Insight Meditation Houston

Insight meditation, which has been practiced in Asia for 2,500 years, develops concentration and awareness through focusing the attention on the breath, thoughts, and emotions. It allows one to see the conditioning of the mind and live more fully in the present moment. Retreats are held in silence with alternating periods of sitting meditation and walking meditation. Each day starts with easy yoga and includes instruction in meditation, a dharma talk, a work period (vegetable chopping, floor sweeping, etc.), and a rest period. Group or individual interviews with the instructor are held during the course of the weekend. Though based in Buddhist teachings, the retreat is non-sectarian and complements any spiritual or religious practice.

retreats

HOWIE COHN

In The Footsteps of The Buddha

Thursday, April 22—Sunday, April 25, 2010

Margaret Austin Center · Chappell Hill, Texas

The Buddha was called the Happy One. His life and practice provided the foundation for what he later described as the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. This Insight Meditation Retreat will follow the Buddhas path of ethics, concentration, mindfulness and love, illustrating how each of us can move from grasping and attachment to freedom, from confusion to clarity, and from tension to ease. Sitting and walking in silence, and meeting our own experience moment by moment, we can relinquish the causes of suffering and rediscover our natural happiness.

Howard Cohn is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in the San Francisco Bay area. He has guided a local sitting group in San Francisco, been in private practice as a psychotherapist and led Vipassana retreats worldwide since 1985. He incorporates the influences of Theravada, Zen, Tibetan Dzogchen and Advaita Vedanta in his teaching, with an emphasis on reawakening our intrinsic freedom. Among his many teachers and mentors are Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, U Pandita Sayadaw, Tulku Urgyen Rimpoche, Tsoknyi Rimpoche, and the Advaita Vedanta Master H.W.L. Poonja. His newest guru is his six year old daughter Molly.

The Retreat will begin with a light meal at 7 PM Thursday, April 22, followed by the formal opening at 8:15 PM. The retreat will end after lunch Sunday, April 25. All meals (vegetarian) will be provided. The cook plans the meals to accommmodate most people’s dietary needs. If you have special dietary restrictions (allergies, etc.) that fall outside the normal range, you should bring some supplements that don’t require cooking, with some space available for refrigeration. Separate bunkhouse sleeping accommodations are provided for men and women; each of the two buildings has two complete bathrooms. You may provide your own shelter if you wish. You will need to bring a sitting cushion and pad for meditation, plus sheets, blankets, pillow, towels and toiletries. It is a good idea to bring a flashlight and, if you are a light sleeper, earplugs. Since the retreat will be held in silence to facilitate the practice of looking within oneself, we ask you not to bring small children.

Cost: The $225 fee shown above covers meals and the operating costs of the retreat, not any teacher compensation. This fee has been increased in order to cover rising costs of maintaining the Margaret Austin Center. Scholarships are available. Free-will donations in support of the teacher are requested at the end of the retreat. Please fill out the registration form on the registration page and mail with your check made out to Insight Meditation Houston. Please register early. This is important for the teacher’s transportation arrangements and meal planning.

If you have any questions, you may call Marilyn Jones at 713-528-3905; or e-mail Jane Elioseff: jelioseff@comcast.net

View Larger Map

Click on Google to go to the website for driving directions