Deepening Practice: An Annual Gathering for Meditation, Sangha, and Dharma
with Upasaka Upali (Paul Peterson)
March 17 - 23, 2025
This four- or six-night meditation retreat will deepen your practice through silent meditation, nourishing food, beautiful surroundings, and high-quality teacher support. Upali combines Buddhist wisdom with modern perspectives to help cultivate deep meditative states and their integration. At this annual retreat, you'll meet and connect with fellow practitioners also pursuing depth in their practice. An intended outcome is that you leave feeling refreshed and inspired with a deeper connection to yourself, your practice, and a meditative community.
The retreat includes the option for past participants to attend two days early for "Noble Friendship," a pre-retreat community event in partial silence. For first-time participants, the four-night retreat in full Noble Silence is available, which includes an immersive meditation schedule, daily Dharma talks, and one-on-one teacher support.
About Upasaka Upali (Paul Peterson)
Upasaka Upali is a Dharma teacher who aims to demystify meditation, provide tangible instruction, and create a rewarding experience for practitioners. Upali received transmission in a lineage that can be traced back to the Buddha through Namgyal Rinpoche (Ananda Bodhi), and he took his Upasaka vows in 2015. He has a degree from St. Olaf College and has studied Dharma and meditation with Tucker Peck, Ph.D. and Upasaka Culadasa. He was a founding member of the Open Dharma Foundation and also served as its founding Executive Director. He is currently the co-host of the podcast Teaching Meditation. You can read more about Upali HERE
This will be Upali's 7th Retreat that he has led at Well Being Retreat Center.
About the Four or Six-Night Meditation Program
The retreat will be held in noble silence (meaning minimal talking and distraction). It is open to beginning and advanced practitioners alike. The only prerequisite to attend is a history of consistent meditation practice. Upali will often explain meditation through the lens of Shamatha-Vipassana techniques which emphasizes both stable attention and strong awareness, but all traditions and styles of meditation are welcome. If you have any questions about whether this retreat will be a good fit for you, send a message to upasakaupali@gmail.com
About the Venue
Three freshly prepared, delicious, mostly gluten-free vegetarian meals (with a vegan option) will be offered daily. (Vegetarian meals may include organic eggs and organic dairy.) Teas, coffee, chilled lemon ginger water, and snacks will be available throughout the event. The event will be held indoors in the main Conference Building Meeting Room and, weather permitting, in the open-air Powell River Pavilion. A variety of lodging options are offered which are shown on the Registration Form below.
Schedule
Check in will be at 4 - 6 pm on Monday March 17, 2025 for the six-night option or 4 - 6 pm on Wednesday March 19, 2025 for the 4-night option. The program will end by 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 23, 2025. Twelve meals are included from Wednesday supper through Sunday lunch. For those choosing the six-night option beginning on Monday, pleas plan to provide your own meals prior to supper on Wednesday. Cabins (but not Cabinettes) have equipped kitchenettes.
The Wood Duck Cabin will be available for group sessions prior to supper on Wednesday. Beginning with supper on Wednesday, sessions and meals will be held in the Main Conference Building
Registration for March 17 - 23, 2025 Retreat
Register with Well Being Retreat Center using the online form below.
The retreat is offered on Dana, which is a Pali word meaning generosity. This means the registration prices are at cost. Upali teaches on Dana to make retreats as accessible as possible. You will be asked to give Dana in respect to Upali's teaching at the end of the retreat, so please take this into consideration as part of your attendance.
Pictures of Cabins and Cabinettes are shown here. Accommodations (lodging, meals and snacks) for the 6-night option range from $655 to $1,205, depending on the lodging selected. For the 4-night option, Accommodations ranges from $575 to $980.
Partial and full scholarships are available through Open Dharma Foundation"
Well Being Retreat Center's Policies for Accommodations are here.
If you have any questions about the program content or structure, please contact Paul at upasakaupali@gmail.com
If you have questions about facilities or accommodations,
email Heather at: Registration@wellbeingfoundation.org
or call Patty at: Tel: 423-626-9000; Text: 408-510-0660
Please register with Well Being Retreat Center for accommodations (lodging and meals) using the form below:
After you have "Previewed" your Registration form, scroll again to bottom of page to "Submit" your registration. You will be directed to a payment panel. Payment in full for your choice of Accommodations is required to register.