Joy of Living 3: Awakening Wisdom Residential Meditation Retreat in Portugal

In this eight-day residential retreat, we will have the opportunity to explore all the teachings of the Joy of Living 3 program while simultaneously bringing the teachings into your own experience by completing much of the meditation homework for this level. The retreat and teachings will be skilfully supported by two senior Tergar Guides Holger Yeshe and Jess McNally.

In the third level of the Joy of Living, Mingyur Rinpoche offers guidance on the practice of analytical meditation, a profound form of meditation that uproots the causes of anxiety and suffering. By bringing our unchallenged beliefs and patterns into the light of awareness, we can see how our rigid ideas often blind us to the richness of our true nature.

The wisdom that arises through analytical meditation allows us to see our inner experience clearly. This leads to a sense of freedom, well-being, and confidence that is rooted in awareness itself and available to us each and every moment.

In this level, you will learn:

• How to use insight meditation to break through the distorted ideas that create confusion and suffering
• How to see beyond superficial thoughts and emotions to the basic goodness that lies within
• How our rigid beliefs about ourselves and the world around us keep us locked in a cycle of dissatisfaction and anxiety
• How to see things as they actually are, rather than the mistaken version of reality that we project onto the world

This retreat will include video teachings by Mingyur Rinpoche, teaching and facilitation by the two Tergar Guides, group meditation sessions, awareness yoga, and the opportunity for private interviews.

During the retreat, silence will be held from Tuesday until Sunday. During this time there will still be talking during the teaching sessions and interviews, but during all other times we will maintain functional silence to support each other in our practice. As part of holding the retreat boundary we also request that all participants stay on site during the entire retreat except in the case of emergency.

This is a rare opportunity to explore these practices in a retreat environment. Many participants of the Joy of Living retreats at Karuna last year described how their understanding and experience of the Joy of Living teachings was greatly deepened by learning these teachings in a retreat context. Whether you are new to Joy of Living 3 or learning it for the first time, this is a wonderful opportunity to deepen your practice.

This retreat is offered in-person, in English only. 

Testimonials from Previous Joy of Living Tergar Retreat Participants

“Receiving Mingyur Rinpoche’s teachings with the support of the amazing guides and surrounded by a safe and welcoming community was life-changing. I am so grateful for the opportunity to practice this way.”

“It was the most wonderful spiritual journey I have undertaken. The teachings and guidance were extraordinary. It is a blessing to be part of the Tergar Community.”

“This retreat was exactly what I was looking for. Mind, body and soul reset. Absolutely brilliant and time flew. Keeping silence was an additional benefit to the overall teachings and meditations.”

“The retreat was a wonderful opportunity to practise meditation within a serene and supportive environment, guided by highly experienced instructors. Engaging with the Joy of Living program in this setting truly brought these practices to life for me.”

Prerequisites

This program is open to all those who have completed Joy of Living 1 and 2 and the practice requirements for both (50 hours of formal meditation practice for each level). Alternately, if you have at least 5 years of meditation practice, you may join with permission from the guides; please email jess@tergar.org with a brief description of your meditation background before registering.

Arrival and Departure Times

Arrival and registration will be held from 15:00 – 17:00 on Monday, May 5, with dinner at 18:30, and the first session at 19:30. Please plan to arrive by 17:00 if possible so there is time to help you register and find your room before dinner. 

Due to a retreat at Karuna ending shortly before ours begins, Karuna has requested that no one arrive before 15:00 on Monday to give the staff time to prepare the retreat centre for our arrival.

Departure will be after lunch on Monday, May 12, from 13:00-15:00.

For those staying on for the Nectar of the Path Retreat, we will encourage you to maintain your retreat mind as much as possible through this transition and encourage you to remain on site. The meditation hall will remain a silent place for practice at all times. 

For those traveling across many time zones, we highly recommend that you plan to arrive in Portugal at least one or two days in advance to allow yourself time to recover and adjust to the time change. There are many hotels in the area, either in the Algarve coastline, or in and around Monchique (the closest town to Karuna).

Retreat Cost

The retreat cost is all-inclusive, including all costs for the program, room and board at Karuna.

In order to make this program accessible to as many people as possible, we are offering three price options (all prices are in Euros):

1. Sponsor Rate – €1125: This rate allows us to offer reduced rates to those who need financial assistance. Please consider choosing this option, or making an additional donation to Tergar Retreats if it is within your means.
2. Base Rate – €975: This is the standard rate that covers all costs for your attendance.
3. Reduced Rate – €825: This rate is for those who are on a limited budget. Please only select this option if it is necessary for you to attend. While we do our best to make the retreat accessible to all, we may need to limit the number of reduced rate spots based on funding.

Should the reduced rate still be beyond your financial means, please email jess@tergar.org to explore further scholarship options.

All funds for these retreats are being managed by Tergar Retreats, which is a 501c(3) non-profit in the USA. There is no tax charged. Any profits from the retreat, if there are any, will go towards future Tergar Retreats and also be partially shared with Tergar International.

Payment Schedule

A deposit of 50% of the total is due upon registration. The other 50% is due by April 7. Unless otherwise arranged, any remaining balance will be automatically charged to the same credit card that was used for your deposit on April 7 (we will send you a reminder before). Other payment requests can be arranged upon request.

Retreat Schedule

Please note this schedule is subject to change.

Monday, May 5

15:00 – 17:00 Arrival and Registration
18:30 – 19:00 Dinner
19:30 – 21:00 Introductions and Orientation

Tuesday to Sunday, May 6-11

Silence begins Tuesday and ends Sunday (exact time TBD)
All meditation practice sessions will include periods of sitting and walking.
Sign ups for private interviews will happen on site, and be scheduled during meditation practice sessions.

6:30 – 8:00 Awareness Yoga and Meditation Practice
8:00 – 8:30 Breakfast
8:30 – 9:00 Break
9:00 – 11:00 Teaching Session
11:00 – 11:30 Break
11:30 – 12:30 Meditation Practice
12:30 – 13:00 Break
13:00 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 14:30 Break
14:30 – 15:30 Meditation Practice
15:30 – 16:00 Break
16:00 – 18:00 Teaching Session
18:00 – 18:30 Break
18:30 – 19:00 Dinner
19:00- 19:30 Break
19:30 – 20:30 Meditation Practice

Monday May 12

6:30 – 8:00 Awareness Yoga and Meditation Practice
8:00 – 8:30 Breakfast
8:30 – 9:00 Break
9:00 – 11:00 Concluding Session
11:00 – 13:00 Packing and Clean-Up
13:00 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 15:00 Departure

About the Karuna Retreat Center / Centro de Retiros Karuna

Karuna Retreat Center is located in the green mountains of Serra de Monchique in the Algarve. Serra the Monchique is known for its healing thermal water, medicinal plants, pure air and lush green landscapes. The Retreat Center offers a stunning view over Portugal’s southern coast and the Atlantic Ocean and is just 20 minutes away from pristine beaches and less than 10 minutes away from the picturesque village of Monchique. Karuna is amongst one of the most secluded and silent places in this area and is home to a variety of local flora and fauna. The Retreat Center’s property is isolated and perfect for those in search of silence, seclusion and peace.

Meals

Karuna Retreat Center prepares three vegetarian meals per day, with vegan options.  They only use fresh local produce and whenever possible try to use vegetables and fruits from the garden at Karuna. The meals are very nourishing and healthy.

Here is a brief description of the typical daily menu:

1. Breakfast: The main offering for breakfast is oatmeal, with bread, peanut butter, tahini, jam, honey, and fresh fruit offered on the side. Coffee is served at breakfast only.
2. Lunch: Is the biggest meal of the day and the menu varies. Generally it includes a vegetarian protein (beans, lentils, tofu), a starch (rice, couscous, potatoes), and salad.
3. Dinner: Consists of a simple vegetable soup, bread, sliced cheese, butter, olives, and a bean tamponade or hummus.

Fresh fruit and tea is available on a self-serve basis throughout the day.

Karuna will do their best to accommodate requests for gluten-free or food allergies by speaking with the Karuna manager Ana upon arrival. However, there may be limited options. If you have specific dietary needs or feels that this diet may not be sufficient for your needs, you may want to consider bringing snacks you can store in your room such as protein bars, nuts, or other supplements (there is no refrigeration space available for private food). If you have any questions or concerns please email us.

Accommodation and Accessibility

Almost all rooms at Karuna Retreat Centre are shared between 2-3 people. Bathrooms and showers are also shared. Rooms and bathrooms will be shared by the same gender.

For all attendees, we encourage you to bring earplugs and a eye cover to help ensure a restful sleep. The beds each have one pillow, sheets, and one blanket.

There are a very limited number of single rooms, which will be assigned first to those who need accommodation for various medical, personal or other reasons (eg. a CPAP machine, snoring, urinary incontinence, etc.).

The Karuna Retreat Centre is built into a hillside, and requires reasonable to good mobility with stairs and uneven terrain. The centre is not wheelchair accessible. If you have balance or stability issues, we highly recommend you bring a collapsible hiking pole for walking around the property (previous retreat participants have found this very helpful).

If and when it rains, the stone steps can become quite slippery. Please ensure you bring footwear with adequate grip.

Please let us know in your retreat registration if you have any sleeping or mobility issues. While we will do our best to accommodate you, we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet your request. Please contact us if you have any concerns or questions.

Travel to and from Karuna Retreat Center

You can view the location of Karuna Retreat Center on Google Maps here. 

It is about 1.5 hours drive from the Faro International Airport. The cheapest and simplest option from Faro is Uber, and costs around €75. You can also take a regular taxi, but the cost is around €150. 

If you are flying into Lisbon, there are multiple options to take the bus or train to Portimão or another nearby city, and take an Uber or a taxi from there to the retreat center. 

For local rides that start near the Karuna Retreat Center (eg. from Monchique), Uber may not be available. We suggest you call Jorge, the local taxi driver, at +351 965 202 869 by phone or WhatsApp. Jorge is very familiar with Karuna and can also dispatch your request to other local taxi drivers.

If you are bringing a car there is parking available at the Karuna Retreat Center. 

The mountain roads near Karuna can be a bit confusing, and we recommend that if you have cell data that you keep Google Maps open on your phone, or ask your driver to use Google Maps for navigation. The Uber map can occasionally send people on the wrong road.

Before the retreat, we will be sending out signup link for local ride sharing to and from the retreat centre for those who want to coordinate rides.

Cancellation Policy

If you should need to cancel your registration, the cancellation policy is as follows: If you cancel more than 30 days prior to the first day of the program start date, you will receive a refund less a €150 cancellation fee. If you cancel between 15 and 29 days prior to the program start date, you will receive a refund less a €300 cancellation fee. No refunds will be given within two weeks prior to the start of the retreat.

About Tergar Retreats

Tergar Retreats is a non-profit organization specifically focused on supporting in-person meditation retreats in the Tergar lineage as taught by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. It is financially independent from Tergar International. As part of Mingyur Rinpoche’s larger vision and global projects, Tergar Retreats is a part of the Tergar Mandala that includes Tergar International, Tergar Schools, Tergar Institute, Tergar Asia, Tergar Sangha, Tergar Charity, and more.