renowned senior lay teachers as well as Burmese and Western Monastics since 1982. Over a number of years, Jean has engaged in intensive teacher training in both Vipassana practice and non-dual awareness. Her teaching is also informed by over 40 years of practice as a psychotherapist, focusing on the healing of trauma through an embodied somatic approach. She trained for over 20 years in Jungian psychology with Jungian analyst Marion Woodman. Respecting all of life through a social justice understanding informs her life and her teaching. Jean teaches at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, USA, Insight Meditation Community of Western MA, USA as well as various other locations across the US and Canada. Jean has served on the Guiding Teachers Council of True North Insight since 2015.
Bernadine Mellis completed the True North Insight Community Meditation Teacher Mentorship Program in 2023 and recently began another long term Buddhist training, the Dharmapala program, through Sacred Mountain Sangha. She is also a part-time student in the Buddhist Ministry Initiative at Harvard Divinity School, where she is learning about both Theravada and Mahayana lineages and scriptures, while also exploring sangha as a practice. She works as a staff member at Insight Meditation Community of Western Massachusetts and is a teacher-in-training there. At IWM, Bernadine is engaged in programming, community building, clarifying communication, and supporting affinity sanghas. She is part of a group there seeking new organizational forms that allow for power to be both distributed and accountable, while continuing to center the Dhamma. Alongside her path in the Theravadin Insight lineage, Bernadine has been engaged in Pagan earth-based spiritual practices, working closely with her mentor on that path, for many years. She is also a filmmaker and a mother.
Registration Information
LOCATION: Le Manoir de la Forêt, 32 Chemin River, Cantley, QC J8V 3A1
Most of the rooms at Le Manoir de la Forêt are double rooms. Washrooms are shared. The rooms and the meditation hall are on the second floor, accessible only by stairs.
ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30-5:30 pm, Friday, October 13. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Friday, October 20. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch. The teacher requests that you plan to attend the entire retreat – please arrive on time and stay through the closing talk.
COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat.
A deposit of 50% of the base rate is required to register to the retreat. The deposit is included in all of our fees.
Sliding Scale:
- Benefactor: $2 730
- Sustaining: $1 750
- Base: $1 400
- Reduced: $1 225
- Scholarship: upon request (limited number of scholarships are granted)
Deposit: $700
Benefactor
The Benefactor rate provides the opportunity to offer more substantial support for TNI.
Sustaining
The Sustaining rate represents the actual cost to TNI to operate our programs. If you can afford this level or higher, you assist our efforts to offer lower sliding-scale rates and ongoing financial subsidies.
Base
The Base rate covers 82 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Reduced
Payment at the Reduced rate covers only 71 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Scholarship
TNI offers scholarships of up to a 50% reduction of the low rate on our sliding scale to those who request it. Limited number of scholarships are granted.