Disentangling the Tangle: Finding Freedom in Relationship with Ourselves, Others, and the World
With Ayya Santacitta and Ayya Santussika
June 30 - July 6, 2025
This in-person retreat is open to all genders. Basic experience in meditation is required.
Registration for this retreat closes on June 16, 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. If looking to join after this date, please inquire at guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org
Working with the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, we will explore how we create entanglements and therefore can free ourselves from these recurring patterns. Turning towards these tangles with kindness and understanding allows the metabolizing and releasing of old habits.
As we practice in this way, based on the Buddha’s wisdom, we develop increased clarity and confidence in meeting the challenges of daily life, thereby finding greater spaciousness and well-being.
The retreat is offered in keeping with the 2,600-year-old Buddhist monastic tradition. Providing the experience of “five days in the monastic life” this retreat has some qualities not usually found on other retreats such as chanting and simple ritual, as well as an option to keep the Eight Precepts (which includes not taking solid food between midday and the following dawn).
The retreat includes Dharma reflections, guided meditations, silent sitting and walking meditation, group practice discussions with the teachers, and Q&A and is held in Noble Silence except for teacher-led group practice discussions and Q&A.
HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND TEACHERS
Ayya Santacitta did a great job of addressing the current predicaments that we’re all in, how we got here, and how practice shows us a way forward.
The teachers are absolute gems for this world and practice! Ayya Santacitta and Ayya Santussika offer so much practical and deep wisdom in their teachings. I recommend them for anyone!
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 (see below). This retreat is offered as dana-based registration fees (pay at any amount above zero). Full payment can be made up front, in payment plans, or as a deposit. If you’re uncertain about dana-based registration fees, 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
Ayya Santacitta was born in Austria and did her graduate studies in Cultural Anthropology, focusing on dance, theatre and ritual. She also worked in avant-garde dance theatre as a performer and costume designer. In 1988 she met Ajahn Buddhadasa in southern Thailand, who sparked her interest in Buddhist monastic life. She trained as a nun in England and Asia from 1993 until 2009, primarily in the lineage of Ajahn Chah. Since 2002, she has also received teachings in the lineage of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Ayya Santacitta co-founded Aloka Vihara in 2009 and received Bhikkhuni Ordination in 2011. She is committed…
Learn more about Ayya Santacitta
Ayya Santussika is a Theravada bhikkhuni who is trained and practicing in the Thai Forest tradition. Her faith in the Dhamma developed during many visits to monasteries of Ajahn Chah and his disciples in Thailand, America, England, New Zealand, and Australia beginning in 1998. She has been training as a nun since 2005 in large and small monasteries in both England and America. In 2012, she received full ordination as a bhikkhuni and founded Karuna Buddhist Vihara, where she currently lives, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Boulder Creek, California. Her Dhamma teachings are primarily based on the Pali…
Learn more about Ayya Santussika