5-Day Residential Insight Meditation Retreat: Open and Relaxed Awareness

Description
During this residential retreat the focus is on the cultivation of relaxed open awareness. Open and relaxed awareness can help us develop a broad and skillful understanding of our moment-to-moment experience. Participants will be encouraged to allow experience to be known in a simple way as it naturally unfolds. This integrated approach to practice is inspired by the teaching style of the Burmese monk Sayadaw U Tejaniya.

Sayadaw U Tejaniya is a respected meditation teacher known for his clear, practical, and accessible approach to Buddhist meditation practice. With decades of experience, he emphasizes the importance of cultivating awareness in all situations, encouraging practitioners to observe their thoughts and sensations with open and relaxed awareness.

The retreat is suitable for beginning as well as experienced meditators. Beginners are asked to familiarize themselves with Vipassana meditation on the page for beginners on our website.

Retreat Fee
The cost of the retreat is on a sliding scale, which allows you to choose the amount that works for you. 


• Double room: $450 – $600
• Single room: $600 – $900 (Limited availability—first come, first served)

The retreat fee only covers the basic retreat costs: food, facility, and other incidental expenses. It does not cover dana (a donation for the teacher and IMCR group). More information about dana below.

Note: Those who pay at the higher end of the scale are supporting those paying at the lower end. Any excess funds will go toward supporting IMCR to host fully donation-based retreats.

To confirm your spot, a non-refundable deposit of $180 is due upon registration. The remaining balance is due by June 11, 2025.

Registration
Registration has a few steps to it. Please first read the Retreat Information Guide to get a complete picture of the retreat and logistics. After that, complete the following steps:

1. Fill out Two Registration Forms

• Form 1 – Practical Information: This form gathers practical information to organize the retreat. It will be seen by the teacher and a few volunteers.
• Form 2 – Questions for the Teacher: This form is a short questionnaire specifically for the teacher and is kept confidential.

2. Pay the $180 Deposit

• A non-refundable deposit of $180 is required to secure your spot.
• Payment must be made at the time of registration.

3. Full Payment

• The remaining balance is due by June 11, 2025.

Note: Retreat registrations are confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis, based on receiving both registration forms and the $180 deposit.

Payment Methods
You can pay by Check or PayPal:

• Check: Write a check to ”Insight Meditation Community of Richmond” for “IMCR August 2025 Retreat” and send it to the following address:
      Insight Meditation Community of Richmond
      2711 Buford Rd #240
      N Chesterfield, VA 23235.
• PayPal: Use this PayPal link. Put “IMCR August 2025 Retreat” in the description. If you don’t put this in the description we might think that this is a general donation. Note that PayPal charges us a fee, so we kindly ask you to check the box that says “Add [X] amount to help cover the fees.”

Generosity for the Teacher and the IMCR Group
There are two ways to practice generosity for this retreat:

• Generosity for the teacher: the suggested donation for the teacher is: $200 – $900 (sliding scale).
• Generosity for the IMCR group: we appreciate donations of any amount you feel comfortable and generous giving.

Your donation to the teacher provides support to allow Marjolein to continue offering these teachings, and your donation to the IMCR group allows us to cover expenses and organize events. Please give as feels appropriate and generous for you. Please delight in your generosity and know that the dharma continues to be offered to you and others through our collective acts of sharing. All are welcome, no donation is required.

After the retreat there will be the opportunity to offer a donation through PayPal, Venmo, check, or cash. You can also donate online to Marjolein and/or the IMCR group.

More information about the concept of dana, generosity, in Buddhism.

Questions?
If you have any questions, please review the Retreat Information Guide first and if your question persists, then please email us at info@imcrva.org.