TASTING ALIVENESS
A 5-Day In-Person Retreat
“It is present everywhere.
There is nothing it does not contain.
However only those who have previously
planted wisdom – seeds will be able
to continuously see it.”
~DOGEN
We are in challenging times. As our world seemingly speeds up and exhibits more complexity, what we need is deepening presence, stabilized attention and clarified action. And yet, as change accelerates, we find ourselves less present, less connected with our attention scattered and our actions increasingly reactive and impulsive. As we speed up, surfaces overly steer and command who we are and what we do. Today, we all risk losing what more sincerely matters to us.
The TASTING ALIVENESS 5-day in-person retreat is an invitation to remember our greater vitality, express deepening creativity and open a wonder that lives in each moment. Designed to support beginners and seasoned practitioners alike, this retreat is an opportunity for you to rest in the beauty and messiness of this very life, and to anchor yourself in the steadiness of the breath, wisdom of embodied community, and the ever-present liberation we can always taste and realize here and now.
The retreat integrates timeless teachings of the Zen tradition with strong interpersonal practices, pathways into aliveness and creativity, and embodiment practice we awaken, deepen, and unfold ~ together. We will sit as stillness, move with breath, and practice frameworks for accessing more vivid, authentic experiences and expressions of the future that wants to emerge here and now. Together we flow between protected retreat spaces and our urban surroundings to invoke wakefulness and presences within and bring depth and skill to the world around us.
We bring a generous spirit to whatever arises, awakening our unique forms of compassion and skillful action. Join us as we retreat as full hearts into stillness. Move with us through your dignity and broad inquiry. Advance the quality of connection, service and play that you yearn for and our world aches for. We hope you can join us.
From time to time
The clouds give rest
To the moon beholders.
~ BASHO
DETAILS:
Join us in beautiful Vancouver BC to experience liberation, connection, and aliveness.
Early bird deadline: Friday, October 3
Final registration deadline: Friday, October 31
Our tiered pricing is designed to make our offerings accessible to all, regardless of financial circumstances.
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• Standard Rate: Please select the mid-price if you are financially stable.
• Supporter Rate: If you are able to contribute more and support others’ participation, please consider the higher rate.
• Reduced Rate: Choose the lower rate if you are a student, from a country with a lower exchange rate, or have limited financial means.
We invite you to choose the option that best reflects your current situation, so your contribution feels both generous and sustainable.
Early bird pricing tiers (pay by Oct 3)
Early Bird:
$699- $799- $899
~ prices in Canadian Dollars ~
Regular pricing tiers (pay by Oct 3)
$799- $899- $999
~ prices in Canadian Dollars ~
Registration limited; please enroll at your earliest convenience.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
SCHEDULE
Tuesday, November 4: 7pm-8:30pm
Wednesday, November 5 - 7am-8:30pm
Thursday, November 6 - 7am-8:30pm
Friday, November 7 - 7am-8:30pm
Saturday, November 8 - 7am-8:30pm
Sunday, October 27 - 7:30am-12pm
Please plan to arrive on time for the retreat and to stay until the end. This will support creating a strong container of practice and community.
“If you are unable to find the truth right where
you are, where else do you expect to find it?”
~ Zen Master Dogen
YOUR TEACHERS ARE:
Lisa Genki Gibson Sensei has been practicing with Diane Musho Hamilton Roshi in the Soto Zen lineage since 2008 and received Dharma transmission in 2023. As a Zen teacher and committed student of reality, she is passionate about the potency of Zen practice to deepen our expression of wisdom, compassion and joy in everyday life. Based in Vancouver, Canada with her family on the unceded ancestral lands and waters of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Wauthuth Nations, Lisa works as a coach, facilitator and educator, to support the wholehearted engagement of a more just, caring and sustainable world.
Robert Daishin McNamara Sensei is a transmitted Zen teacher, advisor, consultant and executive coach. He is the author of three books, most recently Powerful Listening. He is a co-founder of the advisory and consulting firm Delta Developmental. Rob serves on faculty at the Ivey School of Business’ LIFT Advanced Coaching Program, Real LIFE Programs and is a former Harvard University Teaching Fellow teaching adult development at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. McNamara currently advises, trains, and coaches executives and teams addressing organizational viability risks. Rob’s passion supports leaders to better navigate complex organizational and civilizational challenges vital to current and future institutional capabilities.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
The retreat will take place at:
Bridge & Enrich Lives Society
718 East 20th Avenue
(Fraser and 20th)
Vancouver, BC
Please plan to arrive before the start of the retreat (6:30pm registration on Tuesday, November 4) and stay through the end of the retreat (12pm on Sunday, November 9). In other words, please ensure your travel plans will allow you to participate in the entire retreat.
5 days of programming in Zen practice and aliveness practice with 2 transmitted Zen teachers and certified facilitators
Breakfast, lunch and dinner on Wednesday-Saturday (except for dinner Thursday as we will be practicing in the community that evening) and breakfast on Sunday.
Coffee, tea, and snacks on Tuesday evening, and each morning and afternoon.
~ prices in Canadian Dollars ~
Travel
Accommodations
Guests are responsible for purchasing travel medical insurance and cancellation insurance which are strongly recommended.
If you need to cancel, 50% refund will be provided before October 15th. No refunds will be issued after November 1. No refunds will be given for failure to attend or complete the retreat.
Two partial scholarships are available for participants with financial constraints, who are willing to contribute through work-trade. Preference will be given to BIPOC and current students. Please email dragonmoonzen@gmail.com to express interest in a partial scholarship.
If you are travelling from out of town, please let us know if you’d like accommodation recommendations or if you’d like to be put in touch with other participants who are interested in sharing accomodations
All participants are required to sign a health & liability waiver in order to attend this retreat. This will be provided after registration and before arrival to retreat.
All participants are encouraged to purchase travel insurance. Please explore your options to purchase a premium policy with a Cancel For Any Reason contingency. Group travel bookings are not protected so it is the individual’s responsibility to protect their own investment.
Register
Tasting Aliveness, as a partnership between Dragon Moon Zen and Dragon Lake Zen, uses Zeffy for course registration, a free service provided to charitable organizations such as ours. Pricing is in Canadian dollars. Please choose the price that works for your current financial context. For those who can pay more, all higher funds received will help create practice opportunities for all participants.
On checkout, you will be asked to make a voluntary contribution to support Zeffy: note that this optional contribution goes directly to Zeffy, not to Dragon Lake or Dragon Moon Zen.