Join us for our first Hurley House meditation fundraising retreat of the year!
From May 20-25, we will host a special meditation retreat led by beloved teacher and American Tibetan Buddhist nun Lama Lekshe, to support us in raising funds to continue the renovation of the house.
“Working with Lama Lekshe helped me access more compassion and presence within myself. It’s rare to find a teacher or a leader who doesn’t need to make anything happen, but that trusts in my fundamental okay-ness. From there I can relate to myself and others with more freedom. I’m so grateful for this experience.” — Thomas, HH retreat participant
The Theme
Body like a mountain is part of a traditional sequence of Tibetan meditation instruction: “Body like a mountain, breath like the wind, mind like the sky.” Hurley House will offer a three-retreat sequence, open to meditators at all levels of experience. This is the first of the three.
How many times have you been in nature and felt the captivating effect of mountains, wind, and sky? The body is energized but relaxed. The mind rests comfortably. The heart is stirred by the endless energy and beauty of life. In Tibet, windswept mountains and azure sky are impactful teachers of how to relax into the bare essence of human experience. Resting in that place—before story, before all conceptual overlay and the ‘noise’ of modern life is a deep peace and access to wise knowing and clear seeing.
The Retreat
The retreat will be an opportunity to study and practice somatic and heart-based meditation, and to get some respite from the demands of your busy life. The retreat will include introduction to breath meditation, somatic practices, an introduction to Tibetan fire ritual, and 1-on-1 practice support from Lama Lekshe. (See below for details on the daily schedule and Lama Lekshe.) Let silence restore your sense of balance and ease and return with some resilience for the ordinary chaos of being human.
Participation
All levels of experience are welcome, and no meditation experience necessary. Food and lodging provided. All of the usual Hurley House goodness will also be available, including the hot tub, sauna, and forests. Spots are limited! Participants are not obligated to attend the whole retreat. (See below for details.)
About Lama Lekshe
Lama Lekshe has 40 years of training in the Tibetan Buddhist lineage of Shangpa Kagyu. She lives in Portland, Oregon where she serves as Resident Teacher for the Dekeling Meditation Community. In 2018, she completed a traditional, fully cloistered retreat of three years, three months and three days and then took up a year of residency and service in a Zen monastery. Cumulatively she has spent over 7 years in solitary retreat. Lekshe is also a mother of two grown adults and is retired from a career in post-secondary education and curriculum development. She aspires to make authentic Tibetan Buddhism accessible for today’s world.
Costs
All Hurley House retreats are donation-based. All proceeds from the retreat will go to continuing the renovation of the Hurley House and the development of our community.
Base donation: $250
Suggested donation: $500
Support donation: $750
Super donation: $1000
A note about the sliding scale
This is a very special opportunity to work with a highly regarded teacher of deep practice in an extra intimate environment. We know it's tough out there financially right now, and we wish to keep events at HH accessible. This is why we have a sliding scale. That said, these events this summer are how we find out if and how HH can be a financially viable thing and continue the renovation. If you wish to see this community space continue and more events like this happen in it, please give as much as you can.
Daily Schedule
This will be a silent meditation retreat, encouraging participants to explore their inner experience. The schedule of daily sits will be encouraged, but not enforced. Meditation instructions will be given. Each participant will have the opportunity to meet individually with Lama Lekshe. Participants are encouraged to disconnect as much as possible with the outside world, including their cell phones.
6am – Meditation
7:30am — Breakfast
9am — Lama Lekshe Teaching & Meditation
Noon — Lunch
1:30pm – Collective Work Period (cleaning common spaces, etc.)
2pm — Lama Lekshe Teaching & Meditation (including Q&A)
5pm — Dinner
7pm – Evening Meditation
Late Evening — Silent Hot Tub & Fire (optional)
Night — Meditation (optional)
Attendance
Our goal with the retreat is to create a space for both beginners and advanced practitioners. To this end, we will have a somewhat flexible retreat. The retreat will begin on Tuesday, May 20 at 1pm. Participants are free to arrive any day until Thursday at 6pm. After 6pm on Thursday, the retreat will be “closed,” and no new participants can arrive. This is to encourage the larger group to settle together. The retreat will end on Sunday, May 25 at noon.
Got questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Thomas Walker at walkerthomas121@gmail.com