What the World Needs Now: The Revolutionary Power of the Divine Abodes
Teachers
Dawn Mauricio & La Sarmiento
When
May 15 - 18, 2025
Where
Villa St-Martin
Pierrefonds, QC
In Buddhism, the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion are considered to be innate character flaws that cause suffering. The Buddha identified these three negative qualities of the mind as the source of most problems in the world.
The Divine Abodes (or the Brahma Viharas) of Lovingkindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity are empowering and powerful qualities we can cultivate to remember who we truly are and who we are in relationship to each other and the planet to live and work in skillful and meaningful ways to alleviate suffering and to cultivate true happiness and peace.
Through guided meditations, dharma talks, mindful movement, and relational practices, we will strike a balance between depth and lightness to meet this life with courage, vulnerability, and wisdom.
Teachers
Dawn Mauricio (she/her), a Filipina-Canadian, has been practicing and studying Insight Meditation since 2005. She 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. Subsequently, Dawn co-led two 2-year Dharma training programs for True North Insight and Sacred Mountain Sangha, and leads the 8-month Spirit Rock Program Living the Dharma. She teaches with a playful, dynamic, and heartfelt approach people of color and folks of all backgrounds. She is also the author of “Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners”. For more information, visit dawnmauricio.com.
La Sarmiento (they/them) has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1998. La is a mentor for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, a teacher with Cloud Sangha, and a contributor to the Ten Percent Happier app. They were a retreat teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW) for 10 years with Tara Brach and the Guiding Teacher of IMCW’s BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ Sanghas for 16 years. La was the lead teacher for the Inward Bound Mindfulness Education Virginia Teen Mindfulness Retreats for 7 years. They completed the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader Training in 2012 and have taught meditation retreats for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Young and Young Adults around the United States.
As an immigrant, non-binary, Filipinx American, La is committed to sharing teachings and practices that alleviate suffering, cultivate true happiness, and support the liberation of all beings, especially through humor and song. They live in Towson, MD with their life partner Wendy and two rescue pups Annabel and Bader.
Assisted by
Tatiana Castellanos (she/they) is a Colombian born and Canada-rooted artist and mindfulness/yoga educator. She believes creative expression is a key to healing and self awareness. It is through the path of self exploration and spirituality that Tatiana found meditation and yoga in 2008, later focusing on studying and practicing Insight Meditation circa 2013. Since then, she has made art, meditation and healing her life path, using them as a tool for trauma healing, community care and transformative justice. For several years Tatiana has worked facilitating workshops for children and adults in different settings: community centers, hospitals, seniors homes among others, integrating nature and indigenous spiritual practices in her teachings. This experience motivated her to work towards the goal of decolonizing holistic pathways in making this medley of practices available to all, especially BIPOC people in underserved communities. Tatiana has a Mindfulness training, is currently pursuing a training in the Insight Buddhist tradition and attends residential retreats periodically.
Registration Information
LOCATION: 21269 Boul Gouin O, Pierrefonds, QC H9K 1C1, Canada.
Villa Saint-Martin is an Ignatian Spirituality Centre that welcomes retreats accomodating the needs of a wide audience, including Dharma organizations. Please note there are Christian symbols on the site.
All of the rooms at Villa St-Martin are single rooms with a sink. Washrooms are shared.
ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30-5 pm, Thursday, May 15. The retreat will conclude in the afternoon on Sunday, May 18.
The teachers 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.
- Benefactor: $1 200
- Sustaining: $780
- Base: $630
- Reduced: $540
- Scholarship: upon request (limited number of scholarships are granted)
◆ Deposit : $315
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.