Study Programs

Walking the path of wisdom, love and freedom

A 10-month Intensive Study and Practice Program

September 2023 – June 2024

taught by
Daryl Lynn Ross, True North Insight (TNI) Co-founder & Guiding Teacher
and Roxanne Dault, TNI Guiding Teacher, and Insight Meditation Society (IMS) Teacher

Daryl Ross and Roxanne Dault 2023

Creating a community of kindness and mindfulness

This program is currently full.

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What is the program?

Learning and practicing Buddhist teachings in close communication with experienced teachers, in relationship with a community of Dharma friends.

Walking the path of wisdom, love and freedom is a 10-month study and practice program intended for those who wish to deepen in Dharma practice. It is an invitation to go beyond the beginnings of practice, and includes:

Foundational Teachings:
Teaching, contemplations and exercises to strengthen the foundations of practice through cultivating qualities such as generosity, ethics, love and compassion and an acceptance of the realities of aging, illness and death.
Buddhist Practice:
Deep exploration, practice and direct experience of the key discourse of the Buddha, “The Satipatthana Sutta" (Four Establishments of Mindfulness) as well as other related texts.

This program is an extraordinary opportunity to learn to let habitual and limiting reactive patterns fall away, and to discover the free, loving, joyful and fully alive reality that you are. Practicing in a combination of daily-life and retreat settings gives you opportunities to deepen in intensive practice and also to integrate insights in many life contexts.

Dates and format

Walking the path of wisdom, love and freedom begins with an online meeting on Sept 18, 2023 at 7 p.m. and runs continuously until June 2024.

This program includes three residential retreats near Montréal, Qc, that will feature meditation practice, study and individual meetings. Between retreats, we will engage in ongoing practice and study, with monthly teacher-led online meetings in small groups.

Retreats: The retreats will be held at Villa St-Martin Retreat Centre (Hermitage St. Croix) at 21269, boul. Gouin Ouest in Pierrefonds, Qc. This center is accessible by public transportation as well as being easily drivable. See map.
A commitment to attend all the retreats is required for acceptance into the program.
Study and practice: Written teachings and exercises will be sent on a monthly basis by email: these will nourish and support the deepening of understanding and meditative experience. The study time will require a few hours of study per month.
Daily practice: Participants are encouraged and supported to maintain a personal daily practice including at least a 30-45 minute sitting of meditation.
Monthly engagement with teachers:
- Monthly group meetings will be scheduled with a small group and one of the teachers. We will explore the teachings together and have the opportunity to share about practice and ask questions.
  - Participants are requested to offer dana to the teachers.
- Each person in the program will have a personal telephone or video call with one of the teachers at least once during the program, in addition to the individual meetings during retreats. Additional meetings with the teachers can also be arranged on request.
  - Participants are requested to offer dana to the teachers.
- E-mail communication with Daryl and Roxanne will also be available on an optional basis. Daryl and Roxanne are committed to working closely and personally with each participant and for this reason we are limiting the number of people we are accepting into the program.
Practice community: Each participant will be partnered with two or more “kalyana mitta” (spiritual friends aka Dharma buddies) from among their fellow participants with whom they will meet in person or by phone/zoom on a monthly basis to reflect on their practice and be a listening support.

A commitment to daily practice and scheduled communication with the teachers is required for acceptance into the program.

Who can apply?

People who have been practicing Buddhist meditation for at least two years, practice meditation on a regular basis, and have participated in at least one weeklong or two shorter retreats may apply. If you feel that you have other equivalent experience, please explain this in your application.
True North Insight aspires to welcome a diverse sangha. There are a few spaces in the program that will be prioritized for qualifying BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and people with disabilities.

Registrations

Registrations for this program are closed.