Madison Vipassana is not the sponsor of this retreat. It is sponsored by the North Suburban Meditation Community and the Chicago Weekly Sitting Meditation Group.
The Buddha often taught by telling relatable stories to communicate the real and practical reasons we should understand the causes of suffering and the end of suffering.
In this retreat, Jan and David will share their favorite stories from the Buddha’s teachings. These stories from the Buddha can help us awaken to joy and peace, even in the face of the challenges of human life today.
This retreat will be appropriate for newer and experienced meditators. It will be held in Noble silence and include periods of sitting and walking meditation, Dhamma talks, group meetings with the teacher, the opportunity for one-on-one sessions with a teacher, and mindful movement.
REGISTRATION:
Registrations are complete when your payment has reached our Registrar, Kevin Kuhn. Payments can be sent via Zelle to kevinkuhn56@yahoo.com.
If you do not have access to a computer, you may use this form for registration along with a check payable to Kevin Kuhn and mailed to:
Kevin Kuhn, 1632 W. Columbia Avenue, #2S, Chicago, IL 60626
NOTE: By registering for this retreat, participants affirm that they have been fully vaccinated for Covid-19 (as currently recommended by the CDC) and that they have not tested positive for Covid within 5 days of the retreat. Masking indoors will be optional. Antigen rapid testing kits will be available on-site for those who feel they may have been exposed to Covid either in transit or on-site.
What to expect:
Please wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes. If you use a meditation cushion or bench, please bring it. Chairs will also be available for meditation. Please note: throughout this retreat, participants will be in Noble Silence except during Q&A or interview groups.
Fees cover all meals (Friday breakfast through Sunday lunch), lodging, private baths, towels, and meeting rooms. (Thursday dinner is on your own.) Coffee/tea are available throughout the weekend. All meals will be vegan. If you have dietary restrictions, make those known on your registration.
The retreat will begin on Thursday at 7 pm. Please arrive and check in between 4-6 pm, Thursday, September 28, so you can settle into your room and be in the hall and ready when the retreat opens at 7 pm. Check-out follows the close of the retreat at 3 PM on Sunday.
Location:
Siena Retreat Center, 5637 Erie Street, Racine, Wisconsin 53402.
Parking is free and plentiful. Once you park your car, you can leave it for the weekend.
For more information or to discuss Covid safety feel free to contact:
Steve Starr, Organizer, Chicago Weekly Sitting Meditation Group (stephenbstarr@gmail.com or 847-644-2389) OR Mark Zelkowitz, Organizer, North Suburban Meditation Community (mnzdragon@gmail.com or 847-927-9427).
Janice Cittasubha Sheppard has been practicing meditation since 1995 and teaching meditation since 2002. She has an MA and Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology (University of Wisconsin-Madison). She was trained as a Community Dharma Leader at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and as a Lay Buddhist Minister in the Theravada Thai Forest lineage by the Abbots of Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.She was given the name Cittasubha by her teachers Luang Por Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. She hasled a weekly meditation group for twenty years, teaches meditation, and leads meditation retreats. She offers mindfulness meditation instruction in various secular settings and volunteers in Wisconsin prisons to offer secular mindfulness meditation groups, lead Buddhist services, and provide Buddhist pastoral visits.
David Haskin has practiced meditation since 1971 and has been a student of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh since 1993. He was ordained into that teacher’s core practice community, the Order of Interbeing, in 2006. David has been particularly moved and motivated by Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings on engaging our practice of Mindfulness as we interact with others and with the world at large. He teaches Mindfulness widely, including to prison inmates, men’s groups, combat veterans and those in recovery from addictions.