10/20/2026
Dear Friends,
The Buddhist Place invites you to join us for a Sangha Retreat at the Dharma Centre in Kinmount. The retreat will begin on Thursday, November 26 and will end early afternoon after the midday meal on Sunday, November 29. The theme for the retreat is "Taking Refuge - What is your Refuge?"
We will follow a schedule of alternating sitting and walking meditation, and there will be talks and instruction given by members of the sangha.
There will also be an hour of work meditation each day - this will involve food prep or indoor and outdoor cleaning tasks.
Check-in at the Dharma Centre will start at 4:00 pm onThursday the 26th. You are encouraged to arrive between 4 – 5pm so that you will have time to take your bags to your room and familiarize yourself with the Dharma Centre. There will be a light meal offered between 5 – 6 after which clean up and orientation will begin. The evening meditation program will begin at 7 pm.
The retreat will be silent once it begins Thursday evening and we will break the silence at the end of the formal practice on Sunday morning when there will be an opportunity to reflect and share experiences.
Noble silence offers the opportunity to deepen our practice. Within the context of the retreat, silence includes not communicating with each other and not reading or listening to music. Because we are asked to practice sense restraint at the retreat, you will be invited to leave your phone in your car.
All meals will be vegetarian. If you have food allergies or any specific food requirements, please let us know when you submit your application for the retreat. We will do our best to accommodate you. Depending on the issue, you may be asked to bring some of your own food. Please also let us know if you have any mobility issues. Here is some helpful information from the Dharma Centre:
"We serve primarily organic whole vegetarian food that does include dairy and naturally occurring gluten. We endeavour to make everything from scratch with unprocessed items. Our garden continues to grow and we make efforts to serve farm to table meals in season. Out of season we offer preserved foods from the excess bounty. We work with a limited cooking/gardening/preserving contingent and in order to make wholesome foods, which takes time, we are unable to accommodate individual food preferences. While we understand we each have our preferences (because we all do) and many of us also have intolerances, and a few of us have severe allergies, in a small centre like DCC the list of preferences, intolerances and allergies can quickly become extensive and overwhelm the cooking service. As one might imagine, if the cook creates one meal that meets everyone’s needs, it often manifests as plain rice with a side of lettuce leaves :) and then no one enjoys the meal (including the cook). We have available fresh fruit, homemade granola, preserves (when available), tea, and lots of veggies at every meal. There is a fridge for keeping personal food items and an alternate kitchen for personal cooking needs. If you have severe allergies please call us to discuss options for bringing your own food. As we grow our community and capacity, we will continue to expand our culinary offerings to meet the needs of our fellow spiritual friends."
We will be co-ordinating rides, so please let us know if you need a ride or are able to offer ride to the retreat centre. There are directions to the centre on their website www.dharmacentre.org
The cost for the 3 day retreat is $425. With the intention to make the teachings as accessible as possible, the retreat application includes the option to indicate if this retreat fee would cause financial hardship and to specify a contribution amount that may be affordable for you.
We will make every attempt to accommodate you.
Please indicate in the application if you are able to make a contribution to The Buddhist Place’s bursary fund to support your fellow Sangha members. Your generosity is appreciated. A tax receipt will be issued for your contribution.
Out of consideration for others we ask that you refrain from wearing perfumes, essential oils, noisy jewelry and beeping watches and phones.
To register for the retreat, please fill out the registration form here:
*Please get in touch with Ellie if you have further questions at [email protected]
The Dharma Centre would like to have an approximate idea of how many of us will attend by October 25;
if you think you may like to attend the retreat but aren't ready to register yet please contact Ellie at [email protected] so that we can let the centre know our numbers.
The Buddhist Place is continuing to host virtual sittings via .
Sunday-Friday: 7:00am
Wednesday Evening: 7:00-8:30pm
Saturday Morning: 8:30-10:00am
Meeting ID: 894-9914-5392
(password: meditation)
Donations may be offered online via e-transfer and Canada Helps. E-transfers can be sent to: [email protected]. To make a donation through CanadaHelps click here.
For the Buddhist Place,
ellie
Celebrating 25 years of practice together
www.thebuddhistplace.org
A place to meditate and learn about Buddhism in Peterborough, Ontario.
