Retreat Information

Our primary intention at True North Insight is to provide supportive conditions for the cultivation and development of tranquility, wisdom, kindness and compassion. Most retreats are based on Insight (Vipassana) Meditation, emphasizing the application of mindfulness, meditative inquiry and other supportive practices. TNI offers teacher-guided retreats suitable for both new and experienced meditators.

Practical Aspects of Retreat

The daily rhythm of TNI retreats varies slightly from one teacher to another. A typical daily schedule begins at about 6:00 am and ends about 9:30 pm. The day consists of alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation using a variety of forms, including mindfulness of the breath, of body sensations and of mind, and the cultivation of metta, or friendliness. Teacher guidance is provided through instructions, guided meditations, daily dhamma (dharma) talks, and interviews that may be in small groups or individual.

Meals are nutritious vegetarian with some dairy. The main meals of the day are breakfast and lunch, with a light offering in the evening.

Most retreats are held in silence, offering the experience of solitude within the support of a group. Not intentionally communicating with others through speaking, notes, telephone or other forms of contact allows oneself and others to more readily settle into the flow of the retreat, and supports the arising of tranquility and insight. Within the silence there will be opportunity to meet with the teacher(s) and ask questions. The teachers and the retreat manager are available for your support when needed. Silence is usually broken near the end of the retreat to allow for a sharing of experience and to facilitate connection with others on retreat.

Until TNI has its own retreat centre, Galilee Centre in Ottawa (www.galileecentre.com) in Arnprior, Ontario, is the site for our residential retreats. This lovely retreat centre overlooks the Ottawa River and borders a small old-growth forest. Most of the rooms are singles, with a few double rooms.

Registration Information

All retreats require a deposit on registering. To register, print out the registration form. Mail it with your deposit or full payment to True North Insight, P.O. Box 115, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4A 3P4.

Once we receive your registration, we will send you a confirmation letter which confirms you into the retreat.

If a retreat is full, you will be put on a wait list. If there is an opening, you will be confirmed into the retreat and notified with a confirmation letter. If you do not accept, a cancellation fee will apply. (See Cancellation Fee below for more information.) If there are no openings, your deposit will be refunded.

All participants are expected to stay for the length of the retreat. The full course fee will be charged, even if it is necessary to leave the retreat early.

Retreat Fees

Beginning in 2008, TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale, which allows retreatants to pay according to their financial means. There are three rates, Low, Mid and High, with some scholarships available. (See Scholarships below.) The Low rate covers only around 60% of our costs. The High rate covers close to all of our costs, allowing TNI to keep our rates as low as possible. The deposit is included in all of our rates.

Please note that the retreat fees pay for your room and three meals a day. This does not include payment to the teacher. Following the 2,500-year-old Buddhist tradition, the teachings are considered priceless and so are offered freely. At the end of the retreat you wil be invited to offer dana, or donations, to the teachers. See Dana.

Late Registration Fee

For registrations postmarked less than 14 days before the start of a retreat, add $30 to the sliding scale fee you are paying.

Cancellation Fee

Please contact us as soon as possible if you need to cancel. Fees are $50 if you cancel four or more weeks before a retreat begins. Your deposit is forfeited after that.

Scholarships

Scholarship Application Form

Scholarships are awarded on a first come, first served basis. Because of limited funds, we are only able to offer partial scholarships, and must restrict scholarships to one per person, per year; only a limited number of scholarships are available for each retreat. We are grateful for the support of Galilee in helping us to make scholarships available. We would also like to thank two Moksha yoga studios in Toronto for including us in their karma yoga proceeds. These generous offerings allow us to offer scholarships to young adults who otherwise would not be able to afford the cost of a retreat.

Each scholarship application is carefully considered in terms of financial need and funds available. Due to limited resources, we cannot guarantee that every application will result in a scholarship. Please be assured, however, that we will do our best to help you attend a True North Insight retreat.

Deposit

All retreats require a deposit when registering, even if you are applying for a scholarship. The deposit for someone applying for a scholarship is $75. However, this does not guarantee that a scholarship will be awarded.

TNI must also receive a completed Registration Form for a scholarship application to be processed.

Cancellations

If you need to cancel your registration, please do so early! This gives us time to offer a scholarship to someone else in need. The TNI cancellation policy applies to scholarship applications.