Weekend Spirituality Retreat [Jun 12-14]

Me (Benjy) and a few other group members will be going to this weekend retreat about 1.5 hours from DC near Harpers Ferry. It's $235 (less for members) which includes meals and lodging for the weekend. Scholarships are offered if needed.

This retreat will feature instruction and practice on a few kinds of meditation, group self-inquiry like we do on Monday nights, interactive instrospection activities, and a chance to talk with Awakened people (self-reported awakened obviously) and other serious spiritual seekers. It's not like seeing Eckhart Tolle talk to 1,000 people, it is a much more personal setting, usually 30-40 participants.

Check out the schedule and list of speakers below. You can also use the registration link to learn more about TAT Foundation, the group putting on the retreat and retreats like this for over 50 years. This is a talk recorded at a past TAT weekend.

***To register, you have to use this link***: https://tatfoundation.org/events/2026/05/02/june-2026-tat-retreat/

Tension, Attention, Intention
In the spirit of “looking under every rock”, the June 2026 TAT meeting will be an exploration of several styles of meditation and other self-inquiry techniques, combining instruction, experiential practice, and a chance to ask questions.

This weekend is an opportunity to look at your priorities, contradictions, and direction. What is the focus of your attention in daily life? Why? What do you expect to see, or to find? Bring these questions and your own for an open-hearted exploration of what really matters to you the most.

Full-time students should contact TAT Foundation events for information on discounted registration fees. If cost is a serious issue that will make or break your attendance, please let us know. We do not want someone to refrain from attending for reasons of cost.

### Featured presenters:

Brian Tom O’Connor is the author of Awareness Games: Playing With Your Mind to Create Joy, and Awareness Adventures: Discovering Your True Nature, as well as a co-host of the Awareness Explorers podcast. He’s a formerly depressed guy who stumbled onto the source of joy and happiness in the background of all experience. If someone as imperfect and flawed as he is can find it, so can you. The Play Awareness Games website: https://www.playawarenessgames.com/

Bhante Ethkandawaka Saddhajeewa Thero (Bhante Saddha) is Co-Abbot of the Bhavana Society in High View, WV. He received his higher ordination in Sri Lanka. He is a meditation and Dhamma teacher with many years of experience in working with youth and young adults as an educator, administrator, psychotherapist, as well as a social worker. Bhante Saddhajeewa holds master’s degrees in psychology, sociology and education from universities in the United States and Sri Lanka. In addition, he holds a doctorate from the University of the West in Rosemead, CA with research focus on Mindfulness for substance abuse recovery. He has published eleven books and many articles and was the coordinator for the United Nation’s 2600th year commemoration of the Buddha’s enlightenment. At the Bhavana Society, Bhante teaches alongside Bhante Henepola Gunaratana (author of Mindfulness in Plain English), carrying forward the tradition of Theravada Buddhist meditation rooted in the Pali Canon. Website:[ https://bhavanasociety.org](https://bhavanasociety.org/).

Mike Gegenheimer met Richard Rose in Pittsburgh in the fall of 1972. A freshman science and engineering student, Mike was interested in “the unknown” and the nature of existence. He worked with Rose and other students in Pittsburgh during college and moved to the Rose farm following graduation. Rose’s teachings, insights from several rapport sessions, and a few TAT members were a lifeline during a 15 year hiatus from serious group work during which he married and had a family. Returning to TAT with renewed commitment in 2000, his search ended with an intense realization during a rapport session at the April 2019 TAT meeting. A brief description can be found at www.searchwithin.org/. Mike remains active in the TAT Foundation and recently co-authored with Shawn Nevins, Passages: An Introduction and Commentary on Richard Rose’s Albigen System.

Paul Constant’s fascinations and explorations are directed toward uncovering the mysteries of life and ourselves. Of late, his spiritual interests include balancing the natural intelligence of our body, the wisdom and resourcefulness of our mind, and the feeling-sense of our Heart. Watch his May 2024 TAT Talk. For the past 30 years, Paul has expressed his love for Truth by facilitating retreats, leading rapport sittings, serving as a TAT Foundation member, and studying with Richard Rose during 1985-1995. Paul and his wife live in Pennsylvania.

Weekend Schedule

Friday, June 12, 2026

• 5:00–7:00 PM — Setup and Arrivals
• 7:00–7:15 PM — Welcome / Opening Session
• 7:15–8:15 PM — Breakout Groups – “What Are You Hoping to Get Out of This Weekend?”
• 8:15 PM–? — Free Time

Saturday, June 13, 2026

• 7:30–8:00 AM — Optional Meditation
• 8:00–9:00 AM — Shared Breakfast & Open Dialogue
• 9:00–9:15 AM — Opening Remarks & Welcome
• 9:15–10:45 AM — Awareness Games and Meditations: Playing With Your Mind to Uncover Joy (led by Brian Tom O’Connor)
• 10:45 AM–12:00 PM — Small-Group Confrontation Practice (Directed Questioning)
• 12:00–12:30 PM — Break
• 12:30–1:30 PM — Potluck Lunch
• 1:30–2:15 PM — Meditative Movement Session
• 2:15–3:00 PM — Artistic Activity
• 3:00–3:15 PM — Break
• 3:15–5:00 PM — Loving-Kindness Meditation: Intro, Practice, Discussion (led by Bhante Saddha)
• 5:00–5:30 PM — Break
• 5:30–7:00 PM — Potluck Dinner
• 7:00–8:00 PM — Walking Meditation
• 8:00–8:45 PM — Spiritual Poetry exercise

Sunday, June 14, 2026

• 7:30–8:00 AM — Optional Silent Meditation
• 8:00–9:00 AM — Breakfast
• 9:00–9:05 AM — Reconvene
• 9:05–11:30 AM — Rapport: Intro, Practice, Discussion (led by Mike Gegenheimer and Paul Constant)
• 11:30–11:45 AM — Break
• 11:45 AM–12:00 PM — Retreat Closing Circle & Feedback Sharing
• 12:15–2:00 PM — Farewell Potluck Lunch & Open Dialogue