21 – 30 November 2025
Awakening through Wisdom and Compassion
In the Buddhist tradition, the cultivation of wisdom and compassion is considered the key to transforming the mind and alleviating our suffering. Cultivating wisdom involves letting go of fixed perceptions of how the world appears to be and looking at how things actually are. As freeing as this ultimately is, the path can often feel scary and challenging. Thus we need to practice in a way that is infused with compassion or a tender heart that wants to alleviate suffering. A compassion that becomes more informed by wisdom.
This retreat is taught by Myoshin and Edwin Kelley. They will lead an exploration of wisdom & compassion and how they work in tandem to support us in the transformation of our minds. We will learn meditations that help us to cultivate a compassionate wise heart. The schedule will include talks, periods of guided meditation, and discussion. This event is open to all.
myoshin kelley
Myoshin has taught for many years in both the Insight and Tibetan traditions. At a young age she decided school could not teach her what she wanted to know and decided life would be her teacher. This led to a lifelong journey living in spiritual communities while exploring the inner terrain of being human.
Myoshin received dharma instruction from renowned Buddhist teachers Chanmyay Sayadaw, Sayadaw U Pandita, Sayadaw U Tejaniya, and Hogen Yamahata. She developed a great love of retreats and temporarily ordained as a nun in Myanmar. Her training as a meditation teacher began with Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in 1994. She was appointed teacher in residence at the Forest Refuge, the long-term practice centre at IMS, in 2003. In 1998, Myoshin was introduced to Mingyur Rinpoche. Twelve years later she moved to Minneapolis to help Rinpoche and others with the formation of the Tergar Meditation Community. For a decade she led the team to oversee the formation of Tergar meditation groups and the training of Tergar community leaders. Nature has been a strong teacher and support for Myoshin. She loves to do solitary retreats in nature as well as hike, bike, cross-country ski, and now swim in the ocean on the beautiful Sapphire Coast in Australia, where she lives with her husband Edwin.
edwin kelley
Edwin Kelley attended his first meditation retreat near Perth, Australia in 1975. He later pursued a career as a public accountant and in 1992 went to Burma to undertake a six-month period of intensive meditation practice with meditation master Chanmyay Sayadaw. While practising in Burma he ordained temporarily as a Buddhist monk.
In 1994 he was hired as Director of Operations by one of America’s best known meditation retreat centres, the Insight Meditation Society (IMS), in Barre, MA. Eighteen months later he was appointed Executive Director of IMS and served in that capacity until 2003 when he resigned to pursue further long-term intensive meditation practice. Edwin first encountered Vajrayana Buddhism in Dharamsala, India in 1993 and became a student of Mingyur Rinpoche in 1998. He has a post graduate diploma in Buddhist Studies from the University of Sunderland in the UK. In 2009, Mingyur Rinpoche appointed Edwin as a meditation instructor and he and his wife, Myoshin, moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to help establish the global Tergar Meditation Community. There he then served variably as Executive Director, and Co-Executive Director, and finally CFO, until retiring from his administrative role with Tergar International at the end of 2022. He now lives on the Sapphire Coast in southern NSW, Australia.
Registration details and costs for this retreat will be provided later in the year.
About Our Retreats
What to Expect
This is a precious time for mindfulness practice and a rare opportunity to cultivate and deepen wisdom and compassion.
PIMG retreats are taught in the Theravada tradition using Vipassana (Insight) techniques. The teaching is based on the Satipatthna Sutta (4 Foundations of Mindfulness) as taught by the Buddha, emphasizing continuity of mindfulness and refinement of precise open awareness. In addition, the meditations on the four Brahma Viharas (loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity) may be taught throughout the retreat.
In order to support your practice, the retreat will be held in Noble Silence, and retreatants are asked to refrain from visual, verbal and written communication with one another and from reading, writing letters or making phone calls (except in an emergency situation). Please turn off your mobile phones for the duration of your stay and leave behind your laptops, iPods, iPads and other communication devices so that you can commit to your retreat wholeheartedly and reap the benefits of that commitment. By leaving at home the many activities and communications that worldly life entails, you offer yourself the gift of stillness.
Intensive meditation practice in this style is a powerful experience. It is necessary for the teachers to have a clear background for each person attending so that they can offer the most supportive guidance possible. You will be requested to fill out a Retreat Application Form on your arrival. Only the teachers will have access to this information.
What to bring
Comfortable, loose-fitting clothes. Your own meditation cushion, or bench, and mat. Toiletries and towel, insect repellent, hat and fly net for hats, watch (silent), alarm clock, and shoes that slip on easily. You will also need to bring all bedding.
Meals
Nutritious vegetarian meals will be served throughout the retreat. Breakfast and lunch are the main meals of the day with a light evening meal. Those wishing to practise on 8 Precepts (which require refraining from eating after lunch) will be provided with fruit juice at teatime. We will attempt to accommodate special dietary needs such as gluten free and dairy free however if you have a medical condition which requires a special diet beyond this, please bring along the special items you need.
Schedule
Schedules can vary but generally the day begins early with a group meditation at about 5.30am with the last scheduled sit at about 9.30pm. Most sittings are 45 minutes in length and alternate with periods of walking meditation. Interviews with the teachers are conducted over the course of the retreat. There is usually a Dhamma talk each evening. The retreats are designed for both the beginner and experienced meditator, and will include daily meditation instructions. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions about practice each day.
Caution
If you are receiving medical, psychiatric treatment or counselling it is your responsibility to seek professional advice concerning the appropriateness of this retreat for you. Although meditation is beneficial for most people it is not a substitute for medical or psychiatric treatment. An intensive retreat may not be suitable for persons with psychological or psychiatric disorders. If you are currently receiving treatment for any psychological or psychiatric disorder, or have a past history of mental health disorder, you should obtain professional advice prior to participating in the retreat.
Special Needs
If you have any mobility problems or medical conditions which would affect your ability to take part in the retreat, please inform us as soon as possible and we will make arrangement to accommodate you if possible. Please bring any medications you require.
Dana
The three foundations of Dhamma practice are Dana (Giving), Sila (Virtue) and Bhavana (Meditation)
The practice of Dana is of paramount importance in the teachings of the Buddha as a way of overcoming clinging and greed. Generosity can be the spontaneous and natural expression of an open heart and mind but it can also be a deliberate practice. This practice connects us with the hearts of others but also shows us our own hearts: and so we begin to understand where we are closed and where we are open.
All our teachers give the teachings of the Buddha freely to us as a gift, just as they received them. They are supported entirely by Dana. Your generosity to teachers enables them to devote themselves to the Dhamma and continue to give the priceless gift of their teachings to us. All our teachers are lay people: they have families and homes and all the obligations and expenses of everyday life just as we do. Your retreat fees cover accommodation, meals and teacher’s retreat expenses and management costs only; for a sustaining income, teachers depend entirely on Dana. Your financial support is an opportunity to practise joyful
giving.
We suggest the following ranges to guide you, but yogis are always free to give according to their means:
Base Dana: $40 - $80 per day – this support will help the teacher prepare and present the Dhamma
Supporting Dana: $80 - $120 per day – this support will additionally help the teacher in their daily dedication to the Dhamma
Strengthening Dana: $120+ per day – this support will enable the teacher to further their own study with other teachers to grow and flourish in the Dhamma
Scholarships
Everyone is Welcome
PIMG Retreats are organised on a non-profit basis. Over the years we have been fortunate to accumulate funds which enables us to offer several partial scholarships each retreat. The intent of the scholarship is to ensure that no yogi is denied the opportunity of attending a retreat because of financial hardship.
When registering for a retreat an option will be provided to request for a scholarship and will be considered by the PIMG committee when the application is received.
Past Retreats
Patrick Kearney & Emma Pittaway
Patrick Kearney & Emma Pittaway
Patrick Kearney & Emma Pittaway
April 2025 - Held at Jhana Grove
Alexis Santos - November 2024
Patrick Kearney & Emma Pittaway
Patrick Kearney & Emma Pittaway
Held at Jhana Grove
Ariya Baumann - March 2024
Patrick Kearney & Emma Pittaway
Patrick Kearney - November 2023
Held at Jhana Grove
Patrick Kearney - November 2023
Patrick Kearney - November 2023
Patrick Kearney - November 2023
Held at Jhana Grove
Shaila Catherine - March 2023
Patrick Kearney - November 2023
Patrick Kearney - November 2022
Held at Jhana Grove
Patrick Kearney - November 2022
Patrick Kearney - November 2023
Patrick Kearney - November 2022
Held at Jhana Grove
Ariya Baumann - July 2022
Patrick Kearney - Oct-Nov 2021
Patrick Kearney - Oct-Nov 2021
Online retreat
Patrick Kearney - Oct-Nov 2021
Patrick Kearney - Oct-Nov 2021
Patrick Kearney - Oct-Nov 2021
Online retreat
Ariya Baumann - March 2021
Patrick Kearney - Oct-Nov 2021
Patrick Kearney - November 2020
Online retreat
Patrick Kearney - November 2020
Patrick Kearney - November 2020
Patrick Kearney - November 2020
Online retreat
Alexis Santos - December 2019
Patrick Kearney - November 2020
Alexis Santos - December 2019
Held at Jhana Grove
Ariya Baumann - July 2018
Patrick Kearney - November 2020
Alexis Santos - December 2019
Held at Jhana Grove
Kamala Masters - December 2017
Steve Armstrong - December 2016
Kamala Masters - December 2017
Held at Jhana Grove
Patrick Kearney - May 2017
Steve Armstrong - December 2016
Kamala Masters - December 2017
Held at Jhana Grove
Steve Armstrong - December 2016
Steve Armstrong - December 2016
Steve Armstrong - December 2016
Held at Jhana Grove
Kamala Masters - December 2015
Sayadaw U Tejaniya - November 2013
Steve Armstrong - December 2016
Held at Jhana Grove
Sayadaw U Tejaniya - November 2013
Sayadaw U Tejaniya - November 2013
Sayadaw U Tejaniya - November 2013
Held at Jhana Grove
Sayadaw U Tejaniya - November 2013
Sayadaw U Tejaniya - November 2013