A silent meditation retreat with Ethan Nichtern, Maho Kawachi, Lou Sharma and Eric Gerard
Many of us are longing for an in-depth, in-person meditation retreat. This is a great opportunity to do so. Like last year, this retreat will focus on practices and teachings related to the path of the Bodhisattva, a body of teachings all about a compassionate and wise way of being in world in turmoil.
This year, the practice and teaching focus of the retreat is letting go. Learning to let go–without falling into the trap of spiritual bypassing or avoidance– is the hardest of all difficult spiritual practices. In Buddhist practice, we learn to let go when life situations pull the rug out from under us, and we also learn to let go of ideas about reality that no longer serve us. Enter the Heart Sutra, a classic discourse in which the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokitshvara, systematically breaks down our assumptions, and teaches us to live in a space of freedom, possibility and pre-conceptual intuition. In this year’s Becoming Bodhisattvas retreat, we will examine the many layers of the practice of letting go of what no longer serves us, using this discourse as the seed of our shared exploration. Join this supportive retreat community at the Garrison Institute at a lovely time of year for a five-day break from the pace of your life.
Note: There is no expectation that students are familiar with these concepts before attending retreat!
We will observe three and a half days of functional silence outside of lectures and instruction Q & A to nourish our practice. On the last full day of retreat, we take more time to process the teachings together in an interpersonal and communal way.
TAKING REFUGE
As we do every year, the retreat will include the opportunity to formally take either the Refuge or Bodhisattva Vow, or reaffirm your vows if you have already taken them, on Sunday afternoon, October 4th. As we will be approaching the vow from the structure of the Tantric (Vajrayana) Buddhist system, it is required that a student has already taken the Refuge vows in any lineage if they want to formally enter the Bodhisattva Path.
If you would like to formally take the Refuge or Bodhisattva Vow for the first time (it is generally not recommended to take both simultaneously, but to leave 6 months to a year between the two to work with one before moving on to the next), please email hello@amindful.world with your intention. If you do not want to formally take either vow, you are still more than welcome to attend the ceremony and contemplate the intention and practice of making the commitment to awakening in your own way. The vows are fully optional. Buddhist people, Buddh-ish people, and those of us who just can’t stand labels are all welcome at this retreat!
We hope you can join this growing annual community of practitioners.
Recommended Reading
(bring to the retreat, or we will have copies on site for sale)
The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of The Buddhist Path by Ethan Nichtern
The Other Shore by Thich Nhat Hanh
Inexplicable Joy: On The Heart Sutra by Susan Piver
Further “Geek” Readings will be shared prior to the retreat.
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TEACHERS
Head Teacher – Ethan Nichtern
Ethan Nichtern is a Senior Buddhist teacher, and is the author of the acclaimed book The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path which was selected as one of Library Journal’s Best Books of 2015, and one of Tech Insider’s “9 Books That Define 2015.” He is the author of three other books, and his next book Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life’s Eight Wordly Winds.
Ethan founded the Interdependence Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to secular Buddhist practice and transformational activism and arts, and served as executive Director from 2007-2011.
For the past 21 years, Ethan has taught meditation and Buddhist psychology classes and workshops around New York City and North America and Europe, along with working with students privately. He has primarily studied in the Shambhala and other Tibetan traditions, but has also studied Theravadan and Soto Zen Buddhism. He is also an avid yoga practitioner. He served as Shastri, or Senior Teacher-In-Residence, for the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York, from 2010-2018.
Assistant Teacher – Maho Kawachi
Maho Kawachi was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. She landed in NYC in 1992 and decided to make the city her home. She encountered meditation in 2000, and studied in the lineage of Insight Meditation and Vipassana until she entered Vajrayana Path in 2008. Her training as a meditation teacher includes Interedependence Project, MMTCP, etc. She teaches at Open Heart Project and assists teaching for Dharma Moon Year Long Buddhist Study. She also volunteered at Rikers Island/s women’s facility. Her new interest is combining meditation and outdoor experience and leading the experience to students.
Assistant Teacher – Lou Sharma
Lou Sharma has practiced meditation for over a decade, and has studied Dharma within Tibetan Buddhist traditions since 2016. In 2021, she completed Dharma Moon’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training. Lou is interested in the ways mindfulness can empower more compassionate cultures of work, inspired by 10+ years of experience as a corporate researcher and brand strategist.
Assistant Teacher – Eric Gerard
Eric Gerard has been practicing mindfulness for about nine years and recently graduated from the Spring 2024 MMTT cohort after three years of private study with Ethan Nichtern. He also completed the two-year Year Long Buddhist Studies course, which has shaped his life and practice in meaningful ways. Originally from Chicago, Eric is an actor and also serves as the Co-Owner and Artistic Director at Blackbox Acting, a school that aims to prepare artists for their careers through a holistic approach. Eric is passionate about helping artists foster genuine connections with themselves and their work while encouraging vulnerability and bravery. He hopes to support others in developing a mindful and healthy relationship with their craft, whether that craft is art or the complex journey of existence.
Movement Teacher Ollie Ledbetter
Ollie (they/them) is a yoga teacher and licensed massage therapist based in Brooklyn, NY. They blend yoga philosophy and anatomy/kinesiology to create a layered and safe movement practice for all levels. Their 20+ years as a dancer, as well as history with injury and chronic pain, informs their knowledge of shifting bodies – how they move, and how they heal. As a trans practitioner, their gender-affirming work is based in a well-informed practice of not making assumptions. Ollie studied under TaraMarie Perri, completing their 300-hr teacher training in 2016. They have taught extensively at studios, gyms, retreats, and community centers working with many populations including perinatal clients and folks with Parkinson’s disease. They began and led the yoga program at Streetwork LES. Now you can find them at their studio home, Solid Gold Yogi in Bushwick, where they teach both anatomy as well as trauma-informed yoga for the 200-hr YTT, or at their cozy massage practice in Gowanus, True Bearing Bodywork. Ollie also enjoys bikepacking, surfing, and crossword puzzles.
SCHOLARSHIPS
There are a limited number of partial scholarships available for this retreat. Please visit us here for more information, and to apply. Please do not sign up for the retreat if you have submitted an application, wait to hear from us. For questions, please contact us at: scholarships@garrisoninstitute.org.
ACCOMMODATIONS
There are Single, and Double rooms available. Please note, there is no available guest elevator and all rooms are accessible by stairs—except for those reserved for the mobility-impaired on the first floor. There are two communal bathrooms on each residential floor as well as a comfortable lounge with sofas and easy chairs, where tea and instant coffee are available. The lounges also are equipped with wireless, high-speed internet connection. There are several local hotels within driving distance from the Institute, for those who wish to stay off-site, as commuters. Onsite meals are included with commuter registrations.
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