Notice: Retreat Full, accepting waitlist. 

If you are still interested in attending, please write to BIMs Retreats at this address: bimsretreats@gmail.com and they will let you know if an opening occurs!

Dates: April 14 – April 20, 2024 – 6 night, 7 day retreat at Samish Island, Washington

Registration: This retreat is being sponsored by Bellingham Insight Meditation Society. In order to register, you must download the registration materials using the link below, fill out the registration form, and mail it to BIMS. Please Note: SIMS is not handling the registration for this retreat.

Download Registration Materials Here

Cultivating Insight
Insight meditation (vipassana in Pali, the language of the original Buddhist teachings) is the simple and direct practice of moment-to-moment mindfulness. Through careful and sustained observation, we experience for ourselves the ever-changing flow of the mind/body process. This awareness leads us to accept more fully the pleasure and pain, fear and joy, sadness and happiness that life inevitably brings.

As insight deepens, we develop greater equanimity and peace in the face of change, and wisdom and compassion increasingly become the guiding principles of our lives.

This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing clarity and depth of practice. Traditional instructions will be combined with a spirit of lovingkindness, silent sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, and meetings with the teachers. This retreat is for experienced as well as newer students. This retreat will be held in Noble Silence except for teacher-led practice meetings.

Retreat Description: This residential retreat will be held at a rural retreat center south of Bellingham. The retreat location is on the water and has extensive grounds for walking. All registrants will have a cabin to themselves. There will be three simple vegetarian meals a day.

Cost of Retreat: The cost of this retreat is $545.00 (U.S. funds only). The fees charged are used to pay Camp Samish costs for room and board. Any additional money is used for ongoing BIMS programs & expenses, including scholarships. Please fill out the registration form and send with your check to the Registrar. PayPal may also be used for payments (see below).

Teachings are offered freely. There will be opportunities to give dana to the teachers at the retreat. Dana may also be given using these links for both Tim and Tuere: PayPal or Venmo (@tim-geil)

Scholarships: If you require a scholarship, we are happy to help. A limited number of scholarships are available; requests are honored in the order in which they are received.

NO SCHOLARSHIPS CAN BE GRANTED WITHOUT CONTACTING THE REGISTRAR FIRST BY EMAIL.