Finding Our Balance Amidst the 8 Worldly Winds

with John Orr

October 31 - November 3, 2019

Date and Time Details: Opening Day: check in is between 2-5pm, with orientation at 5:30pm and supper at 6pm. Closing Day: ends at 11am.

Location: Heartwood Refuge and Retreat Center

Address: 159 Osceola Rd Hendersonville, NC 28739

Contact: Retreat Manager
retreat@heartwoodrefuge.org
828-356-5568

Cancellation Policy: View Here

Room Assignments: Rooms are double-occupancy. Depending on the number of retreatants, if single rooms are available, we assign them in order of registration to those who registered earliest.

  • $304.00 – Residential Stay
    plus dana (offered at the end of the retreat) to the teacher and to Heartwood. You can read more about the practice of dana here.
  • $207.00 – Includes registration and meals, but not lodging.
    Does not include additional dana (offered at the end of the retreat) to the teacher and to Heartwood.
    Commuters attend the full retreat, including lunch and dinner, but are not provided with overnight accommodations. It is important to note that by registering as a commuter, you agree to attend the entire retreat and to arrive and depart at the scheduled time each day. Your presence is important, as having retreatants come and go or miss sessions can disrupt the container created by group practice.

During the course of our lives we all experience many ups and downs. The Buddha named eight experiences that we may be familiar with called  “The Worldly Winds.”

They are: Pleasure and Pain,

Gain and Loss,

Praise and Blame,

Fame and Disrepute.

These 8 winds and experiences blow within and all around each of us. No one experiences only pleasure without experiencing some form of  physical or emotional pain. Sometimes we experience gain in our lives and at other times we experience loss. People may praise and then on the other hand they may blame us. In our popular culture fame and disrepute seem to walk hand in hand. At times we may feel blown off balance as we experience these ever-changing “Worldly Winds”.

The Dharma and our meditation practice are a means to being centered and clear as these winds blow. Sometimes, in life, we fall down, but like a toddler learning to walk, we get back up and we try again. Gradually we find increasing equanimity with the changing winds of life and true peace within.

Instruction in Insight Meditation and heart-centered meditations will be offered. Dharma talks and chanting from various spiritual traditions will also be a part of the weekend, which is conducted in Noble Silence.  All are welcome to attend!

About the Leader

John Orr

John Orr received Theravada Buddhist ordination while living in Thailand and India as a monk for eight years in the 1970’s. He has been teaching meditation and leading retreats internationally since 1980 and has also practiced in the Taoist, Dzogbchen and Hindu Yoga traditions. He teaches through the New Hope Sangha in Durham, North Carolina […]

Learn more about John Orr

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