What’s Love Got To Do With It? The Path of the Bodhisattva

Sometimes the concept of compassion evokes images of passivity or over-accommodating kindness. In reality, compassion encompasses a dynamic spectrum, including the courage to confront challenges and make difficult decisions for ourselves and the greater good.

True compassion can also begin with connecting to ourselves—recognizing and meeting our own needs so that we can approach others from a place of wholeness. It’s about cultivating emotional self-regulation and learning to drop out of the constant churn of the mind and into the wisdom of the heart.

Join us for Dharma Moon’s 2nd Annual Meditation Retreat – where we’ll explore practical tools and Buddhist teachings on the bodhisattva path – to help awaken our hearts and lay the ground for personal and social transformation.

This 5-day in-person or online retreat will explore what it actually means to be a bodhisattva, bridging the ancient wisdom of these teachings to make them accessible, relevant, and applicable to our modern lives. Through talks, group discussions, extended meditation practice, and community, we’ll unpack what it really means to embody the bodhisattva path today.

Comedian Duncan Trussell and meditation teacher Ethan Nichtern will join David Nichtern and the Dharma Moon teaching team for engaging talks and thought-provoking panel discussions.

Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Catskill Mountains, this retreat will be an opportune chance to step away from the busyness of daily life and immerse yourself in practice, amazing food, and community.

During this retreat, we will lay the groundwork for and introduce the practice of tonglen, a meditation practice that dials down our sense of self importance and dials up our concern and empathy for others.

We will also address the notion of “compassion fatigue” and ways in which we can create a sustainable practice that feels energizing rather than heavy-handed and depleting.

Topics Covered During the Retreat:

• Cultivating the Bodhisattva Mentality
• Discovering a World Beyond Ego
• Understanding Emptiness & Compassion
• Qualities of an Awakened Heart
• Exploring Our True Nature
• Introduction to Tonglen Practice
• Introduction to the Six Paramitas
• Creating a Sustainable Practice
• How to be a Bodhisattva in the World

This is an open program and all levels of practice and study are welcome – whether you are an aspiring beginner or a well-seasoned practitioner, just bring your tender heart and beginner’s mind.

Schedule

Wednesday, April 30

• 3 – 6 pm Arrival and Check-in
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7:30 – 9 pm Welcome Session with Presenters & Support Staff

Thursday, May 1

• 8 – 9 am Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Meditation Session with Presenter Talk
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
• 2:30 – 5:30 pm Afternoon Meditation Session with Presenter Talk
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7:30 – 9 pm Evening Meditation Session with Presenter Talk

Friday, May 2

• 8 – 9 am Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Meditation Session with Presenter Talk
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
• 2:30 – 5:30 pm Afternoon Meditation Session with Presenter Talk
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7:30 – 9 pm Evening Meditation Session with Presenter Talk

Saturday, May 3

• 8 – 9 am Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Meditation Session with Presenter Talk
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
• 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm Afternoon Meditation Session with Presenter Talk
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7:30 – 9 pm Evening Meditation Session with Presenter Talk

Sunday, May 4

• 7 – 11 am Check-out of Rooms
• 8 – 9 am Breakfast
• 10 am – 12 pm Morning Meditation Session and Panel Discussion
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch & Departure

*Please note that the schedule is subject to change.