Registration opens October 10 at noon.

For people new to meditation, or new to retreats, we offer this short course on the basics of Buddhist meditation. You don’t need to be Buddhist, only sincere in your wish to cultivate your mind to be more aware, loving, and at-ease.

In this retreat, you’ll be introduced to meditation through talks and practice. You’ll learn several meditation techniques and will have personal interviews with 2 experienced meditation monks, one of whom, Bhante G, is one of the world’s most senior monastics.

Retreat Leaders

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana (Bhante G) is one of the most senior monks in the world and is the founding abbot of Bhavana Society. Born in rural Sri Lanka, he has been a monk since age 12 and took full ordination at age 20 in 1947. He came to the United States in 1968. “Bhante G” (as he is fondly called by his students) has written a number of books, including the now-classic meditation manual Mindfulness In Plain English and its companion Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness. Bhante G regularly leads retreats on vipassana, mindfulness, metta (loving-friendliness), concentration, and other topics at Bhavana Society.

Bhante Ethkandawaka Saddhajeewa Thero(Bhante S) is Vice Abbot of the Bhavana Society. He received his higher ordination in Sri Lanka. He is a meditation and Dhamma teacher with many years of experience in working with youth and young adults as an educator, administrator, psychotherapist, as well as a social worker. He holds master’s degrees in psychology, sociology and education from universities in the United States and Sri Lanka. In addition, he holds a doctorate from the University of the West in Rosemead, CA with research focus on Mindfulness for substance abuse recovery. He has published eleven books.