The Power of Silence — A Daylong Buddhist Insight Meditation Retreat
Date: Saturday, January 25th, from 10:00am to 4:00pm+ Pacific Time
Location: Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple @ 6401 NE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97211 — also offered virtually on Zoom
Cost: Gift economy / aka donation
Registration: RSVP required; email me via David AT Pathofsincerity DOT com
There will be a daylong retreat every other month; see further below for the schedule & mission statement.
Retreat Overview
As modern people, we live our lives with so much activity and busyness that we rarely take an hour, let alone a day, to be free from any kind of doing, information receiving, or activity.
In turn, the primary practice for this day will be to let go of all the activity, both externally and internally. You’ll be encouraged to keep it really simple, engage in timeless mindfulness practice, and cultivate a deeper & more present relationship with both yourself and this very moment.
After an opening talk, the day will be held in silence until some mindful discussion at the end of the day. All experience levels are welcome!
Logistics
The meditation portion of the day will go from 10:00am to 4:00pm PT, with a lunch break around 1pm.
After the opening talk, the day will alternate between periods of sitting meditation around 40 minutes long, and periods of walking meditation around 15 minutes long. Please bring your own lunch.
You are welcome to leave at 4:00pm or stick around for up to another hour for informal socializing, tea, and treats!
Cost
Offered on the gift economy (aka, generosity or donation).
Your presence is the biggest gift, though if you’re able, monetary contributions are always appreciated & help keep the ship afloat. For more info on why I choose to teach entirely on donation, check out this article on “the gift economy.”
Donations can be made in person or electronically via this link.
Bi-Monthly Daylong Retreats – Schedule
- May 25, 2025 – theme TBD @ H.O.W Temple
- March 29, 2025 – theme TBD @ H.O.W Temple
- January 25. 2025 – The Power of Silence @ H.O.W Temple
- November 16, 2024 – Courageous Compassion @ H.O.W Temple
- September 7, 2024 – Uprooting Affliction @ H.O.W Temple
- July 27, 2024 – True Nature @ a riverside horse ranch
- May 25, 2024 – Mindfulness of Mind @ H.O.W Temple
- March 30, 2024 – No Self, No Problem @ H.O.W Temple
- January 20, 2024 – The Power of Silence @ virtual
- November 11, 2023 – Embodied Awareness @ H.O.W Temple
- September 2, 2023 – Opening To What Is @H.O.W Temple
While an RSVP is required, anyone is welcome to join. There are no prerequisites, requirements, or prior experience with this community needed.
Daylong Retreats – Mission Statement
In a world that pulls our attention in so many directions, there is something incredibly powerful about taking a whole day with meditation as our top priority. In that spirit, here are the two primary purposes of these bi-monthly retreats:
- To create the conditions for people to go deeper into the dhamma — into a more robust stability of mind, peace, loving-kindness, and liberating insight.
- To practice the entire Noble Eightfold Path — as the Sangha Service Days focus more on the virtue section of the Buddha’s Eightfold Path, these days will focus more on the meditation & wisdom sections. This allows us to make a regular practice of the entire path, and do so not in isolation but with others!
Teacher Bio
David Sudar is a former Buddhist monk, who has completed over 3 years of silent retreats, including an intensive 21-month Vipassana Meditation retreat in Myanmar with his core teacher, Sayadaw U Tejaniya. He currently works as a Buddhist & meditation teacher in Portland, OR. He has taught extensively for the 10% Happier app, Pause Meditation, and the Path of Sincerity Sangha.