Led By: Padmadharini & Ananta
Friday, February 19th to Monday, February 22nd, 2027
In Person at Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing
191 Cragsmoor Road, Pine Bush, NY 12566
Event Description:
“This weekend was heartfelt and informative, full of foundational information and helpful for my freedom. I was able to see life and the world differently as a part of myself, myself of it.”
Compassionate Awakening: Cultivating the Confidence to Let Go
with Padmadharini and Ananta
Inspired by Amitabha, the red Buddha of the western quarter, this retreat will explore how meditation, confidence, and receptivity can support a deepening response of compassion towards ourselves and others.
Through guided and silent meditation, we will explore loving-kindness and compassion in an embodied way, becoming more aware of how we respond to suffering and what helps us meet it with warmth, steadiness, and care.
Drawing on imagination and the symbolism of Amitabha, we will explore letting go in relation to clinging and compulsive urges to be in control. We will do this alongside an appreciation of the unique qualities of each person and each moment of experience.
Meditation, collective inquiry, ritual, and embodied practice will form the heart of the retreat, supported by creativity, music, movement, and connection with the natural world. There will be periods of silence alongside opportunities for warm-hearted conversation and community.
The retreat is intended for people with some previous experience of meditation.
Event Highlights:
Instruction and support from experienced teachers
A thoughtful balance of meditation, contemplation, ritual, and rest periods
A supportive and friendly community of practitioners
Access to individual meditation support if needed
Q&A with teachers
Delicious all-vegetarian meals with locally-sourced ingredients
Option to extend stay on Personal Retreat
Extensive library of dharma books
Expansive wooded grounds with beautiful walking paths, flora, and fauna
Single rooms for all (option for couples to share)
Experience:
Intended for people with some previous level of meditation experience.
Scholarships are available on a limited basis. Please email info@triratna-nyc.org to express your interest in financial assistance in order to attend this retreat. Thank you!
Schedule (subject to change):
Friday, February 19th
3:00 PM — Check-in begins
5:00-5:45 PM — Pre-retreat meeting (library)
6:00-7:00 PM — Dinner (dining room)
7:15-7:30 PM — Welcome (library)
7:30-8:00 PM — Large group introduction (Milarepa Hall)
8:00-9:00 PM — Evening practice (Milarepa Hall)
9:00 PM — Silence until after breakfast
Saturday, February 20th - Sunday, February 21st
6:30-6:50 AM — Movement (Practice Pavilion or Milarepa Hall, weather-dependent)
7:00-8:30 AM — Morning practice (Milarepa Hall)
8:30-9:30 AM — Breakfast (dining hall)
10:00 AM-12:15 PM — Morning dharma teaching & practice
12:30-1:30 PM — Lunch (dining hall)
2:30-3:30 PM — Free time, group healing, movement (Milarepa Hall)
3:30-5:45 PM — Community dharma & small group sharing (Milarepa Hall)
6:00-7:00 PM — Dinner
7:30-9:00 PM — Evening practice (Milarepa Hall)
9:00 PM — Silence until after breakfast
Monday, February 22nd
6:30-6:50 AM — Movement (Practice Pavilion or Milarepa Hall, weather-dependent)
7:00-8:30 AM — Morning practice (Milarepa Hall)
8:30-9:30 AM — Breakfast (dining hall)
9:30-10:00 AM — Packing
10:00 AM-12:00 PM — Morning dharma teaching & practice (Practice Pavilion or Milarepa Hall, weather-dependent)
Intention Setting
Closing Circle
12:00-1:00 PM — Lunch
1:00 PM — Checkout and departure
Accommodations:
The Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing is located in scenic Pine Bush, NY in the Catskill Mountains and offers private rooms with healthy and delicious vegan and vegetarian meals. The grounds are beautifully curated and feature walking paths along with an outdoor pavilion.
About the Leaders:
Ananta has practiced within the Triratna Buddhist Community for 30 years and has spent over three years on retreat. He was Ordained in 2007, is the Chair of the Triratna New York-New Jersey sangha, and a leading teacher of the Triratna US & Canada Men’s ordination training team.
He has worked and led international nonprofits, including with the United Nations, tackling poverty and discrimination. He is a certified Mindfulness teacher with Brown University.
Ordained in 2004, Padmadharini is a dedicated meditation practitioner with over three years of cumulative time on retreat. Her teaching draws on extensive experience with both classical Buddhist meditation and contemporary somatic approaches. She is certified in Breathworks, MBSR, Focusing, and advanced somatic work, and is also a Board Certified Chaplain and International Board Certified Coach. Her approach is grounded, compassionate, and deeply encouraging of each person’s unique unfolding.
Registration:
Complete the application below. PASSWORD NEEDED TO REGISTER: TriratnaWinterRetreat
Pricing:
Per Person Price: Prices include 3 meals per day and use of all campus facilities. All bedrooms have one double bed.
Private Room (shared bath): Single – $650
Private Room (shared bath): Couple – $552.50
Junior Suite (private bath): Single – $860
Junior Suite (private bath): Couple – $695
To extend your stay on personal retreat: Simply add days before or after the program during step 2 when making your reservation.
Cancellation Policy: Program and accommodation fees are refundable up to two weeks prior to the program (minus a $50 processing fee). See our policy to learn more.