Walking the path of wisdom, love and freedom
A 10-month Intensive Study and Practice Program
September 2023 – June 2024
taught by
Daryl Lynn Ross, True North Insight (TNI) Co-founder & Guiding Teacher
and Roxanne Dault, TNI Guiding Teacher, and Insight Meditation Society (IMS) Teacher
Creating a community of kindness and mindfulness
** UPDATE: Extended Registration Deadline: June 10, 2023.
What is the program?
Learning and practicing Buddhist teachings in close communication with experienced teachers, in relationship with a community of Dharma friends.
Walking the path of wisdom, love and freedom is a 10-month study and practice program intended for those who wish to deepen in Dharma practice. It is an invitation to go beyond the beginnings of practice, and includes:
- Foundational Teachings:
Teaching, contemplations and exercises to strengthen the foundations of practice through cultivating qualities such as generosity, ethics, love and compassion and an acceptance of the realities of aging, illness and death. - Buddhist Practice:
Deep exploration, practice and direct experience of the key discourse of the Buddha, “The Satipatthana Sutta" (Four Establishments of Mindfulness) as well as other related texts.
This program is an extraordinary opportunity to learn to let habitual and limiting reactive patterns fall away, and to discover the free, loving, joyful and fully alive reality that you are. Practicing in a combination of daily-life and retreat settings gives you opportunities to deepen in intensive practice and also to integrate insights in many life contexts.
Dates and format
Walking the path of wisdom, love and freedom begins with an online meeting on Sept 18, 2023 at 7 p.m. and runs continuously until June 2024.
This program includes three residential retreats near Montréal, Qc, that will feature meditation practice, study and individual meetings. Between retreats, we will engage in ongoing practice and study, with monthly teacher-led online meetings in small groups.
- Retreats: The retreats will be held at Villa St-Martin Retreat Centre (Hermitage St. Croix) at 21269, boul. Gouin Ouest in Pierrefonds, Qc. This center is accessible by public transportation as well as being easily drivable. See map.
- September 27-October 1, 2023
- January 28-February 3, 2024
- June 7-June 14, 2024
A commitment to attend all the retreats is required for acceptance into the program.
- Study and practice: Written teachings and exercises will be sent on a monthly basis by email: these will nourish and support the deepening of understanding and meditative experience. The study time will require a few hours of study per month.
- Daily practice: Participants are encouraged and supported to maintain a personal daily practice including at least a 30-45 minute sitting of meditation.
- Monthly engagement with teachers:
- Monthly group meetings will be scheduled with a small group and one of the teachers. We will explore the teachings together and have the opportunity to share about practice and ask questions.
- Participants are requested to offer dana to the teachers.
- Each person in the program will have a personal telephone or video call with one of the teachers at least once during the program, in addition to the individual meetings during retreats. Additional meetings with the teachers can also be arranged on request.
- Participants are requested to offer dana to the teachers.
- E-mail communication with Daryl and Roxanne will also be available on an optional basis. Daryl and Roxanne are committed to working closely and personally with each participant and for this reason we are limiting the number of people we are accepting into the program.
- Monthly group meetings will be scheduled with a small group and one of the teachers. We will explore the teachings together and have the opportunity to share about practice and ask questions.
- Practice community: Each participant will be partnered with two or more “kalyana mitta” (spiritual friends aka Dharma buddies) from among their fellow participants with whom they will meet in person or by phone/zoom on a monthly basis to reflect on their practice and be a listening support.
A commitment to daily practice and scheduled communication with the teachers is required for acceptance into the program.
Who can apply?
People who have been practicing Buddhist meditation for at least two years, practice meditation on a regular basis, and have participated in at least one weeklong or two shorter retreats may apply. If you feel that you have other equivalent experience, please explain this in your application.
True North Insight aspires to welcome a diverse sangha. There are a few spaces in the program that will be prioritized for qualifying BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and people with disabilities.
Registrations
** UPDATE: Extended Registration Deadline: June 10, 2023.
Registrations must be submitted by May 31, 2023, and you will be notified within the first week of July regarding your acceptance.
Your registration is not completed until you have paid the tuition cost, or arranged a payment plan to do so.
What are the costs?
Tuition Fee:
There is a one-time non-refundable tuition fee of $510, due within 14 days of acceptance into the program.
Retreats:
| Retreats | Cost |
|---|---|
|
Retreat I - September 27 – October 1, 2023 - 4 nights ($250 non-refundable deposit due by August 1, 2023, and balance of $260 due by Sept 20, 2023) |
$510 + dana |
|
Retreat II - January 28 to February 3, 2024 - 6 nights ($400 non-refundable deposit due by December 1, 2023, and balance of $365 due by Jan. 15, 2024) |
$765 + dana |
|
Retreat III - June 7-June 14, 2024 - 7 nights ($450 non-refundable deposit due April 1, 2024, and balance of $445 due by May 1, 2024) |
$895 + dana |
Retreat registration includes lodging and 3 vegetarian meals a day at the retreat centre. We will do our best to arrange car-pooling in advance of each retreat, but cannot guarantee it. Payments for retreat registrations should be made to True North Insight.
Dana:
Dana to teachers:
Following the 2,600-year-old Buddhist tradition, the teachings are considered priceless and so are offered freely. We practice dana, or generosity, by offering a donation for the teachings. The teachers receive dāna as an expression of gratitude.
- Monthly Group Meeting: Suggested range $20-50 for each.
- Individual Meetings (once or twice in the program): Suggested range $70-120 for each.
- Retreats: You will be invited to offer dana at the end of each retreat to the teachers and manager.
Dana is an essential part of walking the Dharma path.
Scholarships:
There are a limited number of partial scholarships available. Please include your request with your application.
Refunds:
This is a program with a limited enrollment. We are unable to replace anyone who withdraws from the program once it has begun. For this reason, we have a specific refund policy.
- The tuition fee for this program is not refundable.
- If you need to withdraw from the program before the first meeting on Zoom on Sept. 18, 2023, you can receive a refund of 80% retreat deposits made.
- About retreats:
- There is a non-refundable deposit for the residential retreats, to be paid by the schedule indicated above.
- If you are unable to attend a retreat due to sickness or family emergency, your retreat deposit is not refundable but the second part of the retreat payment (the balance) will be refunded, provided that you speak to the retreat manager no later than 24 hours before the start of the retreat.
We reserve the right to withdraw a participant from the program if in the teachers’ judgment that person’s continuation in the program would not be in the best interests of the participant or others in the program. In such a case retreat fees for retreats not yet attended will be refunded.
Do you have questions?
You are welcome to contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
** UPDATE: Extended Registration Deadline: June 10, 2023.