The Hearts of Dawn & Dusk – Joy & Compassion in Bittersweet Times (In-person Weekend Retreat in Twisp, WA)
Join Ajahn Nisabho and Maechee Paññasiri for a weekend of loving-kindness. The Buddha encouraged us to brighten the mind through meditating on the four Divine Abodes (brahmavihāras) of loving-kindness (mettā), compassion (karuṇā), rejoicing (muditā), and equanimity (upekkhā). By focusing on the two supplementary qualities of compassion—the heart’s response to others’ suffering—and rejoicing—its response to others’ goodness, we broaden our capacity to meet all circumstances, internal and external, with love.
Ajahn Nisabho will offer talks, meditation instructions, and interviews. This retreat is suitable for meditators of all experience levels. Join for two days of meditation and teachings, 9 am – 5 pm on Saturday, May 23rd, and Sunday, May 24th, at the Twisp Valley Grange in Twisp, WA (344 W 2nd Ave, Twisp, WA). Note that Clear Mountain’s weekly Saturday gathering in Seattle will still be held as usual.
To register, email cascadehermitage@gmail.com.
Note: People may come for one day if unable to attend the full two. On Sunday, those coming from out-of-town may leave at 3:30 pm in order to have time to return home. Feel free to mention in your registration email if you’re interested in requesting or providing a carpool!
Schedule
9 – 10 am: Brief welcome, introduction, & guided meditation.
10 – 10:30 am: Dhamma talk
10:30 – 11:30 am: Sitting & walking meditation
11:30 am – 12:30 pm: Lunch
12:30 – 1 pm: Rest/ free time
1 – 2 pm: Guided meditation and Talk
2 – 3:30: Walking & sitting meditation (and individual interviews)
3:30 – 4 pm: Q&A
4 – 4:30 pm: Walking & sitting meditation (and individual interviews)
4:30 – 5 pm: Closing comments, and spreading blessings
5 – 6 pm: Informal Teatime, clean-up, and general hobnobbing with old and new friends!
Meal (Individual sack lunch)
To keep the event simple, the retreat will not feature a potluck this year. Participants are invited to bring a sack lunch, and they may still offer food for the monastics’ meal at the start of the lunch break.
What to Bring
– A meditation cushion (some spare cushions and chairs are available for sitting at the venue)
– A blanket if you get chilly sitting still
– A sack lunch
– A sun hat and sunscreen for outdoor walking meditation
– Your intention to practice in community!
Lodging & Camping
For camping and lodging options, see the “Camping and Lodging Options in the Methow Valley” document.
Donations
All teachings are offered completely free of charge, with no expectation of anything in return. However, those attendees who feel inspired to donate may do so at the event or visiting Friends of Clear Mountain. Such contributions help support future offerings and the growth of Dhamma.
Biographies
Ajahn Nisabho
After finishing college in 2012, Ajahn Nisabho left his native Washington to go forth as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. He received full ordination the following spring under Ajahn Anan, a senior disciple of renowned meditation master, Ajahn Chah, and spent the following years training in forest monasteries around the world with contemporary masters such as Ajahn Anan, Ajahn Pasanno, and Ajahn Jayasaro. Over these years, he came to believe the tradition represented a faithful embodiment of the original Buddhist path able to yield great fruit even amidst the complexities of modern life. In the summer of 2021, he returned to Seattle to plant the first seeds of Clear Mountain Monastery.
Maechee Paññasiri
Sister Maechee Paññāsirī is a Chinese-born, Thai forest nun in the tradition of Ven. Ajahn Chah. Born in 1967 and grew up in Shanghai, China, Sister has worked many years as a writer/creative director, a teacher of yoga, pranayama and meditation, as well as travelling the world, with a deep spiritual pursuit which she was born with. Finally this lifelong inner quest tuned her into the path of Dhamma. In 2018 She became a student of Ven. Ajahn Jayasāro and started the training in various forest monasteries in Thailand as a eight precept Upāsikā. In 2020 she became a Maechee with Ven. Ajahn Jayasāro as her preceptor and was instructed to go on almsround and not to receive or use money. Sister Maechee Paññāsirī currently remains in a nuns’ hermitage near the Khao Yai mountain in Thailand.