Refuge Recovery 4 Day Retreat

The retreat will be held at Auspicious Cloud Retreat Center, Chappell Hill, TX May 1st-5th 2025.


Arrival: 

Thursday May 1st 3pm-5pm

Departure: 

Monday May 5th around Noon 

It is suggested to attend residential silent meditation retreats each year as an integral part of our recovery.

$800 Shared room dorm style bunk beds

$600 Camp on grounds

*** Each bed is provided with a pillow, top and fitted bottom sheet and one blanket. Guests should bring extra blankets as needed. Towels and wash cloths are not provided, please bring your own. Bring personal toiletries that are unscented and septic safe. 

To add an additional donation to the scholarship fund please click the RRWS DONATIONS PAGE HERE and choose “Donate to Retreat Scholarship”.

Retreat practice is a way to deepen our experience and to see for ourselves the benefits of meditation and connection with the community. Send more of your sangha on retreat by donating additional amounts to this retreat’s scholarship fund. We appreciate your generosity.

*Refuge Recovery is a tax-exempt 501c3 organization and your donations are fully tax-deductible.

- Registrations are nontransferable

- Cancellation prior to 30 days or more before the retreat: $100.00 cancellation fee (per reservation).

- Cancelations within 30 days of retreat are non-refundable, nontransferable.

The retreat will be held in Noble Silence, which means all who attend will remain silent from the opening dharma talk until we break silence on the final day. In this form of meditation retreat we avoid all social communication; this includes eye contact and normal pleasantries like smiling at each other or holding doors open etc. Reading and journaling are also discouraged. A silent retreat is an opportunity to be mindful of all our activities and mind states free from the normal distractions of everyday life and not obscured by our social interactions with each other. The outcome is deeper insight into the impermanent, impersonal and unsatisfactory nature of all things. These insights deepen our recovery and help wake us up to the reality that the only reliable refuge is internal.

Noah Levine will offer guided meditation instructions twice a day and offer a dharma talk each night. There will be opportunities for some Q&A as well as small groups that will meet with Noah to discuss the experience of retreat.

The meditation instruction will include both mindfulness and heart practices to be done both in sitting and walking meditation. Meals will be in silence. There is space for walking meditation both inside the building as well as on the beautiful grounds of the retreat center. 

Open to all levels of experience, beginners and long-term practitioners alike. 

In Refuge Recovery we are trying to follow the Buddhist tradition of offering the Buddha's teaching free of charge. The cost associated with attending a Refuge Recovery retreat only covers the rental of the retreat center, food and some associated administrative expenses. As has been done for 2,600 years the teachings are freely offered, the teacher does not receive any payment for teaching the retreat other than the voluntary donations that are offered at the end of the retreat known as Dana. This is a foreign concept to most. It is not like tipping after a meal. It also doesn’t mean that the teacher doesn’t need any financial support and is just here to be of service. For a qualified retreat teacher it is part of one’s Livelihood, and the donations that are offered support the teacher in continuing to be able to share the Dharma and teach retreats regularly. It is up to each student on retreat to decide for themselves what they wish to donate to support the Teacher, Retreat Manger and the teachings.

For Weekend retreats a suggested donation of $200-$400 would be appropriate for most, but those who have more are encouraged to give more and those who have less are encouraged to give whatever feels generous to them based on their current financial situation.

For 5-7 day retreats a suggested donation of $400-$700 would be appropriate for most, but those who have more are encouraged to give more and those who have less are encouraged to give whatever feels generous to them based on their current financial situation.

Please consider offering around 25% of your total donation to the Retreat Manger.

You can pay the Teacher ahead of time here:  

PayPal: noahlevine@msn.com 

Venmo: @noah-levine-17