Returning to Our True Refuge

Returning to Our True Refuge: A 5-day silent retreat to support and develop our capacities to flourish in connection, communion, presence, wisdom and delight. 
It is easy to feel overwhelmed by what’s happening in the world, or in relationship with others, or from our grief and heart brokenness. We are delighted to come together in sangha (community) to inquire, practice and share this returning and reconnection. Through our daily deepening cultivation of mindfulness and metta (lovingkindness,) we will move in the direction of liberation that is the heart of the Buddha's teachings.

This is a hybrid in-person and online 5-day retreat. There is no part-time option available for the 2025 retreat. For inclusivity, a virtual option is available for people with disabilities and/or chronic illness who are unable to come in person and who can commit to attending for the whole retreat, as health and ability allows. This accessible option includes all programming and interviews with the teachers. 

If you would like to attend the retreat online but do not qualify for the accessibility option, you may register to attend if you can commit to the whole retreat (no coming and going, or attending between other life commitments,) however teachers won’t have capacity to offer practice meetings, although senior students may meet with you.

When: Friday, March 21, 4 pm - Wednesday, March 26, 11 am 

Where: Camp Samish in Bow, Washington and live streamed virtually on Zoom

Cost: $515 On Land or $70 for the Online  Registration and payment due before February 28, 2025


Scholarships and Racial Justice Scholarships up to 100% are available for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) attendees and up to 50% to all others with financial need. Funding on a first come basis, register early for funding! 

Additional funding may be found at opendharmafoundation.org. 

In a commitment to racial justice, LIS reserves space for BIPOC attendees to create retreats that are at least half BIPOC. However, in order to guarantee a full retreat, the final make-up of the retreat may have fewer than half BIPOC. 

Accessibility All reasonable accommodations will be made for people with disabilities. Please request any accommodations needed by the registration deadline. Find more information about the ADA accessibility, sound amplification, and fragrance free practices below.

COVID Because we will be sharing space in person, we will test for COVID before & during the retreat. For the week leading up to the retreat, it is important that everyone try to arrive COVID-negative by avoiding indoor crowds, and using n95 masks in airplanes, grocery stores, meetings, and doctors’ offices. More on our COVID practices below. 

Tradition of Dana Your registration cost covers food and lodging only. According to the ancient tradition of dana those who carry on the teachings of the Buddha are supported through the generosity of the community; thus dana to support the teachers may be offered at the conclusion of the retreat. 

What to expect on Retreat Vipassana meditation (also known as insight meditation) has been practiced in Asia for over 2,500 years. Retreatants are invited to spend the retreat in silent meditation practice with alternating periods of still meditation and mindful movement. The retreat will also include Dharma talks, group sharing and interviews with the teachers. This retreat is open to beginners and experienced students.  Orientation and instructions in meditation will be provided for beginners.  Meals will be vegetarian.   

Arinna Weisman has studied insight meditation since 1979 and has been teaching since 1989. Learn more about Arinna at https://arinnaweisman.org/

Ian Challis teaches at Insight Community of the Desert, a Buddhist sangha in Palm Springs, CA. Learn more about Ian at https://ianchallis.com/

Accommodations  Camp Samish has heated “rustic cabins” with beds/bunks (where you can decide to stay alone or with others on the retreat.) These cabins will use one of 2 shared bath houses that are nearby. There are also ADA Cabins with attached shared restrooms, which will be prioritized for those with accessibility needs. These cabins sleep 2-5 per room. You can find out more information and a map at https://www.campsamish.org/about-us/#Facilities and view a video of the camp on YouTube. At Camp Samish, there are walks along tidal lake paths, lots of space for movement meditation, wheelchair/scooter accessibility to a large outdoor shelter, benches with terrific views, new mattresses, and paved pathways from cabins to cafeteria to zendo.

Carpool and travel Camp Samish is about 90 minutes drive north of Seattle. We will be arranging a car pool from Seattle to the Camp. More details will be available closer to the retreat. If you are flying into Seattle please plan to arrive early on Friday March 21 (or the night before) to join the carpool, otherwise you might have to make your own way to the retreat center.  

Accessibility & Being Fragrance Free LIS is committed to making this retreat accessible to all who would like to attend. The facilities are wheelchair accessible offering ADA bedrooms, bathrooms, dining, and meditating spaces. Additionally we will have sit-and-listen devices for hard of hearing retreatants. Please include your access requests when registering and send questions to LISRetreat123@gmail.com

In an effort to be inclusive and practice compassion, we request that all participants who attend this LIS retreat to please refrain from wearing scented products during and in preparation for this retreat, including laundering all items that will be worn at the retreat so that fragrances do not linger. It will require a special kind of mindfulness as so many products contain scents and fragrances to which those of us who are healthy have become inured. Please don’t rely on your own nose.

We are working to create environments where the most-impacted individuals can stay and benefit from the retreat.  Many have difficulty breathing, and symptoms due to allergies, asthma or other chemical sensitivity which make gathering difficult when fragrances are present. To find out more about why and how to be fragrance free check out the East Bay Meditation Center's website.

Retreat COVID-19 Protocols as of December 2024

We offer these protocols in the spirit of valuing all life as sacred. We hope these guidelines can keep us all safe and well as we come together to practice and overcome this time of collective challenge together. Protocols will continue to be updated as conditions change.

Vaccination We require all retreatants to be vaccinated, unless they are not able to for health reasons.

Prior to Arrival at LIS Retreat In the week before your arrival at LIS Retreat, please practice great care to remain uninfected. Test before you leave home. Wear a N95/KN95 mask when in crowded indoor public spaces. If you are traveling by plane, please keep your mask on during the flight. 

Symptoms If you are sick or experiencing the symptoms of any infection, including a common cold, please wait until your symptoms fully resolve and you are testing negative before coming to the retreat. Symptoms of COVID-19 commonly appear 2-3 days before a positive test result. At this time, COVID-19 symptoms include one or more of the following:

Fever (greater than 100.4º F or 38º C)
Chills or shaking
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Runny nose or sinus congestion
Diarrhea
Muscle pain or body aches
Headache
Unusual fatigue
Eye redness with or without discharge
Nausea or vomiting

Arrival at Camp Samish When you arrive at Camp Samish for the LIS retreat, please wear an n95 or kn95 mask. We will test everyone with high-accuracy molecular testing (provided by LIS) when you arrive. If you are unable to mask for a medical reason, please let us know.
Teachers and volunteers will also participate in testing protocols.

While at LIS Retreat Because of the high accuracy of molecular testing, and the ability to retest at a low-cost, we will test everyone a 2nd time Sunday evening. Once it has been determined that everyone is covid-free, masking will become optional.
Common areas will be ventilated by cracking a window or door and/or having a functioning air purifier. 
The dining hall is spacious. The Zendo (meditation hall) is an indoor carpeted gym.
If you start to develop any cold-like or COVID symptoms, please let us know and begin masking right away.

In the Event of a COVID-19 Infection If anyone tests positive for COVID-19 while on retreat, they will need to move to quarantine accommodations and make arrangements to leave the retreat.  We're very sorry that we may not have the capacity for you to stay and quarantine on retreat. We would not cancel the retreat for the remaining participants; instead we will inform the community of a positive test result, resume masking, retest and respond to emerging conditions.