This is for a past event. For current events, please visit our Upcoming Events page.
Responding to Resistance: Sitting with ourselves and others in challenging times
A residential/non-residential weekend retreat with Jeanne Corrigal January 24-26, 2020, at Queen’s House Retreat & Renewal Centre, Saskatoon
Resistance is a normal human response, in the face of fear, loss, uncertainty, or to the way things are–within ourselves and in the world. “Just let it be” can be easy to say… and very very difficult to do. And yet, we understand this as key to our practice of liberation. Can we truly see resistance as a doorway to peace? This retreat will explore meeting this important part of our experience wisely, as a direct invitation to freedom, skillful action, and even to happiness, in the midst of our world.
Friday evening talk open to all
The Friday evening talk is open to the public on a donation basis. No pre-registration is required. Friday, January 24, 7-9 PM, Queen’s House Retreat & Renewal Centre
Fee for meals and accommodation
Residential option: $245 if registered on or before January 10; $275 after that date.
Includes single room, breakfast, lunch and dinner January 25 and breakfast and lunch on January 26.
Commuter option: $125 if registered on or before January 10; $155 after that date.
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner January 25 and breakfast and lunch on January 26.
Scholarship support is available, if cost is a barrier.
The retreat fee covers only the retreat costs: teacher travel, food, rental, incidental expenses, etc. Towards the end of the retreat, there is an opportunity for participants to practice generosity through offering financial support to Jeanne, in appreciation.
This is for a past event. For current events, please visit our Upcoming Events page.
The Path of Peace – a daylong retreat with Jeanne Corrigal
As we enter one of the busy seasons of our year, intentionally connecting with peace is an inner gift to offer ourselves and others. Peace is possible in this moment, even in difficult or busy conditions. The more we practice peace, the more accessible it is to us, and the more we can offer peace to the world.
This day long retreat will be held in noble silence, and will offer dharma talks, meditation instruction in touching peace, and gentle relational practices.
Date: Saturday, December 7, 2019 Time: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm Place: Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan, 2221 Hanselman Court, Saskatoon Cost: This retreat is freely offered. In keeping with our tradition, there will be two dana bowls, one for retreat expenses, and one for Jeanne, if people wish to offer financial dana.
This is for a past event. For current events, please visit our Upcoming Events page.
See below for a summary of the day, and some additional information about the Fish Lake Métis Settlement, pictures on Facebook, and links to additional articles.
All Our Relations: Wisdom Teachings from Indigenous and Insight Meditation Traditions
This retreat will weave Indigenous and Buddhist ways of knowing to connect with Nature as our guide and teacher. Gentle reflective practices will touch our interconnection with all beings, our innate wisdom, and our capacity for peace. This retreat will nurture a coming home, to our natural way of being.
With Jeanne Corrigal and Tina Settee Saturday, September 7, 2019 10 am – 4 pm
This retreat will be held at the Fish Lake Métis Settlement (in photo), founded by Elder Jim Settee, in 1935. This lake was home to many Métis families until the 1990s, and is still cared for today by these same families, whose efforts resulted in provincial heritage status for this area, in 2012.
Please email contact@saskatooninsight.com to let us know you are coming. We will then send you directions, and try to connect folks who wish to car pool. Fish Lake is 190 kilometres north of Saskatoon, near Christopher Lake.
Tina Settee is a granddaughter of Jim Settee, and a loving caretaker of Fish Lake. Jeanne Corrigal is a Meditation teacher certified by Spirit Rock Meditation Centre and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and currently a participant in the 2017 – 2021 Teacher Training at the Insight Meditation Society. One of her first teachers in loving presence was Elder Jim Settee.
There will be an opportunity to offer dana/donation to Tina, Jeanne, and for the upkeep of Fish Lake.
September 10 update
Hello dear SIMC community,
30 of us spent the day with Tina Settee, at Fish Lake, this past weekend, September 7. Jeanne has a special connection with Tina’s grandfather, the late Elder Jim Settee, who was one of her first teachers of loving presence.
Jeanne provided this bit of historical significance for this site: Jim and other Métis folks established Fish Lake in 1935, through negotiation with the provincial government for a home place for Métis families who were displaced when Prince Albert National Park was formed. The tourists who soon arrived were granted long term cabin leases, but the Métis were not legally able to stay in their existing cabins in the park, or to live on reserves with their extended families, and faced racism and were not welcomed in nearby towns. The Métis lifestyle did not jive with the clear-cutting of timber that was required in order to own private land under the Homestead Act, but was a more sustainable lifestyle with the land, which they were able to maintain at Fish Lake for several decades. In the mid 1980’s, unlike the long term leases granted the tourists and other newer local residents, the Métis leases were cancelled by the government, and their homes bulldozed to make way for a water ski and snow machine recreation area on Fish Lake. Then, in 2011, through the efforts of many local Métis and with some assistance from the film that Jeanne made about Elder Jim Settee, the local Métis petitioned for, and were granted, provincial heritage status for the area. Now, the Fish Lake Métis Settlement Community once again has a home that they can gather in.
Tina shared some stories of her family and of Fish Lake, took us on a walk to one of the historical home sites, and had a bunch of us making the best bannock ever! Jeanne also lead us in some meditation which combined her Buddhist and Indigenous teachings, both of which connect with our natural way of being, and with all our relations, including nature and ancestors.
If you would like to know a little bit more about the history of the Fish Lake Métis Settlement, you can ask to join their Facebook page. Tina will give you ‘permission’ to join, and the page will give more insight into the historic and current issues of this community.
Tina sent this message thanking us for our gift of dana, and to let us know that it will enable them to install a permanent sign at the entrance to Fish Lake, which they have been hoping to be able to do for some time. Tina says:
This past weekend, Sept. 7th, was a special day of sharing with this lovely community. Thank you Jeanne Corrigal and Andrea 💕 for this opportunity to be part of this gathering. A huge Thank you goes out to the Community for your gift🙏💕 much Gratitude. Hiy hiy We are getting a Fish Lake Métis Heritage Sign!!😊
This is for a past event. For current events, please visit our Upcoming Events page.
Silent Insight Meditation retreats at beautiful Anglin Lake, with Jeanne Corrigal
These retreats include dharma talks, practice talks with Jeanne, reflective meditation practices, and gentle paddling each day. For more information, please email the Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community, at contact@saskatooninsight.com. Registration is now closed.
Touching the Earth Insight Retreat August 11-14 On the eve of his enlightenment the Buddha touched the earth and asked for help to awaken. On this retreat we will touch the earth with our hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits, as we follow the Buddha’s guidance in cultivating insight and in understanding our own true nature.
Metta by the Lake August 14-17 An immersion in kindness with the community of land, lake, sky, trees, and all beings. Nature greatly supports this liberating heart and mind practice.
You can register for one, or both, retreats. There is a limit of 16 people per retreat.
Cost for each trip: $190, plus a food contribution equaling about $45. When you register, you will be invited to choose which food items you would like to contribute from our potluck list.
If you are able to bring a canoe, the cost is reduced ($105 per canoe). Maximum of six canoes are needed for each retreat.
Registration fees cover the operational expenses of the retreat (equipment, fees, transportation, etc). They do not cover the teachings, which are freely given because they are considered priceless. Dana is a Pali word meaning generosity. In keeping with Buddhist tradition, teachers do not charge for their services but are sustained by the generosity of their students. Dana allows the teachers and retreat staff to continue their Dharma work. There will be an opportunity to offer dana to Jeanne for her teaching.
We recommend at least one weekend residential retreat or a familiarity with Insight Meditation practice prior to this retreat. If you do not have this experience, registration may still be possible after a conversation with Jeanne. If this your first retreat, Jeanne will call you once you submit your registration to have a chat.
Swimming and basic canoe skills are needed.
Registration is now closed. Save the date for next year, August 6-9 and 9-12, 2020.
These retreats are led by Jeanne Corrigal, a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leader Program, and leader with the Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community. She is currently a participant in the 2017-2021 IMS teacher training program. Jeanne has practiced Insight Meditation for 21 years, is a certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher and Life Skills Coach. Jeanne is Metis and one of her first teachers in loving presence was Cree Elder Jim Settee. She is a long-time canoeist.
The Ten Paramis or perfections, are qualities of heart and mind that we have the opportunity to cultivate and nurture in our formal practice, and in our lives. They are doorways to a wholesome and responsive life. We live in difficult times. How to meet the everyday challenges, local and global, has become not only a personal exploration but a critical one for this time in our history. We will explore the foundational principles of the Paramis, how they can guide our practice, and the guidance they offer in living in a relational and complex world. During this retreat, we will deepen our silent practice, as well as acknowledge and even celebrate the expression of wisdom and love in our lives.
Teacher
Susie Harrington teaches meditation internationally and is the guiding teacher for Desert Dharma, which serves many communities in the Southwest near her home in Moab, Utah. She has trained in the Insight tradition since 1989, and in 2005 was invited into teaching by Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, and Guy Armstrong. Her teaching is deeply grounded in the body and often emphasizes the expression of mindfulness in speech and daily life. Susie brings the skills of inquiry, relational dharma, and the psychological/spiritual interface from her training in Hakomi Therapy and the Diamond Approach. Believing nature to be a profound teacher and a gateway to our true self, she often offers retreats outside. For more information on Susie Harrington, see: desertdharma.org
This is for a past event. For current events, please visit our Upcoming Events page.
Presence of Heart: Mindfulness and Kindness
A daylong retreat with Jeanne Corrigal Saturday, May 4, 2019, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
This retreat will weave Mindfulness and Kindness together to cultivate and explore affectionate attention to the moment, and to our lives, in the service of freedom in the heart and mind. Instruction, dharma reflections, and a variety of meditation practices, which can also be daily living practices, will be included. The retreat will be held in noble silence and will also include gentle verbal relational practices in both the morning and afternoon. We will be playing a little bit in this daylong, to cultivate a lightness and enjoyment of our practice. This retreat is suitable for beginners and for experienced practitioners deepening into the presence of heart on our life path.
Date: Saturday, May 4, 2019 Time: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm Place: Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan, 2221 Hanselman Court, Saskatoon Cost: This retreat is freely offered. In keeping with our tradition, there will be two dana bowls, one for retreat expenses, and one for Jeanne, if people wish to offer financial dana.
This is for a past event. For current events, please visit our Upcoming Events page.
Coming Home To dharma, to love, to ourselves and each other
A residential/non-residential weekend retreat with Jeanne Corrigal January 25-27, 2019, at Queens House of Retreats, Saskatoon
In celebration of our 20th Anniversary year of SIMC, this retreat will explore practices which bring us home, to our inner capacity for love and wisdom. Part of coming home, for Jeanne, has been a deepening sense of connection within the heart of the Buddha’s path and her Metis teachings. She will offer complementary practices from these two traditions throughout the meditations, dharma reflections, and gentle relational inquires of this retreat. This retreat will include small group sessions with Jeanne.
I have arrived, I am home. In the here, and in the now. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Tell her I know which road to take. Tell her, I know the way home. ~ Cree Elder Jim Settee
These fees cover expenses only. An opportunity to practice dana for the teacher will be available.
Cost for residential option: $245 if registered on or before January 11; $275 after that date. Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner January 26 and breakfast and lunch on January 27. All rooms are single occupancy.
Cost for non-residential option: $125 if registered on or before January 11, $155 after that date. Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner January 26 and breakfast and lunch January 27.
The full fee is due upon registration. Your spot will not be reserved until payment is received.
Cancellation Policy: For cancellation on or before January 11, 2019, all funds will be returned. For cancellation after January 11 a fee of $100 will be retained.
Please make cheques payable to Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community and send to Saskatoon Insight Mediation Community, c/o Doris Larson, 809 5th Ave. N. Saskatoon S7K 2R7. Payment by e-transfer and cash are also available.
If cost is a barrier, we have some scholarship funds available to support you.
This is for a past event. For current events, please visit our Upcoming Events page.
A daylong retreat with Jeanne Corrigal Sunday, December 9, 2018, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
The Buddha invites us to ‘Live in Joy’, touching its source in our own hearts. Mindfulness allows us to see clearly many flavours of joy and how to cultivate them; joy sustains the heart and cultivates equanimity, which supports mindfulness to stand even more closely to all states. This silent retreat will explore these mutually supportive states, and the importance of joy on the path of liberation. Dharma talks, instruction in sitting and walking, and gentle reflection practices will be offered.
Date: Sunday, December 9, 2018 Time: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm Place: Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan, 2221 Hanselman Court, Saskatoon Cost: This retreat is freely offered. In keeping with our tradition, there will be two dana bowls, one for retreat expenses, and one for Jeanne, if people wish to offer financial dana.
The intention of this program is to help participants deepen their formal practice and to integrate the dharma into their daily life. This program supports a shift from seeing the dharma as something we fit into our lives, to seeing our life through the lens of the dharma. This is the movement from having a spiritual practice to having a spiritual life. This is not about changing our lives, but rather changing our relationship with life. The Buddha teaches that through practice and understanding we can have less suffering, and the path points the way toward deep contentment and ease. This program is offered in support of each of us living fully, with an open heart, expanding kindness, and wisdom and care for the world. The program is based in the Buddhist Theravada, or Insight Meditation, tradition. It includes elements of study, reflection, discussion, one on one teacher support, and retreat.
Susie Harrington and Jeanne Corrigal will co-teach this program, in a unique way. Susie developed this program, modeled after Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Dedicated Practitioner Program (DPP), as a way of making the program accessible and financially feasible to a wider community. The core content of the program will be provided through pre-recorded dharma talks and guided meditations from Susie Harrington. Jeanne will be the live and in-person teacher, facilitator, and practice talk teacher. This program requires a one-year commitment. The full program is two years, with the option to commit for the second year at the end of the first.
Elements of the Program
(described in more detail following this list)
Monthly homework, dharma Buddy meeting, monthly group meetings with Jeanne, and ten half hour practice talks per year with Jeanne. The time commitment for this will be approximately 6-8 hours per month, with extra optional readings.
Three weekend residential retreats and two daylong retreats per year.
For the first year, the residential retreats are: November 23-25, 2018 April 5-7, 2019 November 22-24, 2019
Two day-long retreats (back to back): September 21 and 22, 2019
Topics covering essential dharma:
First Year
The Four Noble Truths
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
Awakening in the Body
Generosity
Wise Speech
Eightfold Path
Paramis
Relational Practice
Diversity and Privilege
Money, Work, and Livelihood
Working with Emotions
Qualities of the Heart: Metta, Karuna, Mudita, and Upekkha
Second Year
Dependent Origination
Transcendent Dependent Origination
Fetters and Entanglements
Illness, Death, and Compassion
Karma
Creativity
Socially Engaged Buddhism
Intimacy, Relationships, and Authentic Communication
Emptiness and Awareness
The Bodhisattva Path and Awakening
Monthly Homework
A wide range of topics are covered in the homework. Some topics will be more oriented towards understanding the fundamental teachings of the Buddha, while others will be more about life integration. There will be questions to consider and reflect upon and suggested meditations. Bringing the reflections and practices into daily life situations will be the consistent theme throughout. Each month will have 2-6 short readings, including a mix of suttas from the Buddha, and from modern writers. Additional reading will be optional for those with more time or interest in a given topic.
Monthly group meetings
Once a month there will be a 1-hour group discussion with Jeanne, to explore the monthly homework topic. These will be in person for local practitioners; for practitioners who live outside of Saskatoon, we will set up a group Skype or Google Hangout meeting.
Dharma Buddy
Each person will be paired with at least one other person in the program and talk at least once every two weeks. This is an opportunity to discuss and work with the homework material and practices more intimately and in depth. This is a wonderful part of the program as it is where we can deeply and vulnerably explore our personal experience. The length and setting are up to the dharma buddies.
Individual practice talks
Each participant will have a half hour phone, Skype, or in person practice talk ten times during the year (approximately once every 5 weeks) with Jeanne, to explore practice and the monthly topic. Participants will be able to use an online scheduling tool to choose their times.
Retreats
The retreats are an integral part of the program. The retreats will provide us with an opportunity to delve more deeply into topics, as well as create a community of support and deep dharma friends. The community we form and the long-term dharma friendships are a deeply enriching part of the program. There will be three weekend residential retreats per year exclusively for the program participants. There will also be two daylong retreats. On these retreats there will be a mix of silent practice, participatory and relational exercises, and discussion.
Program Requirements
At least one year of practice and at least one weekend or longer residential retreat, in the Insight Meditation Tradition.
If you do not have residential retreat experience, registration may be possible after a conversation with Jeanne.
Commitment to practice 6 days/week at least 30 minutes a day.
Commitment to all elements of the program – absences are inevitable, but the commitment to participation will deepen your experience as well as support the deepening of the group.
Commitment to the financial requirements and to the support of the teacher.
In addition to these commitments, you are encouraged to attend a minimum of one Insight Meditation residential retreat (of any length) in addition to the program retreats, during the period of the program. This will greatly support your practice.
Program Cost
Participants commit to one year of the program, to begin with. The full program is two years, with the option to commit for the second year at the end of the first.
The following estimated costs are for one year of the program (costs are subject to change):
1) $590 expenses, with optional additional $50 for scholarship contribution. This includes:
$220 – Three weekend residential retreats at Ancient Spirals, 10 miles south of Saskatoon (plus potluck food cost to be determined)
$ 20 – Two daylong retreats at McFarland House, Saskatoon
$300 – Administration fee, which will be shared between Susie Harrington, Jeanne Corrigal, and the program administrator/manager.
$ 50- additional cost to cushion for possible rise in above venue rates. This amount will be used for food costs at the Ancient Spirals retreat if it is not used during the program.
Optional – $50 scholarship contribution
2) Teacher support for Jeanne. In accordance with the tradition, Jeanne offers the teachings without a fee, (including the retreats, monthly homework, monthly group meetings, and 10 individual practice talks per person. This is a substantial commitment for Jeanne, and participant support through dana (also in accordance to tradition) will allow Jeanne to offer this program in all of its elements.)
There is no set donation for the teachings, and you may offer whatever you wish. At the same time, in Asia practitioners usually know the amounts that are needed to support a teacher, and so we offer this suggested guideline in the spirit of this tradition, and we will see what happens in this happy experiment. It is helpful to know that each retreat takes a teacher twice the length (or more) of the retreat to prepare for it.
Non-residential day long retreats: It is very helpful if these can somewhat average about $80 a person. Please feel free to offer less than this in order to ensure your participation, knowing that your presence and any financial contribution are valued. Please feel free to offer more, if you are able and it brings you joy to support others and the retreat in this precious way.
Residential retreats: It is very helpful if these can average about $200 a person. Please feel free to offer less than this in order to ensure your participation, knowing that your presence and any financial contribution are valued. Please feel free to offer more, if you are able and it brings you joy to support others and the retreat in this precious way.
Monthly homework, meetings, and practice talks: It is very helpful if these can average about $40 a person each month. Please feel free to offer less than this in order to ensure your participation, knowing that your presence and any financial contribution are valued. Please feel free to offer more, if you are able and it brings you joy to support others and the retreat in this precious way.
Application
Program is currently at capacity. You can use the registration form to be added to the wait list.
Please fill out the online registration form at: http://saskatooninsight.com/forms/view.php?id=20593 and make your expense payment by e-transfer, or by cheque. You can choose to make your payment in full upon registration, or in two installments, one with your application, and one by September 30, 2018.
The application period will be from January 5-June 30, 2018. Applicants will be contacted upon registration, and acceptance into the program will be ongoing throughout this period, until the program is full.
The program will have a minimum of 14 and a maximum of 18 participants. Please consider your ability to commit carefully. Because the fees are set to cover basic expenses, cancellations greatly affect the group and the funds we have to cover venues. Cancellations after September 30, 2018 will be refunded except for a $30 cancellation fee. Depending on the number of retreatants and the financial circumstances of the program, cancellations after October 30 may not be able to be refunded.
With Appreciation
This program is adapted by Susie Harrington from the Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Dedicated Practitioner Program (DPP). While many changes have been made, gratitude is extended to Sally Clough and Eugene Cash for developing that program and allowing us to use some of the materials they developed.
Program teachers
Susie Harrington teaches meditation nationwide and is the guiding teacher for Desert Dharma, which serves many communities in the Southwest near her home in Moab, Utah. She has trained in the Insight tradition since 1989, and in 2005 was invited into teaching by Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, and Guy Armstrong. Her teaching is deeply grounded in the body and often emphasizes the expression of mindfulness in speech and daily life. Susie brings the skills of inquiry, relational dharma, and the psychological/spiritual interface from her training in Hakomi Therapy and the Diamond Approach. Believing nature to be a profound teacher, and a gateway to our true self, she often offers retreats outside. For more information about Susie Harrington, see: desertdharma.org
Jeanne Corrigal has been practicing since 1999, and teaching since 2012. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioner Course and Community Dharma Leader Program, with Guy Armstrong as her mentor. She is currently a teacher trainee in the 2017-2021 Insight Meditation Society teacher training program, with Joseph Goldstein. She joyfully teaches and leads with the Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community, and other communities in Canada. Jeanne is also a certified MBSR teacher. She feels especially moved by lovingkindness and nature practices. Jeanne is Metis, and one of her first teachers in loving presence was Cree Elder Jim Settee.
For more information
Contact the program registrar, Doris Larson, at treasurer@saskatooninsight.com
This is for a past event. For current events, please visit our Upcoming Events page.
Jim Settee: The Way Home
An evening of film, storytelling, and Reconciliation awareness
October 13, 7 pm – 10 pm at 2221 Hanselman Court (the Learning Disabilities Association)
In 2009, Metis filmmaker Jeanne Corrigal completed a film for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), celebrating the remarkable story of a Saskatchewan Cree Elder, historian, tracker and mentor, and his universal teachings:
A desperate rescue team calls Jim Settee after an unsuccessful 3 day search for a lost boy. Fifty years later, the filmmaker’s own search for what happened on that day leads her into our universal quest for home, and her own personal homecoming. This is the story of Jim’s remarkable life, a story of transformation for those he touched, and a map for all people on our journeys ‘home’.
Since 2009, Jeanne has offered Jim’s wisdom in every school division in Saskatchewan, to over 35,000 students, teachers, and general adult audiences.
For Jeanne, one of the important backstories of this film is how Jim’s teachings connect with our Insight Meditation teachings – Jim was one of Jeanne’s first teachers in loving presence.
On this special evening, she will offer Jim’s message of reconciliation and understanding amongst all peoples, in our journey home to peace and connection. Our sangha values of community and harmony coincide with Reconciliation Canada’s vision of ‘revitalizing the relationships among Indigenous peoples and all Canadians…through conversation about our diverse histories and experiences.’
The evening will begin this beautiful conversation in our sangha, and include stories, film, education regarding Indigenous history, discussion, and some meditation. All are welcome! For those new to the Reconciliation movement, please bring your questions and curiosity. For those of our sangha who are currently working for Reconciliation, please bring your experience and presence.
“We are all one people. We are all one nation. We are all one colour if we try.” – All One People, by Joseph Naytowhow; from the soundtrack of Jim Settee: The Way Home
It is helpful for us to have a sense of numbers, so thank you for registering at http://saskatooninsight.com/forms/view.php?id=25030 And, if you are able to come at the last minute, please do so without registering
LDAS is a fragrance free facility. Please refrain from wearing scent or using scented products, to assist those with allergies.
There is no charge to attend this event; there will be a basket for those who are able to contribute to facility rental.
