The premise of refuge is that we learn to use traditional practice forms to shelter the mind from all that hinders clear seeing — and in turn, insight that leads to our own wisdom becomes the ultimate sanctuary, sheltering us from life’s many forms of suffering while empowering us with a greater capacity for skillful living. A Year of Refuge borrows from the tradition of taking refuge in the Triple Gem — buddha, dharma, sangha — by establishing a twelve-month immersive practice and study opportunity for dedicated practitioners who seek to experience the fruit of the Dharma more fully in their own lives.
Participants in A Year of Refuge will work closely with Chris Crotty and with each other to establish and maintain a container for exploring the dharma, which integrates the support of community, the determination of self-sustained practice, and teacher guidance. Throughout the program, participants are provided opportunities to engage in the framework of the Triple Gem as a basis for deepening their meditation practice and as a form for studying a wide range of Buddhist teachings with the goal of better understanding their relevance to their own personal lives. We will learn how to use our meditation practice to better understand Buddhist teachings, and learn how to use Buddhist teachings to expand our practice. With this foundation in place, we will ask critical questions pertaining to the integration of the Dharma in our personal lives and the wider world.
Program Overview
 | Application Timeframe | Applications close July 1, 2024 |
 | Prerequisites | Daily meditation practice + one 7-day silent, teacher-led, insight meditation retreat |
 | Duration | 9 months |
 | In-Person Course Dates | Nov 1 - 6, 2024 Jan 31 - Feb 5, 2025 May 2 - 7, 2025 Aug 8 - 13, 2025 |
 | Zoom Gatherings | Second Tuesday of each month (6:30-8:30 PM ET) |
 | Peer Dyad Discussions | Once per month at a time convenient for both students |
Program Overview
| Application Timeframe | Applications close July 1, 2024 |
| Prerequisites | Daily meditation practice + one 7-day silent, teacher-led, insight meditation retreat |
| Duration | 9 months |
| In-Person Course Dates | Nov 1 - 6, 2024 Jan 31 - Feb 5, 2025 May 2 - 7, 2025 Aug 8 - 13, 2025 |
| Zoom Gatherings | Second Tuesday of each month (6:30-8:30 PM ET) |
| Peer Dyad Discussions | Once per month at a time convenient for both students |
The premise of refuge is that we learn to use traditional practice forms to shelter the mind from all that hinders clear seeing — and in turn, insight that leads to our own wisdom becomes the ultimate sanctuary, sheltering us from life’s many forms of suffering while empowering us with a greater capacity for skillful living. A Year of Refuge borrows from the tradition of taking refuge in the Triple Gem — buddha, dharma, sangha — by establishing a twelve-month immersive practice and study opportunity for dedicated practitioners who seek to experience the fruit of the Dharma more fully in their own lives.
Participants in A Year of Refuge will work closely with Chris Crotty and with each other to establish and maintain a container for exploring the dharma, which integrates the support of community, the determination of self-sustained practice, and teacher guidance. Throughout the program, participants are provided opportunities to engage in the framework of the Triple Gem as a basis for deepening their meditation practice and as a form for studying a wide range of Buddhist teachings with the goal of better understanding their relevance to their own personal lives. We will learn how to use our meditation practice to better understand Buddhist teachings, and learn how to use Buddhist teachings to expand our practice. With this foundation in place, we will ask critical questions pertaining to the integration of the Dharma in our personal lives and the wider world.
Program Notes
Program Format
Participants will be supported by:
- Four residential retreats
- Monthly teacher-led sessions between residential retreats (Zoom)
- Individualized daily meditation practice based on experience level
- Monthly reading assignments and reflection questions
- Monthly Kalayanamita (spiritual friendship) dyads (Zoom)
Residential Retreat Commitment
Full participation is required in the four residential retreats. Retreats will blend periods of silent meditation emphasizing the simplicity and quietude of renunciation, along with dyads, small group discussion, and teacher-led periods of reflection. All forms of mindful communication will be held in the spirit of contemplative practice, aimed at enriching both meditative development and peer relationships. It is expected that participants will eliminate the use of their phones and other forms of technology for the duration of the retreat. The last day of each retreat will include specific practices and activities to support the transition from the retreat environment to program activities that take place at home and between retreats.
Meditation Commitment Outside of Retreat
Participants are required to develop an ongoing daily meditation practice that may include insight (vipassana), loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), and the Five Recollections. Chris will work with each student to help them establish an approach to daily practice that reflects their experience level and lifestyle. Daily meditation practice between retreats can accommodate various work schedules and commitments, though students are expected to dedicate a minimum of 30 minutes per day to their meditation practice for the duration of the program. Keeping a meditation journal is encouraged.
Other Expectations
This program is designed specifically to help practitioners who want to create more structure and time in their lives for dharma activities. In addition to daily meditation practice between retreats, students will be expected to complete reading assignments, engage with reflection questions by keeping a journal, and participate in dyads and group discussions. Participants should plan for two to four hours per week for these activities. (Students who are interested in spending more time studying and reading can elect to take advantage of an optional supplementary reading list).
Prerequisites
- A minimum of one silent, teacher-led insight meditation retreat consisting of at least seven nights in duration.
- A daily meditation practice or a sincere commitment to beginning and sustaining a daily meditation practice for the duration of the twelve-month program.
Who This Program is For:
This program is for dedicated students who meet the prerequisites and who want to:
1) Deepen their meditation practice by addressing common challenges that meditators face and gaining insight into personal habit patterns.
2) Expand their understanding of core Buddhist teachings through both self-directed and teacher-led reading and reflection. This study component of the program will emphasize discernment and focused reflection based on short readings rather than consuming a lot of material.
3) Establish and sustain a spirited and cheerful sangha aimed at mutual support. Together, we will explore new ways to experience the Dharma by working closely with peers to co-create a learning community grounded in spiritual friendship, collaboration, and encouragement.
A Year of Refuge Path Program and Schedule
Retreat I: Taking Refuge in the Buddha
November 1-6, 2024
In-Person Retreat
This retreat examines the archetype of Buddha as a representation of one’s own awakened potential and as a starting point to consider how those of us practicing today might find in the legacy and teachings of the historical Buddha's time-tested guidance to cultivate our own mind. Examples will also be drawn from the spiritual biographies of other notable practitioners. This retreat will also look to the canonical story of the Buddha’s encounters with aging, sickness, and death in order to better understand their relationship to aspiration and motivation.
Second Tuesday of the month Zoom group sessions
6:30-8:30 PM ET (3:30-5:30 PM PT)
2024: December 10
2025: January 7
Retreat II: Taking Refuge in the Dharma
January 31 - February 5, 2025
In-Person Retreat
This retreat explores the ideal of living in accordance with the dharma, described in the suttas as “subtle and hard to see.” How do we live and practice in accordance with something subtle and hard to see and not yet fully realized? This second retreat explores the whole of the Dharma as an integrated system of practice, study, and personal reflection that leads to a way of seeing and perceiving self, others, and the world around us, which leads to greater freedom. Though we “study” the Dharma, this retreat will ultimately support students to recognize their own direct experience as the greatest source of insight.
Second Tuesday of the month Zoom group sessions
6:30-8:30 PM ET (3:30-5:30 PM PT)
2025: February 11, March 11, April 8
Retreat III: Taking Refuge in the Sangha
May 2-7, 2025
In-Person Retreat
This retreat explores the potential of sangha, the community of practitioners who support each other’s progress on the Path. More broadly, we will reflect on the role of relationships (work, family, friendships) in our lives to provide valuable–and sometimes challenging–opportunities to see and transform our habits. In this way, all of life’s relationships become vehicles for transforming our mind and heart, improving our ability to engage all of life with greater equanimity and joy. In this retreat, we will also consider the role of loving-kindness and compassion in the formation of skillful relationships, and in the purification of our own mind.
Second Tuesday of the month Zoom group sessions
6:30-8:30 PM ET (3:30-5:30 PM PT)
2025: May 13, June 10, July 8
Retreat IV: Incorporating the Fruit of the Dharma
August 8-13, 2025
In-Person Retreat
Returning to the question, what does it mean to live in accordance with the dharma? The final retreat will be a time to focus on incorporating what we have learned through A Year of Refuge (as well as how we have learned). Using the Ten Perfections (Paramis) as a guide–alongside journaling, dyads, small groups, and teacher-led discussion, we will carefully and systematically reflect on our own practice throughout the year. As part of the final retreat, each student will have the opportunity to reexamine the traditional model of taking refuge in the three jewels in light of their own experience. Both individually and together as a community, we will support each other in establishing supportive guidelines for continuing to live and practice in a way that is both personally meaningful and aligned with the highest goals of Buddhist practice.
Program Fees
Residential Pricing:
Includes Lodging and Meals at BCBS during the In-Person Retreats
| Supported | Mid Level | Sustaining | Benefactor |
| $2,580 | $3,380 | $4,180 | $5,780 |
Non-Residential Pricing:
Includes Meals without Lodging during the In-Person Retreats
| Standard | |||
| $1,600 |
Pricing Notes
- Program fees include all components.
- The first one-third is due upon registration, the second one-third is due before the first retreat, and the final one-third is due before the second retreat.
- Program fees do not include payments to the teacher.
- Participants are invited to support Chris Crotty through the practice of dāna (generosity).
- Financial assistance can be requested on the registration page.
Application Dates
| Applications Open: | September 12, 2023 |
| Applications Close: | July 1, 2024 |
| Initial Accepted Applicants Notified: | July 15, 2024 |
| Payment Due: | Two weeks from the date of acceptance |
| Program Starts: | November 1, 2024 |
Chris Crotty is a Dharma teacher in the insight tradition, a Buddhist chaplain and pastoral counselor, and furniture maker. Practicing meditation since 1998, he has trained with Burmese meditation masters, western monastics of the Zen and Thai Forest tradition, and senior western Vipassana teachers. His main teacher is Sayadaw U Indaka. Chris is interested in the role of kindness and ethics in the development of wisdom and as a basis for creating caring communities. To learn more about Chris visit https://chriscrottydharma.org
