Compassion During Turbulent Times: A Retreat for People of Color

Compassion During Turbulent Times: A Retreat for People of Color
Friday November 7th, 6pm to Monday November 10th, 2pm

Just as the Buddha faced Mara on his path towards enlightenment, turning hatred into compassion, we as Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous, People of Colour (BLAIPOC), will come together in community to explore the empowering tools of self love, resilience, and wisdom.

As the En Vogue song goes...”Free your mind, and the rest will follow”. The Buddha gave us the practices of loving kindness and mindfulness to help bring awareness to our experiences so that we can transform our lives. So how do we as a community of Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous People of color best navigate a world that is driven by the three poisons of greed, hatred and delusion?

Inspired by some of the great leaders in our times, we can also look to them for additional direction on the path toward freedom.

Alice Walker told us “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his famous speech titled “The Three Evils of Society”, spoke of the need to move society beyond the three poisons of racism, poverty and militarism.

Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, in another important speech, offered key insights to his community as to how to face its challenges: "My final words of advice to you are educate, agitate and organize; have faith in yourself. With justice on our side I do not see how we can lose our battle. The battle to me is a matter of joy. The battle is in the fullest sense spiritual. There is nothing material or social in it. For ours is a battle not for wealth or for power. It is a battle for freedom. It is a battle for the reclamation of human personality.”

And Marcus Garvey exalted us to “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!”

Through the practices of meditation, music, movement, joy and community we will explore transforming the mind with compassion.

This retreat will be co-led by friends in the Triratna Buddhist Order,  Vimalasara from Canada, Suryapala from USA, and Jayasuri from the UK.

Vimalasara is a senior teacher in the Triratna Buddhist Community, ordaining women into the lineage. They lead retreats in the US, Canada, UK and Europe. They are the award winning author of 11 books, most recently a First Aid Kit For The Mind. They live in Canada.

Jayasuri has been a practising Tritana Buddhist for more than 30 years and has been involved in cultivating & shaping BAIPOC retreats, meditation days etc.. To make Triratna practices accessible to BAIPOC communities. Jayasuri is an Ordained Buddhist, Mother, Grandparent, Practising Psychotherapist, Meditation Teacher,  Mindful Movement Meditation facilitator, & loves life, people, places, dancing, & Music. 

Suryapala is an Ordained Buddhist in the Triratna Buddhist Community and has been practicing meditation regularly for seven years. He began his Buddhist journey in the United Kingdom and for the last several years has been an active member of the New York/New Jersey sangha.
 

This retreat is residential and meals/housing are included in the price. Please see the note below about donations for teachers. You can access helpful information about attending retreats at Aryaloka here.
 

As of May 1st, 2025 we are no longer requiring covid testing to attend overnight events at Aryaloka. You may consider testing on your own initiative but we will not be asking to see a negative test. We will continue to run air purifiers in common spaces during all events at Aryaloka. 

We will be maintaining a few health related requests as follows:

• If you know you have been exposed to Covid-19 or if you have had Covid-19 within a five day period of the event’s start-time, we ask that you not attend in-person.
• If you have cold or flu symptoms, we ask that you do not attend in-person.

Zoom options are available for some events. Transfer of fees or refunds are also available for illness or illness-preventative related absence. Please email info@aryaloka.org if you have any questions, or health related concerns.
 

A Culture of Generosity and Support
In the tradition of passing on the Dharma freely, our Dharma retreat and workshop facilitators offer their work without charge and are not paid. We recognize the value in what they do and want to thank them for their time, energy and wisdom. A financial gift can help support our facilitators to afford them the opportunity to lead. Please consider making a donation towards their support. There is often a cash collection and a thank you card that is passed on the retreat, though one can also make a donation directly to facilitators with a check, and some use money transfer services such as PayPal or Venmo. Thank you for your generosity.

At Aryaloka, we strive to make our programs available to everyone regardless of their financial circumstances. Our fee structure allows you to pay according to your means. 

The Event Rate is our actual fee for the event. It is for people paying their rent or mortgage, and who can afford occasional or regular leisure expenses such as dining out. Any payment above the advertised fee is a tax-deductible donation. 

The Mid-Level Reduced Rate is for those who are paying their mortgage or rent, though experience a consistent tightness in budget that makes extras like leisure activities or unexpected expenses difficult or impossible. 

The Base-Level Reduced Rate is for those without an income or with an income low enough that making ends meet is a challenge. 

Those whose circumstances are not included above can email the office to make other arrangements including reduced rates, payment schedules, volunteer opportunities and scholarships. info@aryaloka.org