The Essential Practices of Insight: A Five-Night Retreat led by Tempel Smith
Registration for this retreat is now closed. We will hold our next 5-night residential retreat October 15 – 20, 2023, led by Dave Smith.
Stay tuned for details.
Registration will open in July.
The Spring late May, 2024 will be led by senior Insight Treacher Anushka Fernandopulle. Check her out on Dharmaseed and stay tuned for her visits by zoom.
Tempel Smith’s next residential retreat with us will be mid-October, 2024
During this five-day retreat, we will cultivate a continuity of presence and deepening awareness through practicing steady, compassionate attention. Insight meditation invites us to disengage from our usual enmeshment with thinking and discover an intimacy with life as it unfolds within and around us. Drawing on the supports of community, the stillness and beauty of the mountains, and a lineage of wisdom and kindness, we will develop our capacity for clear seeing and wise living.
We will practice sitting and walking meditation, develop the innate goodness of the heart, and infuse all retreat activities with presence and kindness. The retreat will be held in noble silence.
Tempel will offer morning instruction, evening talks, daily Q&A, small group discussion and an individual check-in to support your practice. If any difficulties arise, support and help will be available at any time.
Be advised that this venue, the BBar ranch, is at altitude and fairly remote. If you have a condition that might require needing medical attention (beyond first aid) quickly, this may not be the retreat for you.
About this Retreat
This retreat is suitable for those relatively new to meditation practice as well as those with some experience and dedication to this path. It is designed to support those who have not attended a residential retreat before, and will also be an opportunity to deepen practice for those who have. We wholeheartedly welcome people of all identities and backgrounds to participate in this retreat. We will prioritize participants from the central Montana region who do not have easier access to other residential retreat centers.
This retreat is limited to 24 people on a first come, first served basis. All meals will be vegetarian; the BBar staff can accommodate gluten-free and dairy-free needs. On May 1st, all participants will be sent a dietary and other needs questionnaire. Our Covid protocols are listed on another page, and linked below.
There are many important details, risks and disclosures pertaining to this retreat, given the remote location. All potential participants must read this page carefully, as well as the three drop down pages (linked below): our covid protocols, cancellation terms and liability waivers. Please read these and be sure to understand them before clicking through to register.
Thank you for your thoughtfulness; it will make the registration process smoother.
About Tempel Smith
Tempel Smith teaches mindfulness, insight, and metta meditation with an emphasis on Buddhist psychology and mind-body awareness. Years ago, he spent a year as a monk in Burma with Sayadaw U Pandita and Pa Auk Sayadaw. Now, he organizes the Dedicated Practitioners Program for Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California and Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts. He leads retreats and dedicated-student study programs in the Bay area and other regional dharma centers. For more about Tempel or to see his teaching schedule, you may visit his website here.
Lodging, Costs and Dana
The listed price covers lodging, meals, teacher’s travel, and minor administrative costs. Tempel Smith receives no part of this fee. In keeping with our time-honored, Buddhist practices, participants should also plan to give Dāna in support of Tempel at the conclusion of the retreat. Dāna is a voluntary expression of gratitude and generosity, as well as the teacher’s “compensation” for teaching. It is given privately and can be anonymous; each person gives what feels right for them in their circumstances.
If you are unfamiliar with the practice of Dana,
please read this page.
Please budget for the ability to offer Dāna to Tempel, and ask for support with the registration fee if you need it.
Scholarships/Support with the fee
It is our intention that no one be turned away for lack of funds. Please don’t be shy about asking if funding is challenging for you, it is our pleasure to support people in having access to these teachings and a retreat experience.
Scholarships will be granted on a first-ask, first-receive basis while our funds last.
If you are requesting a scholarship, please submit the registration form and indicate your request where asked. We will email you about what level of support will work for you.
For those who can, contributing to the scholarship fund will help us offer the retreat below cost to others. Please consider a contribution if your circumstances allow.
Costs are tiered for the type of lodging:
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Our single rooms ($900) are now reserved.
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We have five double rooms for $650 each person. If the retreat does not fill, one or two doubles may become singles, so let us know if you would like to be on a wait-list for a single room.
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All rooms have shared baths.
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A $200 deposit is required to hold your space in the retreat. Instructions for submitting this will be emailed to you after you submit a registration form. You may pay part or all of your registration fee at this time if you’d like to. Any remaining balance will be due May 1st
Covid Protocols
We have set careful protocols for covid safety. If you are considering attending this retreat, please read them carefully. You will be required to commit to these agreements on the registration form.
We reserve the right to modify precautions and procedures, depending on the circumstances in May.
Please bear in mind, there is no such thing as perfect safety. Each of us must make our own decisions about risk tolerance. Because the genuine dangers of this disease should not be minimized, we encourage people to reflect deeply and honor your feelings about whether the time is right for you to attend a retreat.
Cancellation Policy
Due to the up-front costs of hosting a residential retreat at a rented facility, our cancellation policy is stricter than usual. Please be comfortable with these terms before registering. You must indicate on your registration form that you have read this cancellation policy and agree to it.
Liability Waiver
Upon arrival, we will require all participants to sign our Liability Waiver. Please be sure you are comfortable with assuming all responsibilities for illness, injury and medical treatment. Be advised that the BBar ranch is in a remote area at 6000+ feet of elevation. In the event of an emergency, medical treatment (other than on-site first aid) will take some time to access.
Read our Waiver
