Natural Awareness: Developing a Dharma Practice for Life

Join Anushka Fernandopulle to discover a mindfulness that you can bring into your daily life, with awareness of the body, emotions, mind and more. We will be exploring the Buddha's teachings on freedom with an emphasis on a cultivating a relaxed and continuous awareness that can meet any conditions of life. Resilience and freedom are the fruits of this practice. The retreat will be supported through guided meditations, dharma talks, and time for questions and discussion. We will do some exercises related to bringing mindfulness into daily life. 

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. Gluten-free and vegan options will be provided in addition to vegetarian meals. Because it is a bed and breakfast, no yogi jobs will be assigned. All rooms consist of beds, no futons, with single, double, or four 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!

Anushka Fernandopulle teaches meditation, works as an organizational consultant, and conducts leadership coaching with individuals and teams. Her work brings Eastern practices to Western modern life, making them accessible for individuals and organizations. She is currently writing a book on Mindfulness and Leadership (Parallax Press, Fall 2016). Fernandopulle has been involved in movements for social justice and civil rights and has worked with many community organizations. She was born and raised on the US East Coast soon after her family immigrated from Sri Lanka. 

Fernandopulle has been formally trained in Buddhist meditation since 1989, primarily Vipassana or Insight Meditation (the root of secular Mindfulness meditation).  After studying Buddhism at Harvard, she spent four years in full-time intensive meditation training in monasteries and retreat centers in the US, India and Sri Lanka. In the twenty years since then she has continued to practice in daily life, studied the Pali Canon, and spent at least one month in intensive silent retreat most years.

Her Buddhist teaching lineage runs through Mahasi Sayadaw (Burma), Ajahn Chah (Thailand), and Sri Lankan Buddhist monastics. She teaches meditation workshops and retreats in organizations and retreat centers around the world.

Teacher dana - In accordance with tradition, all Vipassana Hawai’i internationally respected teachers offer their guidance and teachings free of charge and are supported through the freely-offered generosity of students and supporters. Costs associated with retreats cover the expenses associated with food, lodging, and administration but not teacher time, training, effort, or energy. We believe that this commitment helps keep the purity of the teachings alive and thriving, as it has for millennia. 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 monetary gratitude so that they may continue their endeavors and share their wisdom. 

Pictures from the Kahumana Cafe:

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.