Unfolding Awakening – 10-day Silent Retreat

Unfolding Awakening

10-day silent retreat with instruction and support to open into a spacious sense of being, held at a beautiful retreat centre in the Southern Highlands.

The retreat participants gather and settle in, resetting their cushions and chairs, as a stillness gathers in the hall. A bell rings, then fades. The sense of shared dedication becomes palpable as each person tunes into their own awareness. Into the silence comes the defiant call of the lyrebird. The gum trees appear to dance; the ants continue their busywork at the edges of the grass. The body aches; an old grief arises and asks to be felt. Awareness widens, spacious enough to hold all of this — the birdsong and the discomfort. A pristine sense of being, love and pain both here, right now.

This opening of awareness is the direction the practice points. Awakening to this is less a state to reach than a recognition: that the separate self you take yourself to be is less fixed than it seems. You are an expression of the whole rather than something cut off from it. It can be hard to know whether your own practice is carrying you closer to this. The shift is felt and it changes how you live. Underneath the seeking is something already whole — no fundamental deficiency at the root, the same awake nature moving through you that moves through the lyrebird and the gum trees and the ants. Seeing it eases suffering and opens the question of what a life is for. From here you can be yourself and express your unique identity, while knowing the individual self isn’t the whole story.

While all beings share this nature, the felt realisation can be elusive. It asks for practice, dedication, and a willingness to meet what arises. In the silence, old patterns surface — aversion, the backlog of emotion we’ve been carrying and rarely sit still long enough to meet. The way we turn towards these, with care and attunement, is itself the practice. Held in the container of the retreat, what surfaces becomes part of how the realisation deepens, not a detour from it.

To guide us into this, we bring forward meditative practices that illuminate the path: the threefold practice of śamatha (calm abiding), vipassanā (insight), and open awareness. Śamatha stabilises attention and settles the nervous system. Vipassanā sees through obstacles to recognise that sensations, thoughts, and the sense of self are vividly appearing yet not solid or fixed. Open awareness relaxes into spaciousness, prior to the construction of a self, a “meditator”, or any sense of separation. Drawn from Theravada and Tibetan traditions, this is a time-tested, systematic method — a map that enables unfolding; a structure with enough flexibility to meet your own experience as it actually is.

At a glance

  • Dates: Friday 6 to Sunday 15 November — arrive between 4 and 6pm on the first day, depart around 2pm on the last.
  • Cost: $1260-$1980 depending on accommodation. Scholarships available.
  • Capacity: limited to 13 participants.
  • Registrations close: Thursday 29 October.

What it’s like on retreat

Practice is both guided and self-guided in silence, complemented by daily instruction, Dharma talks, one-on-one check-ins with Kynan, and optional Noble Noise group sessions for relating and finding friendship with other participants. You are supported to find skilful, responsive ways to work with the teachings in your own experience. We keep noble silence from the first evening through to the final day, though you can always speak with the facilitators.

What people say

An inspiring retreat. Ten days surprised me by being spacious: unfolding gently in a carefully designed program of guided meditations and dharma talks. And the location is perfectly attuned to a very nourishing engagement with nature. — Bridget I

This was my first 10 day meditation retreat and any reservations I had about what it would be like quickly fell away. The teacher is the real deal — knowledgeable and experienced, as well as kind, caring and was responsive to my individual needs and challenges. The retreat setting, food and accommodation were all high quality and comfortable too! I came away from the retreat feeling I had deepened my practice tremendously. — Richard C

Venue

Vejjasala, just outside Wingello in the Southern Highlands, is a retreat centre run by the Association of Engaged Buddhists. The name means a place for healing. The accommodation is comfortable and recently renovated, set in bushland with plenty of wildlife. Three nourishing vegan meals a day are included — let us know of any dietary needs. Accommodation options and what to bring are on the Vejjasala website. It is a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ people. You can get there by car, carpool, or train to Moss Vale with a pickup.

Cost and dāna

We keep the price as low as we can, covering food and venue. Registration does not include payment for the teacher: following tradition, the teachings are offered freely, and you’re invited to give dāna (generosity) afterwards at a level that feels sustainable and generous for you.

Booking early helps us confirm the retreat will run, and secures your choice of accommodation while there’s still choice. We know life three or six months out is uncertain, so we want to give you some flexibility: cancel for a full refund (minus booking fees) up to 28 days before; after that, you’re welcome to transfer your place to someone else. If we don’t reach our minimum numbers, you’re refunded in full. Put your name down when it feels right, and we’ll hold the rest lightly with you.

Scholarships

For this retreat we are holding places for people the cost would otherwise shut out. They’re funded by the retreat itself — the registration rates are set a little above what those places cost to run, so the people who can pay more make room for those who can’t.

There are two scholarships:

  • A First Nations place — offered freely, at no cost, with nothing to prove. If you’re First Nations and you’d like to come, it’s yours.
  • A supported place — for anyone on a low or precarious income, where the cost is a genuine barrier. That might be if you’re a student, unwaged, on a pension or a concession card, or simply if money is the thing standing in the way.

To apply, fill in the short form here. The application takes about ten minutes. Your answers can be as short as a sentence or two for each question. There’s no paperwork and nothing to document — we take you at your word. Places go to the first people who fit them, so it’s worth applying before the retreat fills; if they’ve already gone, we’ll point you toward the next retreat.

Additional scholarships are available through Open Dharma Foundation, which has its own application process. Check the closing dates and apply here.

Before you book

  • Suitability: intensive practice can occasionally surface difficulty. This may not be the right setting if you’re in a period of serious mental health difficulty, or recent or severe trauma — our team aren’t able to provide mental health support. Kynan arranges a short call with each person who hasn’t yet been on retreat with us to understand how best to support your practice. Reach out to us if you’re considering joining but not sure how this applies to you.
  • Fire danger: Vejjasala is in the bush and can’t be occupied on days rated extreme or catastrophic. If the forecast requires it, the retreat won’t proceed and you’ll be refunded in full.
  • Refunds: full refund (minus booking fees) up to 28 days before; within 28 days, refundable if someone takes your place.

Questions

Email hello@kynanmeditation.net. For more on noble silence, see the Retreat Code of Conduct. You can read more about Kynan here.

If your accommodation type is sold out, join the waiting list.