Meditation Retreat | Mar 18 - Apr 1, 2022
According to Hua Yan philosophy, any phenomenon exists only as part of the total nexus of reality. Like Indra’s net all things are equally connected to each other and also contained within in each other. Join a two week in-person retreat on the profound Hua Yan teachings from Chinese Mahayana Buddhism.
*IMPORTANT*
- Due to travel restrictions, this retreat is available In-Person at Clear Sky or Online as a Home Retreat.
- Please consider flight insurance when booking for this retreat. We welcome you to spend additional nights at Clear Sky, especially if traveling from afar.
- In-Person registration closes: March 4th
- Online registration closes: March 11
COVID-19 RESPONSE
Our main priority is to offer a retreat that is accessible and supports your health and safety.
We currently intend this retreat to be offered in person assuming the March COVID situation allows people to travel. We will keep reviewing this – if travel is still not possible we will offer online alternatives.
The Buddhist Teaching of Totality
Hua Yan philosophy was established in the 7th and 8th centuries in China, based on the Flower Garland Sutra (Avatamsaka Sutra). It has one central concern – to reveal the Buddha realm of infinity.
The teaching indicates a complete way to think – with a multiple or totalistic approach. Nothing is rejected. Not even is there room for contradiction. All inconsistencies become harmonious. Totality is one of its central points.
Hua Yan is a synthesis of all major Mahayana thought, and includes the three major concepts of Mahayana: totality, emptiness and mind-only.
Residential or Online Retreat
It’s best in person. Online is also possible.
It is always best to do a meditation retreat in person. However, with Covid-19 travel restrictions, you may not be able to fly to BC. Here are some basic requirements for doing this retreat online.
Basic requirements to do the retreat online:
- Block out your schedule and be focused on the retreat for this entire period, using this time and participating in the retreat as if you were at Clear Sky in person. This includes a rigorous, full, daily meditation schedule.
- Participate in all of the daily classes and group practices via online streaming.
- Set up a quiet space or location where you can focus on the Meditation Retreat and not need to engage in conversation or work with others.
- Put away your phone, digital devices and other distractions.
- If there are enough people in the same time zone as you, you could also make a cohort to meet to do a group practice throughout the retreat.
Daily Schedule:
This is an example of a daily retreat schedule. Exact times may vary.
- [Personal Meditation / Breakfast]
- 9am MST: Class with Teachers
- [Personal Meditation / Lunch]
- 2pm – 3 pm MST: Group meditation practice
- [Personal Meditation / Dinner]
- 7pm MST: Meditation and Q&A with Teachers
Why this Retreat?
The universal mind is likened to a vast ocean mirror in which the infinite dramas of the universe are spontaneously and simultaneously reflected. It becomes a kaleidoscope of multi dimensional, mutual projections and interpenetrations. Hua Yan reveals the many hidden facets of shunyata (emptiness), which are not immediately clear. Far reaching implications of shunyata laid down in the Prajñāpāramitā Sutras become clearer.
In spite of being called a philosophy, Hua Yan is true to the original spirit of Buddhism which achieves liberation upon abolishing all philosophical speculations. As a painter draws many pictures, a sentient being’s mind can create infinite variations of world systems, emerging from emptiness, returning to emptiness.
Read more here: general discussion of the Flower Garland Sutra and an in-depth history of the Huayan Buddhist philosophy.
What Can I expect with this Retreat?
The Course
- This meditation retreat consists of many hours of consecutive practice each day. Therefore some experience, especially with sitting meditation, is highly recommended.
- An open mind and heart, and a spirit of adventure are excellent things to bring!
- It’s human to have some apprehensions about doing something new, meeting new people, or going to a new place. Particularly when all three happen together. We try to make this as supportive as possible.
- This is a silent retreat. To deepen your meditation, we ask that participants refrain from reading, using the internet, phone, or listening to music during the course.
The Location – Clear Sky Center
- Located in the BC Rocky Mountains, Clear Sky offers over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature. Founded by Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat, the centre is home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world.
- How to get there, what to bring and other FAQ about Clear Sky
- Our teachings and Clear Sky operate based on the ancient tradition of dāna or generosity. As generosity is the basis upon which all spiritual practice flourishes, we recommend that you learn more about this profound practice before you register.
Meet the Teacher
Qapel (Achariya Doug Duncan)
Qapel studied with the Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche from 1974 until the latter’s passing in 2003. Doug received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 1978, and is a lineage holder in that teaching. He also received teachings from the 16th Karmapa and other Tibetan Rinpoches, as well as from the Ven. Sayadaw U Thila Wunta and from a Master of the Western Mystery School. In addition, Doug has undertaken numerous three-month solitary meditation retreats.
Doug has been leading retreats, teaching and training in universal practices of spiritual unfoldment since 1985, helping thousands of students in numerous countries liberate themselves from suffering. His teaching also draws on contemporary psychology and science. In 2004 he co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center in the BC Rockies where he is resident teacher along with Catherine Pawasarat Sensei.
About Clear Sky
Located in the BC rocky mountains, we offer over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature. Founded by Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat, we are home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world.
Here are some FAQs on how to get here, what to bring and what to expect.
To help you get acquainted with us, some community members made this short video during our 2019 Buddhas in Action retreat. To learn more about us and our incredible community, click here!
FAQs
Dana: This course is offered by Qapel through the ancient principle of generosity, or Dāna. The retreat fee covers the cost of food and accommodation, whereas the Teachings are offered by generosity. Learn more about Dāna here.
Pricing: As a charitable organization, we strive to provide locally sourced organic meals and comfortable accommodations at an affordable price. Fees vary depending on your accommodation choice and early bird pricing.
A Note on Covid-19 Regulations in Canada
Our retreats comply with current BC Covid-19 Health Orders. Please refer to those provincial guidelines as well as the Canadian federal travel guidelines, especially if you are planning to travel to Clear Sky Center in person.
Specific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST)
6:30 – 7:30 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice
7:30 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast: Prepare, eat, clean up
8:15 – 8:45 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice
9:00 – 10:00 AM: Class with Teachers
10:00 – 10:30 AM: Walk
10:30 – 11:30 AM: Group Practice lead by Sangha
11:30 – 12:30 PM: Personal Practice
12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch: Prepare, eat, clean up
1:30 – 3:00 PM: Personal Practice
3:00 – 4:00 PM: Group Practice lead by Sangha
4:00 – 5:30 PM: Personal Practice
5:30 – 7:00 PM: Dinner: prepare, eat, clean up
7:00 – 7:30 PM: Walk &/or Personal Practice
7:30 – 8:30 PM: Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers
8:30 – Beyond: Personal Practice & bed
In order to bring you this retreat at home, there is an additional admin fee* of $375 CAD. The admin fee is to cover the costs of running these online courses – for equipment and software to provide you the teachings online.
If you are taking this retreat online, we require that you devote your full attention to the retreat for the entire two weeks.
Requirements include:
- Block out the two weeks and be focused on the retreat for this entire period, using this time and participating in the retreat as if you were at Clear Sky in person. This includes a rigorous, full, daily meditation schedule.
- Participate in all of the daily classes and group practices via online streaming.
- Set up a quiet space or location where you can focus on the Meditation Retreat, and not need to engage in conversation or work with others.
- Put away your phone, digital devices and other distractions.
- If there are enough people in the same time zone as you, you could also make a cohort to meet to do a group practice throughout the retreat.
- Note: full details/ requirements will be sent to you after registering
About the administrative fee*
In a traditional model of in-person teachings, a retreat center or urban meditation center invites teachers to visit. In these cases the centers have infrastructure and organization costs to cover, which might be covered by an admin fee. For the teaching itself, dāna to the teachers is offered in a bowl. This honors both the sustainability of the teachers and of the supporting center.
We’ve tried to recreate this approach online.
The teachers’ time and the teaching themselves are offered on the basis of dāna, separate to the admin fee. With our dāna offering we are making a direct gift of generosity to the teachers to support their teachings and livelihood. Learn more about the practice of dāna here.
The admin fee goes to support the infrastructure and organization necessary to support them to teach. As anyone with an online business will know, it can be surprising the costs of setting up a good infrastructure to support effective teaching and connection online.
Below are a few of the work and benefits that your admin fee payment is supporting:
- high speed internet (to allow interviews and classes on-line)
- online class systems (Zoom)
- registration / admin systems (Eventbrite, Basecamp)
- communication systems to keep everyone informed, share connection details, teachings and other resources (Mailchimp)
- online storage (for example, Dropbox, to allow us to let students watch recordings and to store and share selected teachings in other forms such as podcasts and videos after the Teachings)
- quality sound, video and editing equipment (both for live teachings and to provide good enough quality for later sharing as podcasts and video). We are regularly updating our equipment to improve your user experience.
- online calendar booking system to allow students to book interviews
- website hosting and maintenance for sharing upcoming courses, teachings, blogs and other resources.
May all our efforts be sustainable, abundant and for the benefit of all beings!
*We also do not wish to exclude anyone from the Teachings, so if you are not currently in a financial position to afford the admin fee, please contact us so we can support you to attend.
We welcome any questions. Please feel free to contact registrar@planetdharma.com.