Browse Schedule by Category: Retreats / Online Courses
- This event has passed.
Hua Yan Meditation Retreat 2022
March 18, 2022 - April 1, 2022
Hua Yan Meditation
Meditation Retreat | March 18-April 1, 2022According to Hua Yan philosophy, any phenomenon exists only as part of the total nexus of reality. Like Indra’s web, all things are equally connected to each other and also contained within in each other. Join a two week in-person retreat on the profound Hua Yan teachings from Chinese Mahayana Buddhism.
An online option is available for those who cannot travel to BC, Canada for this retreat.
In person registration closes March 4th, 2022.
Registration for online retreat closes March 11th 2022.
The Buddhist Teaching of Totality
Hua Yan philosophy was established in the 7th and 8th centuries in China, based on the Flower Garland Sutra (Avatamsaka Sutra). It has one central concern – to reveal the Buddha realm of infinity.
The teaching indicates a complete way to think – with a multiple or totalistic approach. Nothing is rejected. Not even is there room for contradiction. All inconsistencies become harmonious. Totality is one of its central points.
Hua Yan is a synthesis of all major Mahayana thought, and includes the three major concepts of Mahayana: totality, emptiness and mind-only.
Hua Yan Meditation Retreat
The Buddhist Teaching of Totality
March 18-April 1, 2022
At Clear Sky Meditation Centre, BC, Canada
What is Hua Yan?
Why this Retreat?
The universal mind is likened to a vast ocean mirror in which the infinite dramas of the universe are spontaneously and simultaneously reflected. It becomes a kaleidoscope of multi dimensional, mutual projections and interpenetrations. Hua Yan reveals the many hidden facets of shunyata (emptiness), which are not immediately clear. Far reaching implications of shunyata laid down in the Prajñāpāramitā Sutras become clearer.
In spite of being called a philosophy, Hua Yan is true to the original spirit of Buddhism which achieves liberation upon abolishing all philosophical speculations. As a painter draws many pictures, a sentient being’s mind can create infinite variations of world systems, emerging from emptiness, returning to emptiness.
Read more here: general discussion of the Flower Garland Sutra and an in-depth history of the Huayan Buddhist philosophy.
What Can I expect with this Retreat?
The Retreat
- This meditation retreat consists of many hours of consecutive practice each day. Therefore some experience, especially with sitting meditation, is highly recommended.
- NOTE: If this is your first two-week retreat, advance permission from the teachers is required.
- An open mind and heart and a spirit of adventure are excellent things to bring!
- It’s human to have some apprehensions about doing something new, meeting new people, or going to a new place. Particularly when all three happen together. Knowing this, we try to make our retreats as supportive as possible.
- This is a silent retreat. To deepen your meditation, we ask that participants refrain from reading, using the internet, phone or listening to music during the course.
The Location – Clear Sky Center
- Located in the BC rocky mountains, Clear Sky offers over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature. Founded by Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat, the centre is home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world.
- Clear Sky Centre FAQs
- Our teachings and Clear Sky operate based on the ancient tradition of dāna or generosity. As generosity is the basis upon which all spiritual practice flourishes, we recommend that you learn more about this profound practice before you register.
Meet the Teacher
Qapel (Achariya Doug Duncan)
Qapel studied with the Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche from 1974 until the latter’s passing in 2003. Doug received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 1978, and is a lineage holder in that teaching. He also received teachings from the 16th Karmapa and other Tibetan Rinpoches, as well as from the Ven. Sayadaw U Thila Wunta and from a Master of the Western Mystery School. In addition, Doug has undertaken numerous three-month solitary meditation retreats.
Doug has been leading retreats, teaching and training in universal practices of spiritual unfoldment since 1985, helping thousands of students in numerous countries liberate themselves from suffering. His teaching also draws on contemporary psychology and science. In 2004 he co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center in the BC Rockies where he is resident teacher along with Catherine Pawasarat Sensei.
What Do Previous Retreatants Say?
Course Fees & Requirements
All Retreatants: A Dāna Based Retreat
This retreat is offered on the basis of dāna (generosity).
Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”, and is the traditional way in which Buddhist teachings are offered. With dāna, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. You may have come across this in the form of “pay from the heart”. It’s our joy to offer this course, and we trust you’ll match our time, energy, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us.
You will be sent a link to offer “dana” to the teachers after registration.
For more information on dāna click here.
Retreatants at Clear Sky: Lodging Fees & Covid 19 Protocols
In addition to Dana to the teachers, Clear Sky Meditation Centre provides an incredible space for your retreat. Situated on a beautiful 310-acre property in the Rocky Mountains, the center and its karma yogis provide you nourishing daily meals and comfortable accommodation.
Please go to the registration page for this retreat for details of the all inclusive fee for the two week retreat.
Covid-19 Protocols
Please note, we are taking measures to keep us all healthy during this retreat, including:
- You must have experienced no symptoms associated with covid-19 in the past 14 days.
- You have met and followed all BC and Canadian health regulations regarding Covid 19 and travel.
- Further details will be posted closer to the retreat date as necessary.
Detailed Daily Schedule
Specific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST)
| RETREAT DAILY SCHEDULE | |
| 6:30 – 7:30 AM | Walk &/or Personal Practice |
| 7:30 – 8:15 AM | Breakfast: Prepare, eat, clean up |
| 8:15 – 8:45 AM | Walk &/or Personal Practice |
| 9:00 – 10:00 AM | Class with Teachers |
| 10:00 – 10:30 AM | Walk |
| 10:30 – 11:30 AM | Group Practice lead by Sangha |
| 11:30 – 12:30 PM | Personal Practice |
| 12:30 – 1:30 PM | Lunch: Prepare, eat, clean up |
| 1:30 – 3:00 PM | Personal Practice |
| 3:00 – 4:00 PM | Group Practice lead by Sangha |
| 4:00 – 5:30 PM | Personal Practice |
| 5:30 – 7:00 PM | Dinner: prepare, eat, clean up |
| 7:00 – 7:30 PM | Walk &/or Personal Practice |
| 7:30 – 8:30 PM | Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers |
| 8:30 – beyond | Personal Practice & bed |
*For Online Retreatants: Admin Fees & Requirements
In order to bring you this retreat at home, there is an additional admin fee* of $375 CAD. The admin fee is to cover the costs of running these online courses – for equipment and software to provide you the teachings online.
If you are taking this retreat online, we require that you devote your full attention to the retreat for the entire two weeks.
Requirements include:
- Block out the two weeks and be focused on the retreat for this entire period, using this time and participating in the retreat as if you were at Clear Sky in person. This includes a rigorous, full, daily meditation schedule.
- Participate in all of the daily classes and group practices via online streaming.
- Set up a quiet space or location where you can focus on the Meditation Retreat, and not need to engage in conversation or work with others.
- Put away your phone, digital devices and other distractions.
- If there are enough people in the same time zone as you, you could also make a cohort to meet to do a group practice throughout the retreat.
- Note: full details/ requirements will be sent to you after registering
About the administrative fee*
In a traditional model of in-person teachings, a retreat center or urban meditation center invites teachers to visit. In these cases the centers have infrastructure and organization costs to cover, which might be covered by an admin fee. For the teaching itself, dāna to the teachers is offered in a bowl. This honors both the sustainability of the teachers and of the supporting center.
We’ve tried to recreate this approach online.
The teachers’ time and the teaching themselves are offered on the basis of dāna, separate to the admin fee. With our dāna offering we are making a direct gift of generosity to the teachers to support their teachings and livelihood. Learn more about the practice of dāna here.
The admin fee goes to support the infrastructure and organization necessary to support them to teach. As anyone with an online business will know, it can be surprising the costs of setting up a good infrastructure to support effective teaching and connection online.
Below are a few of the work and benefits that your admin fee payment is supporting:
- high speed internet (to allow interviews and classes on-line)
- online class systems (Zoom)
- registration / admin systems (Eventbrite, Basecamp)
- communication systems to keep everyone informed, share connection details, teachings and other resources (Mailchimp)
- online storage (for example, Dropbox, to allow us to let students watch recordings and to store and share selected teachings in other forms such as podcasts and videos after the Teachings)
- quality sound, video and editing equipment (both for live teachings and to provide good enough quality for later sharing as podcasts and video). We are regularly updating our equipment to improve your user experience.
- online calendar booking system to allow students to book interviews
- website hosting and maintenance for sharing upcoming courses, teachings, blogs and other resources.
May all our efforts be sustainable, abundant and for the benefit of all beings!
*We also do not wish to exclude anyone from the Teachings, so if you are not currently in a financial position to afford the admin fee, please contact us so we can support you to attend.
We welcome any questions. Please feel free to contact [email protected].
Ready to Register?
Please click on the appropriate button below to register for online or in-person retreat options. If you have questions about the retreat, please phone 250-429-3929, or contact [email protected].
- The registration deadline for retreating at Clear Sky closes March 4th, 2022.
- Registration for online retreat closes March 11th 2022.
Travel in 2022 and Covid-19
Due to travel restrictions, we are offering an online option for this retreat. Please read the course fees and requirements information above. We will be contacting you after registration to offer recommendations to support your online retreat.