Acceptable Silent Retreats

Oasis Institute
#1

Hello! I have two possibilities for silent retreats which I’m hoping would meet the pre-req for the MBSR practicum… Can somebody let me know if these would be okay as soon as possible?

One would be 6-DAY SILENT DIRECTED OR BIOSPIRITUAL FOCUSING DIRECTED RETREAT at Genesis Spiritual Life Center in Westfield, Mass." “A Silent Directed Retreat is when an individual meets daily with their Director or Spiritual Companion for one-on-one sessions. During the session, experiences from the outdoor world, poetry, and/or scripture may be interwoven with the story of God’s activity in your life.
A Silent BioSpiritual Focusing Retreat is similar to Directed Retreats, with the focus of the conversation on noticing and nurturing feelings held in your body. There is a daily meeting with a director.” (http://genesisspiritualcenter.org/events/calendar/6daysilentdirected11/)

The second would be an individual, 5-day silent retreat at the Vajra Vidya Retreat Center in Crestone, CO which I could conduct silently and have daily meetings with a director. (http://vajravidya.com/ ; They have not yet updated their website saying individual retreats are available, but they will be available from July 1, 2016.)

Thanks for your help with this!!
Michelle

#2

Hi Michelle,

Take a look here at our website for a list of retreats that the CFM
co-sponsors, followed by a list of other retreat centers whose programs
meet our training prerequisites:

http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/training/retreats/

As to the the retreats you listed, they appear to meet some of our
requirements, like being 5 days or longer and being teacher led, but
neither of them makes any mention of mindfulness practice, which is a key
element. To be certain your retreat meets the criteria, I suggest you
choose one from the retreats and/or centers listed on our site. You’ll see
the that text on the site also highlights the requirements I mentioned
above.

Kindly,
Eowyn

p.s. Full disclosure: I am the teacher for one of the currently listed
retreats on the page offered above, and there are quite a few retreats
there to choose from, in a variety of locations.

#3

Okay, I’ve already had mindfulness/shamata/vipassana training… but it’s not enough that it’s a silent retreat, it has to be explicitly in those traditions/veins? Also, the second one would be, as it is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery/retreat center.

Thanks again!
Michelle

#4

Yes, for Oasis requirements as I understand them, the retreats must be in
those traditions/veins. We are moving toward co-sponsoring MBSR silent, so
that all this gets clearer and easier to understand. Sounds like the second
retreat you listed may qualify, if its central practice is mindfulness and
it is teacher led. I simply did not see the word mindfulness in its
description.

#5

Just to piggyback on this thread, I’m trying to establish if the following retreat at Southern Dharma Retreat Center (I found the link on the Oasis MBSR Silent Retreats page) is likely to meet the requirements for a silent retreat: http://www.southerndharma.org/schedule.shtml#/event/310/fueling-the-fire-of-our-hearts-deepest-desire

Led by Therese Fitzgerald, the description is: ‘Our six days nestled in the mountains of Southern Dharma will be a time to dwell in profound awareness of our heart’s deepest desire, or bodhicitta—the yearning and purposeful drive that connects us with all living beings, starting with our precious “innermost request.” There will be balanced encouragement for buoying and delving deeply. Supported by the conditions of spring beauty, teachings, fellow practitioners, solitude, and silence, we can invite insights and reinvigorate our heart-minds. The program will include sitting and walking meditation, mindful meals, Dharma discussion, mindful movement, meditative work, and talks by and personal interviews with the teacher. This retreat, held mostly in silence, is recommended for both beginning and experienced meditators who feel drawn to contemplation and mindful living.’

Thanks so much for your help!

Laura

#6

Hi Laura,

Thanks for your inquiry, which may be a helpful one for others here on
CFMHome who are also looking for qualifying retreats. We can use the course
description you provided to help highlight what to look for to find a
retreat that meets the Oasis prerequisite requriements. As you all likely
know, those are:

teacher-led,
silent,
mindfulness-centered,
and 5 or 7 days minimum (two each of the 5 day and 7 day minimums are
needed to arrive at the certifcation review phase).

So, reading carefully the description you included in your question, I see
that this retreat meets the minimum duration of 5 days and is teacher-lead.

However, mindfulness is not mentioned in the course description, which has
another theme that sounds wonderful and useful, but doesn’t match the
prerequisites. The phrase “mostly silent” and the mention of “Dharma
discussion” also let me know that it is not a fully silent retreat. While
it is customary to have occaisional meetings with the teacher during a
fully silent retreat, this description indicates more interaction and
interpersonal aspects than are usual in a fully silent retreat.

Many retreats offered at Southern Dharma, when they are fully silent with a
mindfulness practice theme, do meet the Oasis requirements. So if Southern
Dharma is a convenient place for you, perhaps another of their retreats
will fit your calendar?

Hope this is helpful.

Kind regards,
Eowyn

#7

Thanks, Eowyn! That’s really helpful.

Laura

#8

Looking again at Silent Retreats in VA I found this one: https://mindfulvalley.com/retreats/july-19-23-2018-5-day-retreat-opening-the-heart-in-the-divine-abodes/ and wondered if it might count? It’s silent, teacher led, and has mindfulness as a focus, but is it specific enough?

Thanks, Laura