Spirit of Service

An Insight Meditation Retreat with Dharma Teacher David Chernikoff
Sunday, August 18 – Thursday, August 22, 2024

Winston-Salem Dharma Community is hosting a retreat at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville, NC. Compassionate action plays a central role in all of the world’s great wisdom traditions. Given the experiences we’ve all lived through in the past several years and the current state of our beautiful blue-green planet, an inner imperative to serve is burning brightly in a lot of our hearts. In this retreat, each participant will be invited to explore a simple and powerful question: How can I help? The practices of sitting and walking meditation in silence will be a major part of our time together. There will also be dharma talks, meditation instruction, experiential exercises, and opportunities for discussion. In a caring, supportive learning environment, we’ll each tap into our intuitive inner guidance regarding how to be an instrument of benefit in a world that is desperately calling out for love and wisdom.

David Chernikoff

David Chernikoff is a meditation teacher and spiritual counselor who taught psychology and meditation at Naropa University for many years. A student of meditation since 1971, David completed the inaugural Community Dharma Leader Training at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and began teaching Insight Meditation in 1988. His teaching has been influenced by senior teachers from the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock, Zen teacher Yvonne Rand, and spiritual guides from other contemplative traditions, most notably Ram Dass, Father Thomas Keating, and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. In the early 1980s, David worked at Ram Dass’s Hanuman Foundation Dying Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico and then became the director of Mesilla Valley Hospice in Las Cruces, N.M. He later spent three years in Nepal doing public health development work for the Seva Foundation and studying with Tibetan Buddhist teachers. After returning to the U.S., he became the education and training director for the Spiritual Eldering Institute, now called Sage-ing International. In that role, he taught conscious aging programs throughout the U.S., in Canada, and in Ireland. David is currently one of the guiding teachers of the Insight Meditation Community of Colorado and teaches retreats throughout the U.S. He is the author of Life, Part Two: Seven Keys to Awakening with Purpose and Joy as You Age. Learn more at: www.davidchernikoff.com.

Registration details for the 4 Night Retreat

The retreat starts at 5pm Sunday, August 18, and ends after lunch on Thursday, August 22. Space is limited, so early registration is recommended. The fees cover lodging, food and organizing expenses. Teachings are freely given, and there will be an opportunity to practice “dana” (generosity) by making a donation for David Chernikoff’s teaching.

Your reservation includes use of the meditation space, a community guest refrigerator in the guest kitchen or use of the full kitchen in the cottages, bedding and towels in the guest rooms, and three meals with each overnight. You are welcome to bring snacks or any food items needed for special dietary requirements for yourself. All meals provided will be vegetarian and dietary restrictions can be submitted at the time of registration.

Scholarships are available. Requests are to be made on the registration form and by email to the Retreat Organizing Committee at:
wsdharmacommunity@gmail.com

Lodging option rates per person:

Room Type	Occupancy	Deposit	Total
Main Building	Single	$325	$650
Main Building	Double	$187.50	$375
Cottage	Single	$350	$700
Cottage	Double	$200	$400
Hermitage	Single	$350	$700
Hermitage	Double	$200	$400

Registration: click here to register

If you have never attended a meditation retreat before please click here. This will take you to an explanation of meditation retreats, their purpose, and the concept of Noble Silence. This information is provided by the Southern Dharma Retreat Center in Hot Springs, NC.