The skilful application of energy manifests as the willingness to meet the circumstances of our lives with joyful interest and courage. This fearlessness is both the result of practice and the fuel that takes us onward. A sustained and balanced energy is necessary as we disentangle the reactive habit patterns of the mind and gradually learn to welcome both the lovely and unlovely aspects of experience. Over the course of the weekend, we’ll explore several dimensions of viriya (effort/energy), including its relationship to the other four spiritual faculties of confidence, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom.

This non-residential, in-person retreat takes place on beautiful grounds of Goward House, not far from the University of Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Hosted by the Victoria Insight Meditation Society, the retreat is offered freely, with no registration fee. To receive an e-mail reminder when registration opens, please visit victoriaims.org. The weekend will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, group interviews and a Dharma talk each day.

Margo has been a student in the Insight tradition of Theravada Buddhism for more than thirty years. She is a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School, as well as the Community Dharma Leader training program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. She is blessed to have had many wonderful teachers, including Western teachers Joseph Goldstein, Thanissara, Eugene Cash, and Larry Rosenberg. She has also practiced in the Dzogchen tradition with Tsoknyi Rinpoche and in the Zen tradition with Zoketsu Norman Fischer. She brings a depth of practice and a love of story and metaphor to her teaching.