Residential

Residential Retreats

Retreats consist of alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, an evening talk by the teacher, and meals. There are periodic opportunities for personal interviews with the teacher during long retreats. Retreats are held in complete silence. Scroll down to see all retreats.

Scholarships are available for all retreats. To request a scholarship please Click Here to send an e-mail to Tri-State Dharma. No one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay.


Tri-State Dharma Retreats in 2024

 

February 23-25, 2024 – Weekend Retreat (Transfiguration Spirituality Center)
Dharma as Our Natural Inheritance: An Exploration of Right Effort
With Adam Stonebraker

Click Here for more information and to register.

March 22-31, 2024 – Unlearning Meditation: Meditation as a Container for Change
With Jason Siff

Click Here for more information and to register.

July 2-7, 2024 – Buddhism and Recovery
With Kevin Griffin

Click Here for more information and to register.

August 23-28, 2024 – 5 Night Retreat
With Dawn Scott

Click Here for more information and to register.

October 4-11, 2024  – Non-Duality Week Retreat
With Amita Schmidt and John Cunningham

Click Here for more information and to register.

November 15-17, 2024 – Weekend Retreat (Transfiguration Spirituality Center)
With Candace Strange

More Information coming later.

December 27, 2024 – January 1, 2025 – New Year’s Retreat
With Joan Staubach

More Information coming later.

 


What is Noble Silence?

It is up to the teacher of a retreat to set the tone of the retreat, but here are some guidelines generally followed.

When you arrive at a retreat, there will be time set aside for registration, unpacking, supper and conversation.  With the beginning of the opening talk in the meditation hall, the retreat becomes a place of silence.  Meditation students are asked not to talk except with the teachers.  If there are cases of emergency or questions concerning the retreat schedule or process you may talk with the retreat manager.

In order to keep your concentration on the practice, it is suggested that you do not read, write or find other activities that would distract you and keep your mind busy.  Some meditative journaling may be helpful, but it is recommended that you keep this to a minimum unless the teacher says otherwise. Quieting the body and the voice also helps to quiet the mind and to create a space in which you can observe the mind.

Noble silence fosters a sense of aloneness, even in a retreat full of people.  It is important for you to resist urges to make social contact – by note, glance, or whisper – in order to benefit most fully from this opportunity, as well as to respect the silence of others.  We can learn a lot by watching the impulse to talk or make other contact and seeing what motivates that impulse.  At first the thought of silence may be a bit frightening, but with more practice it will become a warm haven.  The silence is broken at the end of the retreat to allow people the chance to visit and share their experience.

Again, this is up to the teacher and the specific type of retreat.  If you have questions, please ask your retreat teacher.


It is Tri-State Dharma’s mission to make retreats available to meditators from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and beyond. To make these retreats affordable to all who wish to attend, the fees for each retreat are slightly less than the minimum amount needed to cover our expenses. This does not take into account the scholarships that we give for almost all retreats. If you are in a position to do so, please consider making a donation to Tri-State Dharma at the end of the retreat to help us continue this work. Thank you.

Deposits are your way of saving space for the retreat. If you must back out of the retreat, we will refund half of the deposit if you cancel 6 weeks or more prior to the start of the retreat. If you cancel less than 6 weeks prior to the start of the retreat, we will retain the entire deposit.  If you have made any payments beyond the deposit, we will refund those payments in full.  Thank you for not asking for the full deposit back.

The cost of the retreat covers room and board and Tri-State Dharma’s expenses. Meditation teachers in this tradition are able to continue their work through Dana, or generous, voluntary giving by students. At retreat’s end, students have an opportunity to practice Dana by offering contributions. There is no specific contribution amount expected; give what feels right.   Please think of this as an integral part of practice.

To request a scholarship please Click Here to send an e-mail to Tri-State Dharma. No one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay.


If you cannot register using PayPal, please call Barb Huels at (513) 307-5343 to get instructions to pay by check.