Category Archives: Daylong Retreat

Resting in Quiet, Returning to Wonder

Daylong Retreat,

Join us for a Day of Mindfulness in the Plum Village tradition, settling into meditation and mindfulness practices that water our seeds of well-being and reawaken us to the wonders of life. 

November is a time of growing darkness and quiet as the pulse of life slows. Imagine resting with a blanket of snow covering the landscape and us, where we settle into deep comfort, and at the same time, we are waking up to the wonders and magic of life. We can use this time of slowing down to revitalize ourselves and our relationship with the Earth and one another. During our day together, we will enjoy ways to renew our energy and act with intention and deep gratitude for the gifts before us in this deepening season of darkness.

Practitioners from all traditions and any level of previous experience are welcome. Lunch is brown bag.

Gina Garlie is a Dharma Teacher in the Plum Village Tradition founded by Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh. She received the Lamp Transmission in the Tiep Hein Order of Interbeing of at Plum Village in the spring of 2025. She started Open Sky Sangha in Kalispell, MT, in 2010, and collaborates with sanghas across Montana in helping to organize retreats and Days of Mindfulness. Gina spent thirty years as a public school teacher, teaching middle school sciences, and interspersed practices of mindfulness into her daily lessons. When she is not engaged in Sangha Building, she can often be found oil painting or enjoying time in nature.  She also offers personal consultations for developing or deepening personal meditation practices and mindful living. Contact Gina at openskysangha@gmail.com.

The Noble Search with Chaim Bryski

Daylong Retreat, Insight

Saturday, March 15 from 11 AM – 4:30 PM

While myths and legends abound surrounding the life of the historical Buddha (Pāli: Siddhattha Gotama; Skt: Siddhārtha Gautama), much of the traditional folklore began appearing only centuries after the Buddha’s lifetime. Yet the earliest Buddhist discourses (as collected in the Pāli Canon and its Chinese and Sanskrit parallels), focused as they are on the content of his teachings, contain no comprehensive biography of the Buddha.

Rather, scattered throughout these many thousands of discourses, we find numerous snippets of autobiographical narrative attributed to the Buddha himself. In these first-person accounts, often shared with his audiences for didactic purposes, the Buddha recounts a number of his own early-life experiences on his path to awakening, as a means of imparting some of the hard-won lessons and insights he gained over the course of his personal struggles and breakthroughs.

During this daylong study and practice program, we will examine a number of these ancient texts, explore their practical lessons and insights, and discuss and reflect upon their relevance and application to our own lives.

To enhance our exploration of the texts, the day will also incorporate short dharma talks and guided meditation practices, as well as periods of group discussion, peer-based dialogue, and personal reflection.

*Please note that all participants will receive a collection of the relevant texts we will be exploring. Hard copies of the material will be available to those attending in-person at the Bozeman Dharma Center, while those joining online will receive a digital PDF copy via email.

Practicing with the Hindrances: A Creative Approach

Daylong Retreat, Zen

The former Executive Director of the BDC, Zen priest, and good friend, Karen DeCotis, will be back at the end of February to lead a retreat on “Practicing with the Hindrances.” She will give an eventing talk on Friday February 28 from 7-8:30 PM and a Saturday day long retreat on March 1 from 9 AM to 4:30 PM. Both events will be held in-Person and on Zoom and registration is available for the full retreat or the Friday event only.

We face so much in our lives: within society, community, and family. Yet, it is with our own good selves where we have some agency and possibility for growth and healing. There are states of mind and heart we encounter over which we have little control, but we do have influence. Our practice is a creative endeavor, rooted in the here and now. Working with obstacles is an opportunity to be fully alive, interested and brave.

Karen DeCotis is a Zen student and teacher who received priest ordination in the Soto Lineage in 2016 and Dharma transmission in 2019. She taught the Bozeman Zen Group for almost 20 years before moving to San Antonio in October of 2024. Devoted to service and engaged learning, Karen brings knowledge of and experience with the Buddhist traditions along with a clear-eyed view of human life, suffering and transformation.  She is known for her humor and warmth, bringing her intelligence, wit and humility to every teaching opportunity.

Joining Rivers Day of Mindfulness

Daylong Retreat, Zen
Day of mindfulness

Joining Rivers Sangha and the Bozeman Dharma Center invite you to a full Day of Mindfulness on Saturday, November 2, from 9:00am – 3:30pm with Plum Village Dharmacharya Greg Grallo.

Meeting our ancestors fearlessly: Transforming, healing and nurturing the seeds we inherit: Thich Nhat Hanh’s powerful Touching the Earth practice invites us to place ourselves in the stream of spiritual and blood ancestors and see ourselves as their continuation. When what we have received is positive, this is an inspiring contemplation. But difficult experiences in our church, biological, or adoptive families can cause lasting distress. We may not want to carry those actions of our ancestors.

During this Day of Mindfulness, we’ll learn ways to find peace with both our skillful and unskillful ancestors and what continuation can mean.

We will enjoy sitting and walking meditation, a Dharma Talk, and a mindful meal. We will craft a personal Touching the Earth practice that directly speaks to our own lived experience.

Practitioners from all traditions and previous experience are welcome.

About Greg: Dharmacharya Greg Grallo received the Lamp Transmission in Plum Village in June 2018. He practices with Open Way Sangha in Missoula, MT and serves as a chaplain at St Patrick Hospital and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Missoula. He also is the owner of Foundational Dialogues Mediation and Facilitation LLC, dedicated to providing transformative conflict resolution in organizations, couples, and families.

Retreat: Dave Smith

Daylong Retreat, Insight

On Saturday, October 21 from 10 AM – 4 PM, visiting Insight teacher, Dave Smith, will offer a daylong retreat in person and via Zoom. Dave will reflect on both the early traditions of Buddhism and secular practices based on happiness research. How can we use our practice of the Dharma to create genuine happiness for ourselves, for others and for this world?

More Info
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Retreat: Metta-Infused Insight Practice

Daylong Retreat, Insight

Register now for this transformative retreat led by visiting Insight teacher, Melissa McKay! The retreat will be held 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM on Saturday, September 30. 

This retreat is designed to develop our essential kindness, hone our mindfulness skills and guide us to an open-hearted equanimity with all experience. Join us for a nourishing journey that combines the power of Metta (loving-kindness) with the clarity of Insight Meditation.

Register Now!

Retreat: Entering the Dharma Gate

Daylong Retreat, Zen
Entering the Dharma Gate Retreat with Kathie Fischer

Zen Priest, Kathie Fischer, returns to Bozeman next week to offer a retreat on Entering the Dharma Gate! Kathie will first visit with the Bozeman Insight Group on Thursday, September 14 at 7 PM. She will give an evening talk on Friday, September 15 followed by a daylong retreat on Saturday, September 16. With fifty years of dharma practice, Kathie is the perfect guide to help us enter the numberless Dharma Gates! Registration for Friday only is available.

Event: Practicing with Koans

Daylong Retreat, Zen

Join the Bozeman Zen Group on Saturday, July 8 for a half-day retreat and koan practice.

Image: PngTree.com
Image: PNGtree.com

Practiced by Zen students since the 600s, the study of koans encourages us to leave our beliefs and biases at the gate when we enter its space. While there are many fine collections of traditional koans, we will keep company with examples presented in a contemporary collection referred to as “the miscellaneous koans.” All welcome; no prior experience necessary! $20 donation to the Bozeman Zen Group is requested. Register here.