Simplicity and Stillness: Cultivating the 5 Spiritual Strengths [On Land]
With Celeste Young and Devon Hase
April 24 - 30, 2025
Early bird discounts extended to November 30th!
This in-person retreat is open to both beginners and experienced practitioners.
During this weeklong spring insight meditation retreat, we will learn to slow down and attune to the fresh simplicity of our present moment experience, rest in stillness, and connect with the heart’s inner capacity for healing and freedom.
We will be exploring the cultivation of the 5 spiritual strengths or the 5 spiritual faculties that the Buddha taught: cultivating mindfulness, confidence and trust, persistence, concentration, and wisdom to support the development of our meditation practice. We’ll tend to the heart and mind with compassionate mindfulness and strengthen our connection with ourselves and each other, with time for enjoying nature, deep rest, and practice surrounded by nature.
Together we will explore some of the supports for presence: letting go of distraction, the deliberate cultivation of simplicity and contentment, and a renewed sense of connection with our own bodies, hearts, and minds in community. By bringing mindful attention to our moment to moment experience, we can learn to cultivate resilience amidst change and grow in awareness, love, and wisdom.
The structure of this Vipassana retreat includes guided meditations with time for Q&A each day, silent sitting and walking meditation periods, rest, mindful eating instruction, Dharma talks, and small group practice discussion meetings with the teacher.
Registration for this retreat closes on April 10th, 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific Time.
WHAT IS A SILENT MEDITATION RETREAT?
Also known as Vipassana, or Insight, this is a retreat held for several days in the practice of “noble silence” with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation throughout the day. There are teacher-guided sessions and talks, as well as self-guided periods. There also will be interview opportunities with the teachers to talk about your experience. Silence usually begins after dinner on arrival day and ends after breakfast on departure day. All are asked to hold the practice and silence throughout the entire time and to not leave the retreat early, so as to support the fullness of practice. Read more here on what to expect and sample schedule.
GENEROSITY
Retreat Cost & Fees:
Registration fees for this retreat support the cost of developing and offering BBRC programs, which include lodging, meals, and staff compensation.Teacher compensation is not included in your registration fees, as is the tradition of these retreats (see below). We price fees to make programs as financially accessible as possible.
Is cost a barrier? Nobody is turned away at Big Bear Retreat Center due to finances. We ask that financial assistance be prioritized for those who self-identify as BIPOC, hold marginalized identities, or are in financial need. For more information, please contact us at guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org.
Dana (Generosity) for Teachers (not included in registration fees):
The spirit of generosity is a foundational component to the Buddhist path. It supports the development of lovingkindness and compassion, deepens awareness of our interconnectedness and encourages non-attachment. Learn more about the practice of generosity.
As part of this tradition, many meditation teachers (including the teachers of this retreat) offer their teachings without set fees or compensation. BBRC reimburses teachers’ travel costs and provides teachers with meals and accommodations while teaching, but teachers receive no direct compensation from the retreat center. As a practice of generosity from the heart, participants are invited to offer “teacher dana” (donations-generosity) to the teachers at the end of the retreat. When we all take part in the offering and receiving of dana, we join a large circle of generosity. Learn more about this offering and tradition from IMS.
FEEL WELCOME AND INCLUDED: A PLACE TO BELONG
Our intention is to be as accessible as we can, even in ways that we may not be aware of yet. We hope this is a space of inclusivity where people feel welcome and held. For us, it is a practice of consistent attunement, presence and care to our community. However you identify – race, gender, sexuality, disability, mental health, and so on – it is our wish to meet your needs for belonging.
Please consider this about our environment:
- The center is on a hill with outdoor walkways between dining, gathering, and residential spaces.
- We are located at an elevation of 6,500 feet altitude in a ski town in the mountains of Southern California.
- We experience weather of all four seasons.
- We are located about 2 hours from Los Angeles and near 3 major airports. Learn more about getting here.
- We have a commitment to everyone’s mobility needs. Please contact us about ADA accessibility.
See our FAQs for more detailed information on accessibility to our campus and programs.
SIMPLE YET COMFORTABLE, NESTLED IN NATURE
Simple and elegant lodgings to support rest and renewal. Our rooms are uniquely designed to offer comfort, convenience, and simplicity. All of our cabins are surrounded by nature with forest sights and sounds. Lodgings are a short walk from spaces for dining and gathering. See a video tour of a cabin.
Our Meditation Hall is spaciously designed to provide an atmosphere that feels deeply integrated with nature and the surrounding forest. The versatile space is conducive for meditation, movement, workshops, training, and other community gatherings.
Food that nourishes to support healing, restoration, and community. Our organic and seasonally inspired menus feature creative and nourishing vegetarian meals, tailored to support meditative practices. We use fresh and locally-sourced ingredients when possible. Lunch is the most substantial meal of the day and dinner is lighter. Our indoor and outdoor dining hall is open 24/7 with self-service coffee, tea and healthy snack options.
HEAR MORE ABOUT BIG BEAR RETREAT CENTER
Big Bear Retreat Center is exceptional in every way. The accommodations are outstanding, food exceptional, staff very responsive and helpful and the teachers are always so loving and knowledgeable. Just a top notch retreat experience!! – Sheila
I love Big Bear Retreat Center. It’s my dharma home away from home. Everything about it – staff, teachers, food, accommodations, setting – is exceptional. A true gift to the community!!
Big Bear Retreat Center is indeed a refuge. A safe space to open your heart. – Laura
Teachers & Facilitators
Celeste Young is a Theravadin Buddhist mindfulness and Dharma teacher. She has been practicing meditation and sitting retreats since 2002. She was one of the first teachers to be empowered at InsightLA, a nonprofit Buddhist and secular mindfulness organization based in Los Angeles. Since 2011, Celeste has worked with thousands of meditation and Dharma students teaching Buddhist Dharma and mindfulness classes, leading silent meditation retreats, and working with individual students. She teaches both in the US and internationally. Additionally, she has led corporate sessions and retreats for organizations such as Netflix and the University of Southern California. For the last…
Learn more about Celeste Young
devon hase loves long retreats. Cumulatively, she’s spent four years in silent practice in the Insight and Vajrayana traditions. Since discovering meditation in 2000, she has put dharma and community at the center of her life: she spent a decade bringing mindfulness to high school and college classrooms and now teaches at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, and other centers around the world. She enjoys supporting practitioners with personal mentoring, and her friendly, conversational approach centers relational practice and the natural world. Along with her life partner nico, devon co-authored How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Buddhist…
Learn more about Devon Hase