Dharma Talk at FIMC
2026-05-04 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-11 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Phoenix) | Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation (BUU), 510 N Leroux St, Flagstaff, 86001, United States
Sitting meditation and a Dharma talk (In-Person and Zoom)
Please stay for an optional discussion afterwards, beginning around 7:40PM.
The Monday meetings are offered in a hybrid format. If you would like to attend in person, you can join us at the Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in downtown Flagstaff. If you prefer to join by Zoom, see the information below.
Zoom Meeting ID#: 246 725 464
Password: [REDACTED]
Monday’s virtual meeting will open up at 6:15pm.

Touching into Stillness: A Nature Dharma Basecamp Retreat
2026-05-17 12:00 - 2026-05-23 12:00 | National Forest, Northern Arizona, USA, National Forest, AZ, United States
A Silent Camping Meditation Retreat in the
Northern Arizona forest
with Robin Craig
May 17 – 23, 2026
Apply Here!

Meditation is often seen as an inward journey, yet what can allow us to go deeper is an interweaving of inner and outer landscapes. In this Buddhist based retreat informed by the biological understandings of Organic Intelligence ®, we will begin by coming into the present moment through connection with the outer landscape of the natural environment. In this quiet, simple setting, the mind can settle, cultivating calm, clarity, and presence.
From there, we cultivate a relationship with the inner landscape through walking, standing, and sitting meditation. We will explore samadhi (unification of mind, or concentration) practices and the gradual stabilization of attention within a broad, receptive awareness. We will also work with intention-setting and other essential elements of a vital formal and daily-life practice, including cultivating kindness and compassion.
We will be doing sitting, standing, and walking meditation and there will be daily Dharma talks and guided meditations, small-group practice discussions, and time for questions and responses.
The retreat will be held in noble silence, with time at both the beginning and end to intentionally connect with fellow retreatants. Participants are asked to refrain from using cell phones, computers, and the internet in order to fully engage with the experience. Cell service will be limited or unavailable, so please attend to necessary business before arriving.
About the Retreat
Location:
THIS IS A BASECAMP RETREAT. This means we will be camping, off grid and
outdoors the entire time of the retreat. Please only apply if you have experience and are comfortable with being outdoors for many days at a time.
The retreat will be in the forest in Northern Arizona, USA. You will receive details of the exact location closer to the time. Note that the location may shift due to fire restrictions.
Dates: Sunday, May 17 th at 12:00pm – Saturday, May 23 rd at 12:00pm, 2026
Registration:
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Registration closes May 10, 2026.
Who This Retreat Is For:

People new to meditation
Long-term meditation practitioners
Those with camping experience who are comfortable living outdoors for 6 days off-grid

Group Size & Application:

The retreat is limited to 14 participants to support a sense of community and connection.
All applications are carefully reviewed. In some cases, a brief phone or personal conversation with the teacher may be requested to determine suitability for this retreat.
Applications are reviewed in the order received. You can expect a response on March 7th or within two weeks if you apply on or after March 7th.
If you apply and later find you cannot attend, please let us know as soon as possible.

Wait List:

Once the retreat is full, additional applicants will be placed on a wait list.
If a space opens up, you will be contacted to confirm your registration.

Cost & Dana:
This retreat is offered on a Dana (generosity) basis, a traditional practice in the Buddhist lineage that supports the sharing of teachings freely and accessibly.
There is no set fee for the retreat, and the teacher receives no upfront compensation. Instead, at the end of the retreat, you will be invited to offer a donation to the teacher and to Flagstaff Insight Meditation Center, guided by your own sense of generosity and capacity.
Dana is an integral part of the practice. It cultivates gratitude, mutual care, and the understanding that teachings are sustained through community support. Your offering helps make these retreats possible, supports the teacher in continuing to offer the Dharma, and allows FIMC to host future programs.
This model invites each participant to reflect on the value of the retreat and to participate in the living tradition of generosity that has supported contemplative practice for centuries.
Food & Gear

Participants bring and prepare their own food.
Participants bring their own camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cooking gear, etc.).
A detailed list of recommended food and gear will be provided in advance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sunset Suttas in July
2026-07-01 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-07-08 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-07-15 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-07-22 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-07-29 19:30 - 20:30
Wednesday Evening Sutta Reading & Discussion
Join us for a reading from the Buddhist Suttas followed by a community conversation every Wednesday in July.
As we come closer to July 2026, the Sutta we will be reading each week will be posted here.
Location will be outdoors, specific location TBA. Feel free to bring snack foods or non-alcoholic beverages to share.
Sponsored by Flagstaff Insight Meditation Community.

Having Gone to the Forest
2026-08-18 15:00 - 2026-08-25 12:00
A Silent Meditation Retreat
Vallecitos Moutain Retreat Center
Robin Craig & Brian Lesage
For more information and to Register

In early Buddhist instruction begins, “Having gone to the forest, to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut….” What follows is a simple invitation to sit down, establish mindfulness, and let the practice unfold. In this retreat, we explore this invitation. We will keep noble silence and practice steady, moment-to-moment awareness in a wild forest through sitting, standing and walking meditation with guidance to help recognize steadiness, wisdom, and kindness as they naturally emerge.
Our practice will be grounded in the four foundations of mindfulness: body, feeling-tone, mind and frameworks that support our meditation practice. Each day there will be practice instruction, a dharma talk and a small-group or one-on-one practice discussion with a teacher. The schedule will mostly be a rhythm of moving between sitting and walking meditation with opportunities to practice on trails, under open skies, with trees and near running water.
This retreat is suitable for both newcomers and experienced practitioners and offers a space for silent, steady practice and for letting the natural world help you discover what brings steadiness, wisdom, and freedom into your life.
Click for Information and Registration

Moving Into Stillness
2026-09-28 09:00 - 2026-10-05 12:00
A Silent Meditation Retreat
on the Green River
Robin Craig (teacher) & Lawrence Schuessler (guide)
September 28 – October 5, 2026
Register Here!

“Impermanent, subject to change, are all conditioned things… their nature is to arise and pass away… their calming is bliss supreme.” Mahā‑Parinibbāna Sutta
This silent retreat invites you to embody this teaching, stepping away from the busyness of daily life into a supportive container for sustained Buddhist meditation practice. Along the Green River, the moving water, open canyons, and changing light offer a living reflection of impermanence, helping the body and mind gradually settle.
As we flow through the days, the retreat fosters an intimate attunement to the rhythm of the river, the changing light in the canyons, and the felt sense of the body moving and resting. Supported by silence, you may discover a quality of timeless openness, where effort softens and attention naturally widens.
Together we will practice and move in silence, allowing each moment — formal meditation, meals, rest, and simple daily activities — to become part of the path. Rather than striving for a particular state, participants are encouraged to meet experience as it unfolds, cultivating mindfulness, steadiness, and kindness toward whatever arises.
The retreat includes instructions for sitting, standing, walking, and lying-down meditation, dharma teachings, group discussions, and time on the river. Nights will be spent camping on sandbars along the Green River. Near the end of the retreat, participants may choose a one-day or overnight solo retreat, camping alone within the retreat container.
Click for FULL DETAILS

Delighting the Natural Heart
2026-11-21 14:00 - 2026-11-28 10:00 | Dharma Treasure Retreat Center at Cochise Stronghold, 2126 W. Windancer Trail, Cochise, AZ, 85606, United States
Cultivating Kindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy, and Equanimity

–A Nature Dharma Retreat–
[Registration is not yet open for this event]
Nature is an active, dynamic force that reflects and embodies the principles of dharma. The Buddha and early monks and nuns spent much of their time practicing in direct relationship with forests, living creatures, the elements, and the rhythms of the world. There was no false sense of separation and insight arose from this intimacy.
In this outdoor retreat, we will explore the qualities of the Brahmavihāras (Kindess, Compassion, Appreciative Joy, and Equanimity). These qualities can be accessible and heart opening, yet at times the practices to develop these qualities can feel dry and disconnected. In this Buddhist based retreat we will explore these Brahmavihāras outside in connection with place, with human and other-than-human nature…(read more and to register)
