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Sangha Christmas and Foundation Work 2025

December 21, 2025 - January 3, 2026

Sangha Christmas Retreat

“The best gift that we can give our Teacher is ‘doing the work.’”

 

Join us this holiday season for time with Catherine Sensei, Sangha and an eight-day Foundation Work retreat.

One-Week Retreat: December 24th – January 1st.

(Early arrivals and longer stays are encouraged).

Registration Deadline: Sunday, December 7th

Note: This retreat is open to existing Sangha only. Prerequisite: In the past two-years, you have attended at least one in-person retreat with Catherine Sensei.

Registration

Foundation Work & Sangha Retreat

Spending this holiday season working on our Foundation Practice together in community was such a precious and fruitful time in 2024, that we’ll do it again together this year. 

Already finished your Foundation work? No problem! You’re welcome to use this time focusing on your current practice.

The retreat also includes a New Year’s Celebration and some days enjoying time in community

Schedule

Here is our schedule (some details may be adjusted slightly).

Sunday, Dec. 21st: Arrival day

Monday, Dec. 22nd: Community Sangha Time

Tuesday, Dec. 23rd: Community Sangha Time

Wednesday, Dec. 24th – Thursday, Jan 1st: Foundation Practice & New Year’s Celebration

Friday, Jan. 2nd: Community Sangha Time

Saturday, Jan. 3rd: Main Departure Day

Meet the Teacher

breathing sensei 2024

Catherine Pawasarat Sensei

Catherine Pawasarat Sensei is a contemporary Dharma teacher, attendant, consort, co-teacher via Planet Dharma and co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center. Anapanasati Breathing meditation is a much loved practice for Sensei, a central focus of her 2023 one month meditation retreat. It is also connected with one branch of our lineage’s roots in the Burmese Theravadin tradition through the meditation master Venerable Sayadaw U Thila Wunta.

She has trained daily with Qapel (Acariya Doug Duncan) since 1998 in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life, Catherine also draws on generative living and the arts.

 

The Self Falls Away: How Meditation Works

A video of Sensei teaching on meditation:

 

What’s Expected of Me?

  1. An open mind and heart, and a spirit of adventure are excellent things to bring!
  2. 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. We try to make this as supportive as possible.
  3. When exploring our growth edges, it’s natural to feel uncertain and awkward. And it’s very fruitful to transform that emotional tension into creative energy by drawing on your own inner resources – such as inquiry, going with the flow, and self-reflection, just a few of the many kinds of constructive engagement.
  4. To maximize your retreat experience, we ask that you refrain from reading, using the internet, phone or listening to music during the course.
  5. Students are expected to be silent during the silent parts of the retreat, and participate in all classes, group meditations, activities, and discussions.
  6. We ask that you refrain from microdosing or consuming mind-altering substances during this retreat and in the days immediately following it.

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 Qapel (Achariya Doug Duncan) and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei, the center 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.
  • How to get there, what to bring and other FAQ about Clear Sky
  • 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.
Retreat room beds
CS Retreat Shrine Room Meditation Sangha

Details

Start:
December 21
End:
January 3, 2026
Event Category: