There’s still time to register for One Dharma’s Spring Renewal Meditation Retreat, happening at Bethany Hills in Kingston Springs. Retreat runs from Thursday evening, April 24 through Sunday Noon, April 26. Full info is here.
Spring Renewal Residential Meditation Retreat
Awakening the Heart of Wisdom
Thursday Evening, April 24 – Sunday Noon, April 27
Led by Lisa Ernst
Early Registration Discount Through March 24
Each spring the earth awakens from its winter slumber. Surrounded by the fresh green of newly leafed trees and longer, warmer days, we will renew our minds and hearts in the simple yet profound practice of sitting and walking meditation. Gradually this practice will penetrate all realms of our being as we awaken to this moment with deep gratitude and joy. The practice will be supported by daily instructions, lovingkindness and optional teacher meetings.
The retreat will be held at Bethany Hills Retreat Center, Kingston Springs, TN. Cost is $190 if paid by 3/24; $215 after. Attendance for all three days is required. If you are unable to pay the full price, please contact us for reduced fee/work exchange options. Paypal is available here. If paying by check, make it out to One Dharma Nashville and send to: One Dharma Nashville c/o 12 South Dharma Center, 2301 12th Avenue South, Suite 202, Nashville, TN 37204. Be sure to include your email address.
Lisa Ernst is the founder and guiding teacher at One Dharma Nashville. She began intensive meditation practice in the late ’80′s in the Zen tradition. Lisa has also studied and practiced in the Theravada tradition since the late 90′s. She has been teaching for ten years and was given full dharma transmission from Trudy Goodman in 2010 in the Thai Forest lineage of Ajahn Chah.
There will be a separate opportunity at the retreat to make a dana offering (donation) to the teacher. According to the Buddha, generosity, or sharing what we have, is one of the central pillars of a spiritual life. In the act of giving we develop our ability to let go, cultivate a spirit of caring, and acknowledge the inter-connectedness that we all share.
Please contact onedharmaretreat@gmail.com for questions or to reserve your spot.
Currently many people are still struggling financially and I am receiving more requests than usual for reduced fee slots for the December residential retreat at Bethany Hills. Our regular fee doesn’t provide enough extra to fund all of these requests. Because of this need, I am creating a One Dharma scholarship fund to assist those in financial need, opening the door to people who would otherwise be unable to experience an extended retreat. Scholarships are offered at a reduced rate, but are not free except in the case of extreme hardship – reduced fee slots are generally offered at half price and up.
This is an excellent way to practice generosity, one of the foundational aspects of spiritual life according to Buddha. Any amount you are able to contribute will allow deserving students to more fully immerse themselves in the practice. If you would like to help, you can donate through Paypal here or pay by check if you prefer (address is on the Paypal donation page.) Your donations are tax deductible and much appreciated.
A lot of talented photographers attended the October 5 retreat. Everyone has uploaded images to a “mindful photos” Flickr account, which you can view here. Enjoy their talent while viewing the beautiful grounds of Penuel Ridge.
10/5 Meditation and Photography Retreat by Lisa Ernst
Cultivating Clarity, Receptivity and Joy With a Camera
Saturday, October 5, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Penuel Ridge Retreat Center
Led by Lisa Ernst
Please join us for a day of mindfulness as we combine meditation and the practice of contemplative photography. We will use our cameras as a means to reflect our mindful awareness of this moment in its myriad, ever changing forms. This contemplative approach to photography often yields unexpected and remarkable results that differ from conventional shots. There’s no need for expensive equipment or technical knowledge, just a willingness to meet the moment with your camera in an open and receptive state. A simple, yet profound joy often arises in this alliance of mind and heart, camera and surroundings.
Led by meditation teacher and artist Lisa Ernst, the workshop is suitable to beginning and experienced meditators. In addition to morning and afternoon photography sessions, the workshop will include meditation, silence and group interaction. The beautiful retreat site at Penuel Ridge includes many acres of wooded hills, open fields and a lovely, secluded lake.
The retreat fee is offered on a sliding scale from $75 – $100. Two reduced fee spots are available for those who need financial assistance.
A $50 deposit reserves your space and is due by 9/27 (or pay the full amount if you prefer). Paypal is available here. If paying by check, please make it out to One Dharma Nashville and send to One Dharma Nashville, c/o 12 South Dharma Center, 2301 12th Avenue South, Suite 202, Nashville, TN 37204. Be sure to include your email address. Additional details and directions will be provided in advance of the retreat. For more information or to reserve your spot email onedharmaretreat@gmail.com.
The Joy of Refuge in This Moment
September 14, 2013, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Led by Lisa Ernst
Please join us at a beautiful and secluded West Nashville location for a day of sitting and walking meditation. We will cultivate appreciation and joy through taking refuge in this moment.
Led by meditation teacher Lisa Ernst, this silent retreat will focus on developing a quality of compassionate presence that embraces our experience with an open heart. Through this practice, we begin to find true refuge in the way things are.
This retreat is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditators; it will include sitting and walking meditation, practice instructions, and a dharma talk.
Cost: $50, plus dana (donation) to the teacher. A deposit of $50 reserves your spot and is due no later than September 9. Paypal is available here. You can also bring your deposit to one of our Monday meditations or send a check made out to One Dharma Nashville to: 12 South Dharma Center, c/o One Dharma Nashville, 2301 12th Avenue South, Suite 202, Nashville, TN 37204. Be sure and include your email address. Directions and additional information will be emailed prior to the retreat.
Please contact onedharmaretreat@gmail.com with any questions.
The Joy of Interconnection
Saturday, August 3, 2013, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Led by Lisa Ernst
Please join us in Nashville for a day of sitting and walking meditation. According to the Buddha, the greatest suffering arises from a sense of separation. Through the practice of sitting and walking meditation we begin to access insight, which allows us to pierce the illusion of separateness and taste the joy of interconnectedness to all things.
Led by meditation teacher Lisa Ernst, this silent retreat is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditators; it will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, practice instructions, optional private interview and a dharma talk. Please bring a sack lunch. Refreshments will be provided at the end of the retreat.
Cost: $50, plus dana (donation) to the teacher. A deposit of $50 will reserve your space.. Paypal is available at this link. Please email onedharmaretreat@gmail.com with any questions or to confirm your spot.
Every retreat has its own flavor for its participants, both individually and collectively. Our Spring Renewal retreat was mostly smooth sailing with a dedicated and focused group of practitioners. After Thursday’s hard afternoon rains most participants were able to arrive in time for our 7 p.m. meditation. For the rest of the retreat we enjoyed sunny, although somewhat chilly spring weather.
At our previous retreat, the site still needed cleaning when we arrived and a few of us pitched in to insure the facilities were ready. This time, to our great appreciation, the camp manager spared no effort in assuring we arrived to spotless facilities. At this retreat people really wanted to sit — usually most everyone was in place a good five minutes before each session’s start time. I had the feeling that some would have happily stayed on for additional practice days, schedule permitting.
Self-compassion is vital during the early hours and days of meditation retreats, when participants are adjusting to the silence and intentional lack of external distraction. Often people feel that they are alone in their struggles, possibly doing it wrong, even imagining that others are swimming through the hours with joy and ease. “Comparing mind” rears up and leads to self-criticism and even self-loathing for some. At this vital point, learning to extend compassion to all parts of ourselves, especially the broken, pained and imperfect, can soften the heart and mind enough to accommodate our immediate experience. Then the resistance begins to ease, just as Buddha taught. This allows us to settle into the practice, to truly appreciate this moment just as it is.
Some people struggled a bit with the walking mediation, which is pretty normal at Vipassana style retreats. Walking slowly yet going nowhere for 30+ minutes at a time feels awkward and counterintuitive to some, especially at first. Without a target, a specific destination, people have to let go and rest their attention only on their immediate surroundings along with the movement of their bodies, one foot and one breath at a time. It is a deep and profound practice once the restlessness and resistance is gone. Concentrated walking meditation can reveal deep glimpses into interconnectedness and no-self. Some people are more naturally attuned to sitting and it may take patience and time for them to appreciate the walking practice. For those who prefer Zen style line walking, we always include one session of this practice in the evenings.
Meditation retreats may challenge us in ways we have never imagined; yet they can also open us to extended periods of joy and ease. Retreats can reveal glimpses and even deep insights into the unlimited and boundless nature of true mind that is our birthright, that is always here and ready for us to receive whenever our minds and hearts are fully present.
Altar Buddha by Frankie Fachilla
Walking Path at Bethany Hills by Frankie Fachilla
Early morning light at Bethany Hills by Lisa Ernst
Reflect 2 by Lisa Ernst
A Day of Mindfulness Meditation Retreat
Awakening Compassion and Insight
Saturday, June 1, First Church Unity Barn, Nashville
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Led by Lisa Ernst
Please join us at a lovely location in Nashville with plenty of room for sitting and walking meditation. In Buddhism, a balanced practice includes cultivating both compassion and insight. In this silent daylong retreat, we will practice extending compassion and lovingkindness toward ourselves and others, opening our hearts to the the truth of interconnectedness. As we deeply experience this moment, just as it is, we naturally begin to awaken to the freedom and insight that resides in us all.
Led by meditation teacher Lisa Ernst, this retreat is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditators; it will include sitting and walking meditation, practice instructions, and a dharma talk. Please bring a sack lunch. Refreshments will be provided at the end of the retreat.
Cost: $50, plus dana (donation) to the teacher. The $50 fee is due in advance of the retreat and you can use Paypal, available at this link. Directions and additional information will be emailed prior to the retreat.
Please contact onedharmaretreat@gmail.com with any questions.
For those who would like to do a weekend retreat but can’t make my three day April Spring Renewal Retreat here in Nashville, I will be leading a weekend retreat in the North Georgia Mountains. The lodge is right next to a National Forest, about 4 1/2 hours from Nashville.
Red Clay Sangha and Insight Meditation Community of Georgia Present
Three Day Residential Retreat with Lisa Ernst
Lovingkindness and the Four Immeasurables
Thursday Evening May 2 – Sunday Noon May 5, 2013
Sautee Lodge, Sautee Georgia
Please join us in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains for a weekend of sitting and walking meditation. During this silent retreat, we will cultivate what the Buddha called “the immeasurable states of heart and mind” – the Brahma Viharas or Divine Abodes. These are the qualities of love, compassion, joy and equanimity that reside in us all. Our innate lovingkindness will be strengthened and enhanced by sitting and walking practice, discussions and dharma talks. As our hearts awaken, we can discover a deeper sense of openness and interconnection with all of life.
This residential 4-day/3-night retreat is recommended for both beginning and experienced meditators. Sautee Lodge is located in the north Georgia Mountains, surrounded by a national forest. The retreat will begin Thursday evening and close at noon on Sunday. Cost is $150 plus dana (donation) to the teacher.
Lisa Ernst is the founder and guiding teacher at One Dharma Nashville. She began meditation practice in the late ’80’s in the Zen Buddhist tradition. Lisa has also studied and practiced in the Theravada tradition since the late 90’s. She has been teaching since 2005 and was given full dharma transmission from Trudy Goodman in 2010 in the lineage of the Thai Forest tradition of Ajahn Chah.
For more information or to register, go to here.
The Lotus Blooms in The Mud 