Formless Awareness
5 Day Meditation Retreat
3rd - 7th March 2027
Monchique, Portugal
Join us for a 5-day meditation retreat in the south of Portugal, at Karuna Retreat Center in the mountains of Monchique, where we'll explore Formless Awareness
Formless Awareness
Join us for a 5-day meditation retreat at Karuna Retreat Center, set high in the Serra de Monchique in Portugal's Algarve — one of the most secluded and silent stretches of the region. The center's wood-floored meditation hall holds our group sits and talks, and the mountains with their thermal springs and quiet trails.
Here we'll explore Formless Awareness — also known as non-dual awareness, presence, rigpa, the Ground of Being. It might be experienced as a timeless sense of now, a spaciousness in which self and world are no longer held apart.
Over five days, our guide and compass are specific texts drawn from: Self-Liberation Through Seeing with Naked Awareness, the classical Dzogchen terma on rigpa attributed to Padmasambhava, alongside Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's more contemporary pointing-out instructions in As It Is, for the Trekchö sessions.
Each day will include group and solo sits, morning yoga and qi gong ("yoqi"), pranayama, community meals, Dharma talks, and time for rest, reflection, and walks in nature.
The retreat offers space to cultivate insight, stillness, and inner peace within a supportive and contemplative environment — at whatever pace suits you. For those who want to sit deeply, there will be ample time. For those who prefer a gentler rhythm, you can adjust the schedule to your needs.
All of our meditation retreats follow a similar rhythm — a rigorous practice schedule with multiple group, solo and guided sits. What changes from retreat to retreat is the theme itself, carried through in talks, instructions, guided meditations, and forms of enquiry.
Photograph: Karuna Retreat Center
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The meditation techniques we'll practice include:
Samatha — calm-abiding for samadhi, absoption and jhana, laying the foundation for the rest of the practice.
Shikantaza — an awareness-based technique from the Zen tradition.
Metta — loving-kindness meditation that opens the qualities of the heart.
Trekchö — a direct, non-dual approach to resting in awareness itself, from the Dzogchen tradition.
Vipassana (Insight) — Insight meditation, where we investigate the three characteristics; not-self (anatta), impermanence (anicca), and suffering (dukkha), cultivating the ground for insight.
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The retreat will include yoga and pranayama each morning that’s suitable for all levels of experience.
Vinyasa, Hatha and YoQi, which is a combination of Yoga and Qi Gong. There will be Pranayama (breath control techniques), and Kriya Yoga, to stimulate the internal energy system and help to produce non-dual states.
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The chants and mantras are not obligatory. This is also not a religious retreat in any way. We chant Pali suttas, some Tibetan and Zen mantras, to connect with these lineages. It can also be a fun way to engage with these traditions as a group. Occasionally we chant specific mantras that have traditionally been used for purification and awakening.
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There will be noble silence in the morning until 12pm. Conversation will be allowed thereafter during meal times in the dining hall – get to know your fellow meditators, share stories and form bonds. We allow conversation for the context of non-dual awareness and integration while on retreat.
Outside of meal times, we remain in silence.
For those who wish to remain in silence for some / all of the retreat, including meal times, silent badges can be provided to inform other guests.
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Karuna Retreat Center
The accommodation is the same across the retreat venue, with multiple twin or triple rooms + single beds in each room. You will share with someone of the same gender. Bedding and sheets are provided, but please bring towels for the shower. If you have mobility issues, we can arrange for you to stay in the lower bedrooms. Photographs of the accommodation can be viewed below. -
There will be 3 freshly prepared vegetarian meals each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The retreat centre can also prepare vegan meals for those who request it in advance. The retreat centre only use local products, and where possible, they use fresh produce from the vegetable garden.
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We offer two pricing structures for our retreats– standard, which is the going price. Concession, for those who need some extra bandwidth.
Standard: €585 per person
Concession: €450 per person
Deposit: €200 per person, deducted from the final payment
The deposit secures your place on the retreat, with the remaining balance due 30 days before. The deposit is non-refundable.
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If you wish to cancel your retreat, please email us as soon as possible. We do ask that you give us as much notice as is possible.
If you cancel your retreat outside of 4 weeks of the published start date, we will refund you the total amount of your retreat minus the non-refundable deposit.
If you cancel less than 30 days before the retreat start date, payments are non-refundable and you are eligible to pay for the whole cost of the retreat, i.e. 100% cancellation. The balance may be transferred to a future retreat, subject to availability.
In the unlikely event that the retreat is cancelled by the organiser, all payments will be fully refunded.
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All ages, all backgrounds, and all levels of experience are welcome. For those who want to sit deeply, there will be ample time. For those who prefer a gentler rhythm, there's room to move at your own pace.
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Included: Meditation, yoga, teachings, accommodation, food
Excluded: Travel insurance, travel to/from the venue (flights, train, car), personal expenses. Occasionally we go for a group dinner and/or sauna after the retreat on the last day, which is not included.
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If you have further questions, you can schedule a free 30-minute call with Jason, or email questions to: jason@pathofinsight.com
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The retreat will be held in English
Some prior meditation experience is recommended
Daily Schedule
The finalised schedule is subject to change, however below offers an example
Karuna Retreat Center
Accommodation
