Beginner’s Mind Weekend Meditation Retreat
March 27 to 29 at Dharmadhara, with Padmatara and Team
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s, there are few.” — Shunryu Suzuki
This retreat offers a gentle, welcoming space to reconnect with beginner’s mind — a quality of curiosity, openness, and wonder. It’s an invitation to step out of our usual habits and meet experience more freshly, beyond our familiar assumptions and limited ways of seeing.
Whether you are completely new to meditation or have been practicing for many years, you are warmly invited to attend. Grounding ourselves in the body and in nature, we cultivate a sense of stability and belonging, allowing an easy, restful awareness. In this supportive environment, we can soften judgments about how life should be, and discover what fresh perspectives may emerge.
We will observe periods of silence throughout the retreat to support mindfulness and deepen our meditation practice, while still allowing space for guidance, connection, and questions as needed.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Please check all our requirements here.
FOOD AND WORK PERIODS
All food is vegan, with eggs and dairy options on the side. To simplify cooking and cleaning in silence we have a cook to organize lunch and dinner, and everyone on the retreat chooses a task that they can do every day – either preparing breakfast, chopping vegetables, or cleaning dishes. If you have a preference please let us know in advance. There is also a clean up session that we all share at the end of the retreat.
ACCOMMODATION
Dharmadhara is a rustic residence with a very beautiful shrine room, located in Lake County – about 2.5 to 3 hours North of San Francisco. The main building has a kitchen, dining room, sitting room with wood burning stove, 7 small dorms, some with 2 beds, some with 3 beds, 3 indoor toilets and 2 showers. There are no private rooms and we ask that you come prepared, with good earplugs and a willingness to practice forbearance towards your roommate/s. If you do not feel comfortable sharing a room with others we may be able to find space in the living room or shrine room for one or two people, but this is not guaranteed, so please get in touch about this before you register. There is also the option to camp, although it will be cold, and possibly raining or snowing.
TRAVEL AND CARPOOLING
We encourage carpooling. If you need help organizing a ride please let us know and we will do our best to get you there. If you are driving and can offer rides, please also let us know. Thank you!
I’m sorry that we cannot arrange airport or train station pickups.
TIMING AND COST
The retreat is 2 nights, beginning with dinner at 6pm Friday March 27, and ending Sunday March 29 by 11am.
To reserve your space please pay the full amount or a $200 deposit. Deposits becomes non-refundable after the booking deadline of March 12.