Listen, Heart, Peace
With Kim Allen and Diana Clark
July 12 - 19, 2026
Open to experienced and new practitioners
Registration closes on June 28, 2026. If joining after this date, please contact us.
Careful attention to our inner life awakens the heart and mind to the possibility of peace in the present moment. Supported by the quiet beauty of the natural surroundings and the shared field of community practice, we will explore classical insight practices, highlighting that these are also forms of opening the heart and evoking greater freedom. This silent retreat will include sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks and practice discussions with the teachers. It is suitable for both new and experienced meditators.
This retreat is offered in collaboration with the Insight Retreat Center (IRC) as a dana retreat with no registration cost. There will be an opportunity to support the teachers, who are not otherwise compensated. We are honoring the 2,600-year-old tradition of offering the teachings freely, and supporting teachers in kind for their offering.
HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND TEACHERS
Kim & Diana were a seamless teaching team and I am so gladdened that I was able to attend.
I was familiar with Kim and Diana’s teachings going in and they did not disappoint, so caring, so wise, so well considered in their words & actions.
WHAT TO EXPECT ON THIS RETREAT
This is a silent mindfulness retreat with alternating sitting and walking meditation, instruction, dharma talks, work meditation, and practice discussion with the teachers.
Learn more ABOUT RETREAT & SEE A SAMPLE SCHEDULE.
GENEROSITY: Retreat Costs and Fees
This retreat is offered on a donation basis, as a practice of dana (generosity). Participants are invited to donate according to their means to cover their registration. 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 part of this tradition, many meditation teachers (including the teachers of this retreat) offer their teachings without set fees or compensation. There will be an opportunity to offer “teacher dana” (donations-generosity) to the teachers at the end of the retreat. It is encouraged but not required. Learn more about dana here.
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.
SIMPLE YET COMFORTABLE, NESTLED IN NATURE
Accommodations
We offer several lodging choices nestled in nature for each retreat.
Meals
Our meals are freshly prepared to support your retreat experience.
Preparing for your retreat
We offer several resources and information to best help you plan your time on retreat with us.
Getting to BBRC
We have several resources to support your travel. Visit Getting to BBRC & Rideshares and Shuttles for more.
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.
Visit our Planning Your Retreat page to learn more about accessibility and other resources. Contact us if we can support ahead of time.
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
Kim Allen has been practicing Insight meditation since 2003, and has trained intensively in the U.S. and Asia with cumulative years of silent retreat. She has trained primarily with Gil Fronsdal, as well as Theravādan monastics and a few Mahāyāna teachers. She offers retreats, sutta study, and experiential Dharma engagement. A teacher and author, Kim aims to bring classical Dharma to a modern context and to encourage lay practitioners in fully living a life of Dharma. Her education includes a PhD in physics and a master’s degree in environmental sustainability. She serves as guiding teacher of Uncontrived: http://www.uncontrived.org.
Learn more about Kim Allen
Diana Clark, PhD, is a dedicated dharma teacher based in the San Francisco Bay Area, teaching primarily at the Insight Meditation Center and Insight Retreat Center. Her extensive meditation experience includes years of silent retreats at Spirit Rock, IMS, and the Insight Retreat Center, where she received training from esteemed teachers Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella. Inspired by the Buddha’s teachings on peace and freedom, Diana’s teaching approach aims to combine the profound and the practical, with a sincere commitment to cultivating an environment that nurtures both wisdom and compassion. Diana holds a PhD in biochemistry, and much like her…
Learn more about Diana Clark