Clear Sky Meditation Centre

Karma Yoga Program - September 2019 Intake Day
2019-09-06
As the Spirit Moves 2025: Eclectic Advanced Dharma Weekend Retreat

“When the training is for the rest of your life — and all future lifetimes — that’s when it gets really fruitful.” -Catherine Sensei

Expect the unexpected! How will the Spirit move? This weekend is an offering of raw Dharma from the Teacher. You get to show up and experience epic Dharmic teachings, without a particular predetermined subject. Be ready for anything and everything Dharma. Unforeseen, undetermined, unregulated. No seatbelts allowed. Retreat Dates: July 11 – 13, 2025 Registration Closes: July 4th

Attend In-Person (Registration Closed)

Attend Online (Registration Closed)

Buddhism

focus area

Guru Yoga

practice

Weekend

Duration

Advanced

Skill Level

In-Person & Online

format

As the Spirit Moves

In the past, people “showed up” for Dharma teachings, regardless of topic. The teachings given were inspired by the energy of the people there. Qapel, one of our founding teachers, used to say that he would go to a class of his Teacher, Namgyal Rinpoche, even if he were just reading a phone book! The Spirit of Dharma… it moves! So, are you ready to join Catherine Pawasarat Sensei for an eclectic weekend of “old school” style Dharma teachings? Wisdom invites you to learn on the path of riding the dragon, come what may. As you are well aware, life is a great big journey into the unknown, a Dharmic odyssey. This weekend is the same! Come to soak in Dharmic teachings from Catherine Sensei, have fun, and learn more about how to be the kind of being you want to be. As Bodhisattvas, we keep on diving into learning how to be of service and help alleviate the suffering of beings. It’s an amazing ride, and every opportunity to dive into the depth of Dharma is a precious one. How do we know what we need to hear—and when we hear it, will we listen? There’s only one way to find out. Take a leap of faith. Join the Teacher. Join the spirit of integral evolution. We dare you!

Attend In-Person (Registration Closed)

Attend Online (Registration Closed)

"I feel like a whole new world of understanding has opened up for me to explore. The teachings were interesting, vibrant, and so very relevant to our lives. Qapel and Catherine Sensei have done a wonderful job at distilling these vast teachings without oversimplying concepts. The teachings were visual, informative, and interactive. It was a great and lots of fun!"
Jenai L.

Course Details

Time and Location
As the Spirit Moves will be led by Catherine Sensei at Clear Sky Meditation Center in Eastern BC.
An online option is also available to make participation possible from anywhere in the world.
What Does the Course Cost?
In-Person Participants: 1) dāna to the Teachers and 2) accomodation and meal costs for your stay Clear Sky Meditation Centre.
Online Participants: 1) dāna to the Teacher and 2) online administration fee of $150.

Meet the Teachers

Catherine Pawasarat Sensei began her spiritual practices in earnest in her early 20s, when she struggled to make sense of and overcome personal suffering and international environmental and social justice challenges. She became a student of metaphysics, Western spiritual traditions, and the ayahuasca sacraments in the 1990s. For 26 years Catherine Sensei trained daily with Qapel Doug Duncan in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. With Qapel she co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center and Planet Dharma and is a lineage holder for these teachings. She supports the spiritual underpinnings of social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship for spiritual practitioners. She worked as an advocacy photojournalist and studied traditional Japanese arts (including koto, shamisen, kyogen) in Kyoto for 20 years, culminating in her landmark work GionFestival.org. Since the early 2000s Sensei has provided dharma training and taught the path of awakening to hundreds of students, together with Qapel and on her own. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life, Sensei also draws on generative living (a.k.a. sustainability) and the arts. More About Sensei | About the Lineage

About Clear Sky

Located in the BC rocky mountains, we offer over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature. Founded by Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei, we are home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world. In adherence with our quadruple bottom line, we source our food as local and organic as possible. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW on how to get here, what to bring and what to expect.

Attend In-Person (Registration Closed)

Attend Online (Registration Closed)

"Clear Sky is my favourite place to retreat. I am so grateful to find such an amazing place to study various meditation practices, walk in stunning nature and eat fresh food from the farm. I always enjoy going there for more."
Maya L.

FAQs

About Dāna

Dana: Registration fees cover food, accommodation and the technology needed to offer the retreat online. The Teachings are freely given on the basis of dāna. You may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart”. Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”. With dāna, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course, and we trust you’ll match our time, energy, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. The dharma has been built on generosity. No-one is excluded for lack of funds but it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able Typically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course. As we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure. Another form of giving dāna is to offer service, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way, we invite you to contact us. Conversely, if you are financially secure, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers, teachings, and center. Learn more about the practice of dāna here.

Sample Daily Schedule

Specific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST)
6:30 – 7:30 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast: Prepare, eat, clean up8:15 – 8:45 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice9:00 – 10:00 AM: Class with Teachers10:00 – 10:30 AM: Walk10:30 – 11:30 AM: Group Practice led by Sangha11:30 – 12:30 PM: Personal Practice12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch: Prepare, eat, clean up1:30 – 3:00 PM: Personal Practice3:00 – 4:00 PM: Group Practice led by Sangha4:00 – 5:30 PM: Personal Practice5:30 – 7:00 PM: Dinner: prepare, eat, clean up7:00 – 7:30 PM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:30 PM: Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers8:30 – Beyond: Personal Practice & bed

Food, Weather, Accommodation and How to Get Here

Click here for details on how to get here, what to bring and what to expect. Note: In the unlikely scenario that this retreat is cancelled, we recommend purchasing refundable travel fares.

Scholarship Application

We aim to make our retreats as accessible as possible. As a centre run entirely by Karma Yoga (selfless service), retreat fees only cover food, accommodation and the equipment required to offer them online. The teachings themselves are offered on the basis of Dāna (pay-from-the-heart). For some, this is still a barrier of entry. If you are seeking financial assistance to attend a retreat, please complete a Scholarship Application form.

Cannabis, Psychedelics and Microdosing

We recognize and respect plant medicine as an important part of some people’s spiritual paths. Please note, the meditation practice on this retreat is very powerful. Consuming mind-altering substances will detract from your experience and could cause negative side-effects. We ask that you refrain from microdosing or consuming mind-altering substances during this retreat and in the days immediately following it.

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