Compassion & Emptiness: A Weekend Retreat with Ajahn Kovilo & Ajahn Nisabho (In-person in Twisp, WA)

The Buddha described many routes towards cultivating the spacious heart and mind, from developing a sense of boundless compassion to the perception of infinite space. Though practitioners may incline towards one or another of these approaches, meditators of all experience levels and proclivities can find in the Buddha’s teachings means of developing a profound breadth of heart, both on and off the cushion.

Ajahn Nisabho and Ajahn Kovilo will offer talks, meditation instructions, and interviews. This retreat is suitable for meditators of all experience levels. Join for two days of meditation and teachings, 9 am – 5 pm on Saturday, Oct. 5th, and Sunday, Oct. 6th, at the Twisp Valley Grange in Twisp, WA (344 W 2nd Ave, Twisp, WA). Note that Clear Mountain’s weekly Saturday gathering in Seattle will still be held as usual with Ajahn Kovilo present.

To learn about future monastic teachings in the area, check out the website and newsletter of Cascade Hermitage, the event’s host and a nascent monastic retreat in the Winthrop, WA. 

To register, email cascadehermitage@gmail.com.  

Note: People may come for one day if unable to attend the full two. On Sunday, those coming from out-of-town may leave at 3:30 pm in order to have time to return home. Feel free to mention in your registration email if you’re interested in requesting or providing a carpool!

Schedule
9 – 10 am: Brief welcome, introduction, & guided meditation.
10 – 10:30 am: Dhamma talk
10:30 – 11:30 am: Sitting & walking meditation
11:30 am – 12:30 pm: Lunch
12:30 – 1 pm: Rest/ free time
1 – 2 pm: Guided meditation and Q&A
2 – 3:30: Walking & sitting meditation (and individual interviews)
3:30 – 4 pm: Dhamma Talk
4 – 4:30 pm: Walking & sitting meditation (and individual interviews)
4:30 – 5 pm: Closing comments, and spreading blessings
5 – 6 pm: Informal Teatime, clean-up, and general hobnobbing with old and new friends!

Meal (Individual sack lunch)
To keep the event simple, the retreat will not feature a potluck this year. Participants are invited to bring a sack lunch, and they may still offer food for the monastics’ meal at the start of the lunch break.

What to Bring

• A meditation cushion (some spare cushions and chairs are available for sitting at the venue)
• A blanket if you get chilly sitting still
• A sack lunch
  
• A sun hat and sunscreen for outdoor walking meditation
• Your intention to practice in community!
  

Lodging & Camping

For camping and lodging options, see the “Camping and Lodging Options in the Methow Valley” document. 

Donations
All teachings are offered completely free of charge, with no expectation of anything in return. However, those attendees who feel inspired to donate may do so at the event or visiting Friends of Clear Mountain. Such contributions help support future offerings and the growth of Dhamma.

Biographies
Ajahn Kovilo
Ajahn Kovilo is an Ohio-born monk who, having been introduced to meditation through the Goenka tradition, first entered the monastery in 2006. After receiving full ordination from Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro at Abhayagiri Monastery in California in 2010, he spent the next decade training at monasteries in the Ajahn Chah tradition in America and Thailand. In 2020, after a year practicing at a Pa Auk Sayadaw monastery, Ajahn Kovilo enrolled at the Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU) to study Pali and to better understand Mahāyāna practices. Having graduated from DRBU in 2024, Ajahn Kovilo has now joined the Clear Mountain community in person.

Ajahn Nisabho
After finishing college in 2012, Ajahn Nisabho left his native Washington to go forth as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. He received full ordination the following spring under Ajahn Anan, a senior disciple of renowned meditation master, Ajahn Chah, and spent the following years training in forest monasteries around the world with contemporary masters such as Ajahn Anan, Ajahn Pasanno, and Ajahn Jayasaro. Over these years, he came to believe the tradition represented a faithful embodiment of the original Buddhist path able to yield great fruit even amidst the complexities of modern life. In the summer of 2021, he returned to Seattle to plant the first seeds of Clear Mountain Monastery.

For news of upcoming retreats and teachings, subscribe to our YouTube channel, Facebook page, Discord Server, or newsletter. If you live in the greater Seattle area, you may join our “Mitta Meetups” Community Calendar and WhatsApp group for locals. Photos of in-person or Zoom attendees may be used in Clear Mountain social posts.