This weekend retreat, suitable for both beginners and experienced students, will focus on mindfulness as a path to insight and to opening the heart.  We will have a special emphasis on the practices of gratitude as a way of supporting wisdom and compassion.  The retreat will be held in silence, with periods of sitting practice as well as walking practice.  There will be opportunities to speak with the teacher. Retreat starts Friday afternoon and continues to Sunday afternoon. Residential participation is required. 

Join Mary Grace Orr to explore Wise and Compassionate Presence.  

Mary Grace Orr has practiced vipassana meditation since 1983. Prior to that she followed western contemplative practices; she worked as a therapist from 1977 to 1995. She was trained to teach meditation by Jack Kornfield. Currently, Mary Grace lives on the Big Island in Hawai'i and teaches retreats at Spirit Rock and throughout the United States.

For audio recordings of Mary Grace's talks, visit DharmaSeed.org.

This retreat will be held at the amazing Kahumana Retreat Center in Waianae, Hawai'i on O'ahu. It is an organic farm bed and breakfast with on site cafe. All meals are included, which consist of grown on the farm or locally sourced ingredients. Meals will be plated and served cafe style. Gluten free and vegan options will be provided in addition to the vegetarian meals. Because it is a bed and breakfast, no yogi jobs will be assigned. All rooms consist of beds, no futons, with two, four, or a couple of rooms with six beds to a room and shared bathrooms. Each of the two houses has a kitchen and lounge area. Grounds are beautiful with quiet grounds for walking meditation. Kahumana Retreat Center has one of the Bodhi Tree descendants from the tree the Buddha sat under the night of his enlightenment. Come experience the possibility of your own enlightenment!

Teacher dana - this is the most important for us as our internationally respected teachers offer their guidance and training totally free of charge. They do not collect salaries in keeping with the time-honored tradition of sharing openly the chance for peace. This allows us to pass on our direct facility costs and keep our registration fees as low as possible. As a result we strive to give back in gratitude so that they may continue their endeavors and share their wisdom. 

Please note our Cancellation Policy:

If you cancel more than 45 days prior to the retreat: We will refund all fees less paypal fees - usually $50.00- $60.00
If you cancel 14-44 days prior to the retreat: We will refund all fees less $100.00.
If you cancel less than 14 days prior to the event: Unfortunately we cannot afford to offer a refund. Last-minute cancelations are costly and sometimes mean that others cannot attend the retreat. If there are extreme circumstances and we have someone else to fill your spot, we may be able to support some kind of refund.