In this program, we will explore the path to freedom and the obstacles that hinder us by contemplating the Verses of the Elder Nuns (Therīgāthā), a collection of poems from the very first Buddhist nuns. These verses give detailed accounts of the awakening experiences of these early Buddhist women with vivid descriptions and powerful imagery. They also describe the very different life circumstances from which these women came to the Dharma, often including the challenges of constantly caring for others, the loss of loved ones, and the experience of aging.

We will be drawing from some of the more literal translations as well as free translations–contemporary poems inspired by the Pali verses. Through the practice of Insight Dialogue, we will meditate together on the voices of awakening in these poems and invite them to come alive in us. Together we will explore how we can meet ourselves fully, with compassion, and encounter the challenges in our own lives with patience and perseverance, developing resilience, inspiration and joy on the path.

This retreat will include silent meditation as well as Insight Dialogue in pairs and small groups, bringing together meditative awareness, wisdom teachings, poetry, and the power of relational practice to develop liberating insight and deep compassion while investigating present moment experience.