The Power of Silence — A Daylong Buddhist Insight Meditation Retreat
Date: Saturday, January 24th, from 10:00am to 4:00pm+ Pacific Time
Location: Portland Friends of the Dhamma @ 1404 SE 25th Ave, Portland, OR 97214. It will also be offered via Zoom.
Cost: Gift economy / aka donation
Registration: RSVP required; email me via David AT Pathofsincerity DOT com. Please note if you want to come in-person or virtually.
There will be a daylong retreat every other month; see further below for the schedule & mission statement.
Retreat Overview
The deepest teachings tend to not be contained in words so as much as in our wordless, mindful intimacy with the present moment.
In turn, the primary practice for this day will be to let go of all the stimulation, content, and busyness of daily life and drop into this more timeless presence.
You’ll be encouraged to keep it really simple, engage in timeless mindfulness practice, and cultivate a deeper & more present relationship with both yourself and this very moment.
After the opening talk, which will offer some basic instructions and frameworks for insight meditation, the rest of the day will be held primarily in silence until the very end, when there will be some discussion about how the day went.
Meditators of all experience levels and backgrounds are welcome. There are no prerequisites, requirements, or prior experience with this community needed.
Logistics
The meditation portion of the day will go from 10:00am to 4:00pm PT, with a lunch break around 1pm. Please bring your own lunch.
The day will feature alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation. There will be plenty of chairs and cushions available at the venue.
You are welcome to leave at 4:00pm or stick around for up to another hour for informal socializing and tea!
Cost
Offered on the gift economy (aka, generosity or donation).
Your presence is the biggest gift, though if you’re able, monetary contributions are always appreciated & help keep the ship afloat. For more info on why I choose to teach entirely on donation, check out this article on “the gift economy.”
Donations can be made in person or electronically via this link.
Bi-Monthly Daylong Retreats – Schedule
- March 28, 2026 – Theme TBD @ Portland Friends of the Dhamma
. - January 24, 2026 – The Power of Silence @ Portland Friends of the Dhamma
- November 22, 2025 – Unraveling Craving @ Portland Friends of the Dhamma
- September 27, 2025 – Wise Aspiration @ Portland Friends of the Dhamma
- July 26, 2025 – The Four Elements @ a riverside horse ranch
- May 24, 2025 – Flowing Awareness @ H.O.W Temple
. - March 29, 2025 – Essential Insight @ H.O.W Temple
- January 25. 2025 – The Power of Silence @ H.O.W Temple
- November 16, 2024 – Courageous Compassion @ H.O.W Temple
- September 7, 2024 – Uprooting Affliction @ H.O.W Temple
- July 27, 2024 – True Nature @ a riverside horse ranch
. - May 25, 2024 – Mindfulness of Mind @ H.O.W Temple
- March 30, 2024 – No Self, No Problem @ H.O.W Temple
- January 20, 2024 – The Power of Silence @ virtual
- November 11, 2023 – Embodied Awareness @ H.O.W Temple
- September 2, 2023 – Opening To What Is @H.O.W Temple
Daylong Retreats – Mission Statement
In a world that pulls our attention in so many directions, there is something incredibly powerful about taking a whole day with meditation as our top priority. In that spirit, here are the two primary purposes of these bi-monthly retreats:
- To create the conditions for people to go deeper into the dhamma — into a more robust stability of mind, peace, loving-kindness, and liberating insight.
- To practice the entire Noble Eightfold Path — as the Sangha Service Days focus more on the virtue section of the Buddha’s Eightfold Path, these days will focus more on the meditation & wisdom sections. This allows us to make a regular practice of the entire path, and do so not in isolation but with others!
Teacher Bio
David Sudar is a former Buddhist monk, who has completed over 3 years of silent retreats, including an intensive 21-month Vipassana Meditation retreat in Myanmar with his core teacher, Sayadaw U Tejaniya. He currently works as a Buddhist & meditation teacher in Portland, OR. He has taught extensively for the 10% Happier app, Pause Meditation, and the Path of Sincerity Sangha.