THIS RETREAT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Touching the Sacred: Opening the Heart & Steadying the Mind
A 5-Night Residential Retreat
Teachers: Adam Stonebraker & Dawn Mauricio
Location: Big Springs Retreat Center, Sierra City, CA
Dates: Sunday, September 22 through Friday, September 27, 2024

Retreat Description: In this retreat we will explore opening to the sacred in our everyday lives. The Buddha encouraged us to offer our full attention to all aspects of life, honoring each moment as a precious opportunity to awaken. Our time together will be dedicated to quiet contemplation, silent meditation, and devotional practices such as chanting and bowing. These practices will help facilitate a deeper connection to ourselves as nature, cultivate a sense of reverence for all life, and enrich our appreciation of the interconnectedness of our existence with the world around us. 

Big Springs Retreat Center: Nestled in a turquoise forest opening to the natural stupa spires of the Sierra Buttes, Big (Maha) Springs is a spring fed, sky-windowed residential retreat center in the Yuba river drainage. An enchanting, contemplative sanctuary latticed with walking trails, ponds and meditative nooks and crannies, it provides comfortable lodging (single and shared rooms and camping platforms) and serves nourishing food from a master Bodhi Chef.

Accommodations: Big Springs Retreat Center has four large cabins beautifully situated beneath the pines that accommodate five to nine people in each cabin. All cabins have three shared bathrooms. In addition, there are two ADA suites with two twin beds each. Every cabin includes a shared tea station and small refrigerator. Retreat participants are also welcome to camp on wooden tent platforms above the main buildings. There is a central Bathhouse with an indoor and outdoor private shower, and two ADA compliant bathrooms.

Registration Rates & Accommodations for this 5- Night Retreat:

  • Supporter Guaranteed Single Room - $2,250:
    The Supporter rate supports your fellow practitioners and guarantees a single room accommodation; A charitable tax-deductible portion is the difference between the Sustainer Shared Room rate and this rate.

  • Benefactor Shared Room - $1,795:
    The Benefactor rate supports your fellow practitioners; A charitable tax-deductible portion is the difference between the Sustainer Shared Room rate and this rate.

  • Sustainer Shared Room - $1,495:
    The Sustainer rate covers the cost of the program. No charitable tax-deductible portion.

  • Basic Shared Room - $995: 
    The Basic rate covers a small portion of the cost of the program. No charitable tax-deductible portion.

  • Tent Platform - $675:
    The tent rate covers a small portion of the cost of the program. No charitable tax-deductible portion.

*Four ADA compliant twin beds in shared rooms are available. If interested inquire with our retreat registrar, TBD.
 **Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford. Your generosity supports Mountain Stream, staff, and fellow practitioners.

The full registration payment is due upon registration. Included in the registration is a $300 non-refundable deposit.

Cancellation Policy: A partial refund (less the $300 deposit) is possible up until 30 days before the retreat start date (Wed, August 21, 2024). If cancellation occurs less than 30 days prior to the start of retreat and no one is found to take your place, the registration fee is nonrefundable and your registration will go toward covering the cost to sponsor the retreat. 

Scholarships: Mountain Stream announces a new Retreat Scholarship Fund for retreats at Big Springs Garden Retreat Center this summer/fall season.

Big Springs Retreat Center is open for a few previously scheduled retreats this summer and fall. A generous donor has come forward to offer a special scholarship fund for some of these 2024 retreats. The intention is to financially support those who wish to experience deep retreat in the beauty of this natural landscape.

This scholarship fund is available for the following Big Springs retreats the Ken Bradford
5-Night retreat in July, the John Travis 7-Night retreat in August, and the Adam Stonebraker & Dawn Mauricio retreat in September.  

Scholarships are offered based on an individual’s self-assessed need. Each person can determine the amount they need to attend the retreat. Using an honor system approach, a person can ask for funds of $50 - $350. There is no need to apply for a scholarship, the funds are available to everyone who is attending, even those who are already registered.

This scholarship can be used to upgrade from a tent platform to a shared room or possibly from a shared double occupancy to a single room, pending on the availability of accommodations.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this retreat scholarship, please reach out to our Retreat Registrar.

We are very grateful for the generous donor who made this retreat scholarship possible, thank you!

Donations for Teacher & Staff: In keeping with the Buddhist practice of generosity (dana), there will be an opportunity to offer dana (donation) to our teacher, retreat manager, and bodhi chef. All of whom are not being compensated for their efforts in supporting the retreat.

Bio for Adam Stonebraker:
Adam Stonebraker, a dedicated practitioner of Yoga and Meditation since 1999, serves as the Guiding Teacher for Mountain Stream Meditation in Nevada City, CA. He has been sharing his profound insights with diverse audiences both locally and internationally since 2010. Adam's teachings are deeply rooted in his extensive training in Yoga and a long-standing devotion to Buddhadharma, which inspire him to guide others towards realizing their unique potential in mind and body. His primary goal is to help individuals trust their innate wisdom and embrace the profound sense of interconnection that defines our existence.

Adam's approach is particularly influenced by the rich intersections between Buddhism and traditional Yoga practices, the Bodhisattva path, and engaging with the natural world. He has had the honor of studying closely with renowned teachers such as Kittisaro & Thanissara, Sarah & Ty Powers, Tias & Surya Little, Paul & Suzee Grilley, Maty Ezraty, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, and many others.

In 2019, Adam completed a Master’s degree in the pioneering Mindfulness Studies Program at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, further enriching his understanding and teaching of mindfulness practices. Learn more about Adam

Bio for Dawn Mauricio:
Dawn Mauricio graduated from Spirit Rock Meditation Center's 4-year Buddhadharma Retreat Teacher Training, has been a mentor in programs like Power of Awareness and the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program taught by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, and appeared on apps such as Ten Percent Happier and Insight Timer. Dawn also co-founded the True North Insight BIPOC practice group.
Learn more about Dawn