Contemplative Care Retreat 2024: The Nobility of Imperfection -

Contemplative Care Retreat 2024: The Nobility of Imperfection

Led by Chodo Robert Campbell Sensei & Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei with visiting teachers & friends Marie Howe, Dan Harris, and Dr. Bianca Harris.

Wednesday, September 25th - Sunday September 29th, 2024 at the Garrison Institute in Garrison, NY.

Our Contemplative Care Retreat this year is a time of community exploration, grounded in the practice of the Six Paramitas (sometimes referred to as the Six Perfections). As we dive into the teachings of generosity, ethical conduct, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom, we uncover their relevance in our relationships with both ourselves and others.

Contemplative care practices deepen our understanding of community, recognizing it as a space for growth, connection, and mutual support. Through shared experiences and open dialogue, we cultivate a sense of belonging and interconnectedness, enriching our lives with diverse perspectives and collective wisdom.

Central to our exploration is the concept of engaged nobility, a practice that stems from a realized buddhamind, dharma, and sangha. We will dive into the relationship between nobility and imperfection, exploring how embracing our flaws and vulnerabilities is essential for embodying true nobility and authenticity.

What to expect during our time together:

Through meditation, dharma talks, personal meetings with teachers, experiential learning exercises, delicious meals, and periods of rest, work, and movement, we will consider together how to care for one another while continuing to cultivate our own unique expressions of joy, courage, compassion, and connection. This retreat will maintain Noble Silence after dinner through breakfast.

This annual retreat is open to all!

Whether you are new to meditation and integrating spiritual practice with care or you are an experienced practitioner needing reinvigoration. We celebrate anyone who wishes to dive deeper into practice and relationship.

For alumni of our Foundations in Contemplative Care program or Contemplative Medicine Fellowship, the annual retreat is a reunion and an opportunity to reconnect, meet other practitioners, and nourish your practice within community.

Join us as we explore the teachings of the six paramitas and their transformative potential in our lives!

20 Continuing Education Credits (CEs) for Social Workers are available for this retreat. There is a $25 certificate fee for CEs. Please be sure to add this to your registration if you'd like to receive CEs for this retreat. You will also be required to complete an evaluation form after the retreat in order to receive CEs.

NYZC is an approved provider of SW CEs through the NYSED State Board for Social Work. If you are licensed outside of New York State, please check with your local SW Board to make sure they'll accept these CEs.

COVID-19 POLICY

It is the Garrison Institute's policy that every guest and participant must self-test (at home antigen test is acceptable) within the 48-hour window prior to arriving for a retreat on site, and bring a second self-test kit when coming on site. They do not require proof of a negative test result. If you have a positive test result, please notify us immediately at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please see their Safety Protocols for Covid-19 page for more information.

The Garrison Institute will continue to follow any COVID-19 guidelines set forth by local officials, NYS, and the CDC.

HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY

Please review and complete the required questionnaire and waiver found here. Registrations are not considered finalized until this form has been completed.

SCHOLARSHIPS

A limited number of partial scholarships are available for this retreat. Scholarship accommodations are for shared (double or triple) rooms only. Please apply for support by completing a Scholarship Application Form. Due to limited funds, preference will be given to sangha members who regularly participate at the Center. Priority deadline: June 21, 2024.

GETTING THERE

The Garrison Institute is reachable by car or Metro North Railroad. There is also a Shortline Bus to Poughkeepsie, which is 30 minutes from the Garrison Institute. For further information, please see this Travel and Transportation pdf on the Garrison website.

Please anticipate an arrival time between 3:00pm and 4:00pm, with dinner at 5:00pm. Please check your registration confirmation email for more information on what to bring.

REFUND POLICY

More than 2 weeks ahead of the retreat - 50% refund. Within the two weeks prior to the start of the retreat - non-refundable. Registration will close at 4pm Eastern Time on September 13th, 2024.

All prices include tuition, lodging, and three vegetarian meals a day. Supporter and Benefactor Level pricing are available for those who wish to increase their support of NYZC and our work to make the dharma accessible to all.

Donations (dana) to teachers are not included in registration cost. Dana is a foundational practice that emphasizes the importance of cultivating generosity without attachment or expectation of reward. In the Soto Zen teachings, we practice the act of giving not for benefit but to transform the mind of the giver and receiver equally.

The teachers offer themselves freely as an expression of dana. We encourage you to contribute an amount meaningful to you at the end of the retreat.

Retreat Teachers:

Chodo Chodo Robert Campbell Sensei, GC-C

NYZC Co-Founder, Vice President, & Guiding Teacher

Chodo Robert Campbell Sensei is a Zen teacher, bereavement specialist, grief counselor and a recognized leader for those suffering with the complexities of death & dying, aging, and sobriety. The educational non-profit he co-founded, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, touches thousands of lives every year through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices. Chodo has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets.

Koshin Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei, MFA, LMSW, DMIN

NYZC Co-Founder, President & Guiding Teacher

Koshin Paley Ellison is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year. Koshin has appeared on dozens of podcasts and his work has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets. He is the author of Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion (Balance/Hachette, 2022); Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up (Wisdom Publications, 2019). And the co-editor of Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End of Life Care (Wisdom Publications, 2016).

Marie Howe was born in 1950 and received her MFA from Columbia University in 1983. Her debut volume, The Good Thief, was selected by Margaret Atwood as winner of the 1987 Open Competition of the National Poetry Series, published in 1988 by Persea Books. Since then, she has published two more collections, What the Living Do (W. W. Norton, 1998) and The Kingdom of the Ordinary (2008). In 1995, she edited (with Michael Klein) the anthology In the Company of My Solitude: American Writing from the AIDS Pandemic. About her work, the poet Stanley Kunitz has said, "Marie Howe’s poetry is luminous, intense, and eloquent, rooted in an abundant inner life." Her awards include a fellowship at the Bunting Institute, as well as a Guggenheim Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. She has served on the faculty of several schools, including Tufts University and Dartmouth College. She currently teaches at Sarah Lawrence, New York University, and Columbia University in New York City, where she lives with her daughter. In August 2012 she was named the State Poet Laureate of New York State.

Dan Harris is a fidgety, skeptical ABC News anchor who had a panic attack live on "Good Morning America," which led him to try something he always thought was ridiculous: meditation. He went on to write the bestselling book, 10% Happier, and launch the 10% Happier podcast. Guests include legendary meditation teachers — from the Dalai Lama to Western masters — as well as scientists, and even the odd celebrity. But the show also ventures beyond meditation, bringing on leading researchers in areas such as social anxiety, bias, creativity, productivity, and relationships.

Dr. Bianca Harris is a specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Her expertise is in treating patients who have been admitted to the hospital ward or intensive care unit with breathing problems due to cancer and its related-treatments. Over the past few years she has also been writing a personal narrative on imposter syndrome as it pertains to women in academic medicine. Lastly, she diverts much attention to raising her son (Alexander), husband (Dan) and 3 cats (Ruby, Toby and Steve).

Event Registration

Ticket Type	Price
Single Room - Benefactor Level	$1,598.00
Single Room - Supporter Level	$1,498.00
Single Room - Standard Pricing (Actual Cost)	$1,398.00
Double Room - Benefactor Level	$1,372.00
Double Room - Supporter Level	$1,222.00
Double Room - Standard Pricing (Actual Cost)	$1,122.00
Triple Room - Benefactor Level Note: Triple rooms are located on the 4th floor. There is no elevator.	$1,196.00
Triple Room - Supporter Level Note: Triple rooms are located on the 4th floor. There is no elevator.	$1,046.00
Triple Room - Standard Pricing (Actual Cost) Note: Triple rooms are located on the 4th floor. There is no elevator.	$946.00
Continuing Education Credit (CE) Additional Fee This is an additional fee so that you can receive CE credits. Please be sure to add this to your registration if you'd like to receive CEs for this retreat.	$25.00

Seizing Our Opportunity to Live | Koshin Paley Ellison