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VVC Non-Residential Weekend Retreats

Confirmed dates for 2008/2009 Weekend Retreats are:
  • July 26/27, 2008 with Heather Martin
  • October 25/26, 2008 with Joanne Broatch Register here
  • January 17/18, 2009 with Heather Martin
  • May 30/31, 2009 with Heather Martin
  • August 29/30, 2009 with Heather Martin
The following is more detailed information on VVC Non-Residential Weekend Retreats:

Location Details

Retreats are held in the ground floor hall of Goward House, 2495 Arbutus Road. This is a short distance northeast of the University of Victoria. Parking is available on-site at no cost. We do not use the main entrance or main floor of Goward House. Please go around to the back of the building to enter the ground floor hall. The hall is open for your use each day at 8:30 am.

Availability of Space

There are 60 spaces allocated for Goward House retreats. If you need to cancel, please let the Registrar know as soon as possible. People placed on the wait list will have an opportunity to attend the retreat if they have some notice.

Arrival Time

Please arrive by 8:45 am to sign in and get settled for the starting time at 9:00 am.

Silence

We respectfully request that silence is maintained at all times in the hall. This includes during the 8:30-9:00 am arrival period. You may speak with friends and other meditators outside the hall before the retreat begins. If you arrive after the first sitting has started, please do walking practice on the grounds until the first sit ends.

Daily Schedule Information

Daily Schedules are posted on the doors at the retreat. The program for both days consists of alternating sitting and walking meditation with a dharma talk and metta practice each day. There will also be opportunities for Group Interviews.

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Questions and Concerns

If you have any concerns, you can speak with the Retreat Manager(s). The Manager is available
  • before the retreat begins
  • after the retreat ends
  • during lunch breaks
  • at transition times

It is also possible to leave a written message at the Sign-In Desk just inside the entrance regarding any questions or concerns you may have while on the retreat.

What to Bring to the Retreat

Please bring your own sitting gear (zafu, cushion, yoga mat, blanket, foam blocks). Chairs are available for those who need them. You will be asked to remove your shoes prior to entering the meditation hall so you may wish to wear or bring warm socks. Please bring your own lunch and beverages. There is a fridge to store your lunch and a kettle available to make hot drinks. Dress according to the weather. Consider bringing a sun hat, sunglasses, sun screen, layered and comfortable clothing, outdoor walking shoes and/or rain gear. We do our walking meditation outdoors. In case of rain, there are some covered walking areas and there is limited space to do your walking meditation indoors.

What to leave at Home

Please do not bring cell phones, computers, walkmans, beeper watches or clunky jewelry. Please do not wear clothing with fabrics, such as nylon, that make rustling noises. We recommend that you do not bring reading or writing materials to the retreat.

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Scented products

In consideration of all participants, some of whom have severe allergies to scents, please do not wear scented personal care products to the retreat.

Sitting Meditation Space

To accommodate more meditators and to keep the space clutter-free, only keep with you what you will be using for the sitting meditation. Please place everything else (water bottles, day packs, extra clothing, etc.) on the side table by the coat racks in the meditation hall or in the kitchen located down from the hall to the left. There is a fridge in the kitchen to store lunches.

Lunch

Weather permitting, you can eat outside on the grounds or upstairs on the outside deck. If eating indoors, you can eat in the kitchen or upstairs in the dining room. Please be mindful about cleaning up after yourself.

Our Teacher Heather Martin

Heather has practiced meditation since 1972. She discovered the dharma in 1981 by studying with S. N. Goenka for 8 years. Since then she has been influenced by both the Burmese and Thai streams of the Theravadan tradition. She has studied with many of the senior western teachers and more recently with Tsoknyi Rinpoche in the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition. She has trained with Jack Kornfeld and since 2001 has taught at retreats in both Canada and the US. She worked for 20 years as a midwife and has recently retired from this field to teach the dharma. Heather lives on Saltspring Island, B.C.

During these weekend retreats, Heather adjusts her instructions to the level of experience of the participants. Her style of teaching does not adher to a rigid form, but is more about curiosity with whatever may be happening

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Group and Private Interviews

During the weekend there will be opportunities for smaller group discussions. Everyone has an opportunity, if you choose, to ask questions in a smaller group setting with the Teacher. In these informal gatherings, the Teacher will address questions or concerns that we each have in our daily meditation practice or while meditating at the retreat.

If you have questions or concerns regarding your meditation practice which are personal and confidential, there may be an opportunity to have a private individual interview with the Teacher. The Retreat Registrar will send an announcement about whether and when the Teacher will be available for private interviews.

Dana/Donations for Retreat Costs

We have been using the practice of generosity, or dana, to cover the costs of putting on these retreats over the past few years and will continue to do so. Dana is the word for generosity in the Pali language. This was the language spoken during the Buddha's time.

We suggest a $30 donation for the weekend to cover our rental and Teacher-related costs. Any money left over goes into a Scholarship Fund. This fund is intended to help those in our community who wish to attend longer residential retreats but who may not have the means to afford the retreat fees. If $30 for the weekend is beyond your means, then please feel free to attend and simply donate what feels affordable to you. A basket on the registration table is set aside for this donation.

Dana/Donations for the Teacher

The teachings have been freely offered in the Buddhist tradition for over 2500 years. If you feel the teachings have been of value to you, there will be an opportunity to practice generosity, or dana, for the teachings at the end of the retreat. This money will go directly to the Teacher. There will be a separate basket set out at the retreat for this. More information will be provided about the practice of dana at the retreat.

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