Awakening Amidst the World's Turbulence: An Insight Dialogue Retreat

With Phyllis K. Hicks and Bart van Melik

September 11 - 17, 2026

Date and Time Details: Friday, September 11 (check in 3-6 PM; program starts 7 PM) until Thursday, September 17 (checkout 1 PM)

Location: Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing

Address: 191 Cragsmoor Road, Cragsmoor, New York 12566, USA

Contact: retreats@dharmakayacenter.org
845.640.4593

Check-in Time: 3 PM – 6 PM

Per Person Prices:

    Program fees
    • Basic – $95
    • Supporting – $125
    • Sustaining – $155
    Accommodation fees Prices include 3 meals per day and use of all campus facilities.
    • Commuter – $650
    • Private Room (shared bath): Single – $1250
    • Private Room (shared bath): Couple – $1085
    • Junior Suite (private bath): Single – $1730
    • Junior Suite (private bath): Couple – $1415
    Teacher's fees Our teachers offer their teaching freely. We welcome and encourage your support through donations of dana.

    To extend your stay on personal retreat: Simply add days before or after the program during step 2 when making your reservation.

    Cancellation Policy: Program and accommodations fees are refundable up to 1 month prior to the program (less a $100 cancellation fee). Students cancelling less than 1 month before the program start have their money (less a $100 cancellation fee) moved to personal credit, which they can use any time within the following 12 months. There is no refund for same-day cancellations.

    • Commuter – $650.00
    • Private Room: Single – $1,250.00
    • Private Room: Couple – $2,170.00
    • Junior Suite: Single – $1,730.00
    • Junior Suite: Couple – $2,830.00
    Register now
    Register now

    RETREAT BY INVITED PRESENTER

    In times of rapid change, ecological fragility, and social unrest, our habitual patterns—of perception, thought, speech, and reaction shape our inner experience and view of the world. This retreat invites us to the immediacy of each moment and the quiet joy of simply being here, now. Together, we will explore the transformative potential of relating mindfully and cultivating the wholesome within ourselves, with one another, and with the living world.

    SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE: Scholarship support may be available. Please contact Susan Wiley with your requests.

    PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

    In Insight Dialogue we cultivate the stillness of concentration and the brightness of mindfulness directly in contemplation with others, allowing the heart and mind to become clear and radically present. As we bring awareness to the ways we construct our world, the heart’s capacity for wisdom, empathy, and responsiveness begins to unfold. We discover the refuge of the Buddha’s teachings and a path of awakening in the midst of the world’s turbulence.

    Vitally, we are reminded that we are nature, inseparable from the living web, and that our inner landscapes hold seeds of awakening and meaningful action.

    This retreat offers a blend of silent meditation, mindful dialogue in dyads and small groups, mindful movement, and time in nature, all within the container of noble silence.

    A Meditation Hall with cushionsEVENT HIGHLIGHTS

    • Intimate setting with personal access to the teacher
    • Interactive sessions with question and answer periods
    • Shamatha and guided meditations
    • Delicious all-vegetarian meals with locally sourced ingredients
    • Option to extend stay on Personal Retreat
    • Extensive library of dharma books
    • Expansive wooded grounds with beautiful paths, flora and fauna and walking trails

    OPEN TO ALL

    Prior silent retreat experience required.

    a buffet of vegetarian dishes

    SCHEDULE

    (subject to change)

    Friday, September 11

    3:00 PM Check in begins
    6:00-7:00 PM Dinner
    7:15-9:00 PM Welcome and Introduction
    Discussion on Retreat Mind
    Opening Meditation
    10:00 PM Lights Out

    Saturday, September 12 – Wednesday, September 16

    7:00-7:45 AM Walking Meditation
    8:00-9:00 AM Breakfast
    9:30-10:30 AM Morning Teaching, Q&A, and Meditation led by the Teacher
    10:30 AM-11:30 PM Gentle Yoga Practice (Saturday, Sunday)
    Contemplative Woods Walk, weather permitting (Monday, Tuesday)
    12:00-1:00 PM Lunch
    1:00-2:30 PM Personal Time, Reflection, Journaling
    2:30-3:30 PM Contemplative Woods Walk, weather permitting (Saturday, Sunday)
    Gentle Yoga Practice (Monday, Tuesday)
    3:30-4:30 PM Group Meditation led by the Teacher
    4:30-6:00 PM Personal Time, Reflection, Journaling
    Open Time with Teacher for Questions
    6:00-7:00 PM Dinner
    7:00-9:00 PM Evening Meditation led by the Teacher, optional
    Library Fireplace, optional
    10:00 PM Lights out

    Thursday, September 17

    7:00-7:45 AM Walking Meditation
    8:00-9:00 AM Breakfast
    9:30-10:30 AM Morning Teaching and Meditation led by the Teacher
    10:30-11:30 AM Q&A
    Group Discussion
    12:00-1:00 PM Lunch
    1:00 PM Checkout and Departure

    About the Teachers

    Phyllis K. Hicks

    Phyllis Hicks has been practicing insight meditation since 1998.  She was inspired by early Buddhist teachings as a whole life path and the transformative power of bringing mindfulness and wisdom to relational practices. Invited to train as an Insight Dialogue teacher in 2003, she began co teaching retreats with Gregory Kramer. Now she teaches internationally and […]

    Learn more about Phyllis K. Hicks

    Bart van Melik

    Bart van Melik is a guiding teacher at the Community Meditation Center in New York City. He has been teaching Insight Dialogue and silent meditation since 2009, and has been trained by Joseph Goldstein, Carol Wilson, Gregory Kramer, and Phyllis Hicks. Bart is a graduate of the Spirit Rock/Insight Meditation Society Teacher Training Program. Bart […]

    Learn more about Bart van Melik

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