28 March – 12 April 2025
the way of natural awareness
Our practice is based on mindfulness, which emerges from the continuity of awareness. How can we maintain awareness? By recognizing the fact that awareness is part of nature; it’s not something we need to generate. When we “try” to be aware, our effort is based on our desire to be someone different, to have something different. But if we are already aware, then what is there to try for? And when we stop trying and allow ourselves to recognize what is already here, what happens then?
Natural awareness is an open and relaxed approach to meditation as a way of being in the world. Emphasizing continuity of awareness throughout activities as the basis for the cultivation of insight, it dissolves the dichotomy between 'meditation' and 'the rest of our life'. This retreat will explore the possibilities for this practice, held within the traditional Satipatthana framework.
This retreat will be taught by Patrick Kearney & Emma Pittaway.
Patrick Kearney
Patrick Kearney is an independent teacher in the lineage of Mahāsī Sayādaw. He has practiced Buddhist meditation for 40 years and has taught for more than 25 years. Patrick trained extensively in both Insight and Zen Meditation and has a particular interest in the original teachings of the Buddha.
Emma Pittaway
Emma Pittaway teaches an open ‘natural awareness’ approach that emphasizes meditation as a way of being in the world, based on her training in the Burmese Mahāsī and Shwe Oo Min lineages. Inspired by the Buddha and his followers who lived and meditated in the forest, she draws on the natural world to support her practice. She is the principal insight teacher at the Kuan Yin Meditation Centre in Lismore, NSW. Her primary teacher and mentor is Patrick Kearney.
Retreat booking information will be available in 2025
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
Make an Offering
Teachers do not charge a fee for leading retreats, but have chosen to follow the ancient tradition of offering the Dhamma freely and trusting in the generosity of those who receive it for their livelihood. Retreat fees are for costs associated with organising a retreat. This includes teacher's airfares, accommodation associated with the retreat, the cost of food and the cooks, room rental, and teacher support. Teacher dana is provided by voluntary donations given by students at the end of each retreat. There is no “correct” amount to offer as dana. Each yogi is free to offer according to their individual circumstances.
Dana is an ancient Pali word meaning “generosity”, “giving” or “gift”. It is directly related to the Latin word donum and through this to such English words as donor, donate and donation. Dana is intrinsic to the 2,500 year-old Buddhist tradition. Going back to the days of the Buddha, the teachings were considered priceless and thus offered freely as a form of dana. The early teachers received no payment for their instruction and, in turn, the lay community saw to it through their voluntary generosity, their dana, that the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter and medicine were provided for these monks and nuns.
Many yogis ask for guidance on the amount of dana to give. When giving dana to lay teachers we may want to reflect on the generosity they practise by devoting their lives to the Dhamma. Lay teachers share with all of us the ever increasing costs of daily life,and it is through our generosity that they are able to continue offering this precious gift. You are welcome to donate according to your means but as a guide, we suggest an amount of between $25 - $75 per day. The upper amount is not a limit and if you are able to exceed this limit it will aid the spread of the Dhamma, particularly during these times of increasing costs and exchange rate variations.
Please note that PIMG does not have EFTPOS facilities available, however dana can be paid by Direct Debit either to PIMG's bank account or to the teacher's bank account. Details will be provided to yogis when they register for a retreat.
Beyond the practical dimension, dana also plays a crucial role in the spiritual life of a Dhamma practitioner. It is the first of the ten paramis, or qualities of character, to be perfected. The act of giving itself is of immeasurable benefit to the giver for it opens up the heart, diminishes for a moment one’s self-absorption, and places value on the well-being of others. The simple gesture of offering a flower, an act of service, a kind thought or a simple meal is, in fact, a sincere form of practice.
Every retreatant has the opportunity to contribute to the smooth and efficient running of the retreat by doing some small job every day. You will have the opportunity to sign up for your “yogi job” on arrival.
Scholarships
Everyone is Welcome
All the retreats organized are completely non-profit. However, due to generous Dana we are able to offer partial scholarships for retreats. This is to ensure no one is denied an opportunity to practice.
Click HERE for the Scholarship Application Form.
Past Retreats
Alexis Santos - Nov 2024
Ariya Baumann - March 2024
Ariya Baumann - March 2024
Held at Jhana Grove
Ariya Baumann - March 2024
Ariya Baumann - March 2024
Ariya Baumann - March 2024
Held at Jhana Grove
Patrick Kearney - Nov 2023
Ariya Baumann - March 2024
Shaila Catherine - March 2023
Held at Jhana Grove
Shaila Catherine - March 2023
Shaila Catherine - March 2023
Shaila Catherine - March 2023
Held at Jhana Grove
Patrick Kearney - Nov 2022
Shaila Catherine - March 2023
Patrick Kearney - Nov 2022
Held at Jhana Grove
Ariya Baumann - July 2022
Shaila Catherine - March 2023
Patrick Kearney - Nov 2022
Online retreat
Patrick Kearney - Oct-Nov 2021
Patrick Kearney - November 2020
Patrick Kearney - Oct-Nov 2021
Online retreat
Ariya Baumann - March 2021
Patrick Kearney - November 2020
Patrick Kearney - Oct-Nov 2021
Online retreat
Patrick Kearney - November 2020
Patrick Kearney - November 2020
Patrick Kearney - November 2020
Online retreat
Alexis Santos - December 2019
Kamala Masters - December 2017
Patrick Kearney - November 2020
Held at Jhana Grove
Ariya Baumann - July 2018
Kamala Masters - December 2017
Kamala Masters - December 2017
Held at Jhana Grove
Kamala Masters - December 2017
Kamala Masters - December 2017
Kamala Masters - December 2017
Held at Jhana Grove