I live in Portland, Oregon and I'm on the hunt for a meditation teacher and community. Nearby retreat centers would be a plus as well -- I just learned about Hermitage up north!

I sat one 10-day Goenka retreat last year, but normally practice within the TMI framework (currently in stage 5/6 territory). I'm open to other meditation styles so long as they are similarly pragmatic.

Thank you,
Matt

I assume you know about Cloud Mountain.

Here you go - https://www.meetup.com/Portland-Pragmatic-Dharma/

I did not! Thank you for the heads up, this looks promising. Looking through their offerings, I didn't realize that having a teacher was a requisite for some retreats. Guess that reaffirms my search for a teacher.


Awesome, I haven't used Meetup before but like the idea. I am pretty burnt out on virtual meetings so I may end up waiting until in-person events are justified again... but if that continues to be a far off dream, I'll probably buckle soon.

Hi Matt, I'm in Portland too.

As another member mentioned, Cloud Mountain is a very high quality retreat center in the forest of Washington state, about 60 miles from us. I think it would fit your style of practice as it does mine. I attended a retreat there, my first, this past Janurary and could not speak more highly of the quality of the experience on every level. I had another retreat scheduled for this July which was unfornately canceled due to the state of present times. Many of the retreats offered are suitable for those new to retreat and some, as you may have seen, require that you have attended a certain number of retreats with that same teacher who is leading it prior. So, though I don't have a personal teacher or coach yet, I can still call the wonderful teacher who led my retreat, Kamala Masters, "my" teacher to some degree. 

I also participate in a sangha that usually meets in person, though obviously can't right now. It is called Path of Sincerity and is led by a very kind former Theravadan monk who is very generous with his time, offers helpful dharma talks and is clearly a dedicated practitioner himself. Others in the community are likewsie kind and dedicated. I will link the website because the person who leads that group has also compiled a very thorough list of buddhist groups and centers in the area. That might be a great starting place for your search. 

https://www.pathofsincerity.com/every-buddhist-meditation-group-portland-oregon-vipassana-zen-vajrayana-mindfulness/

I hope this is helpful to you and others. I'm grateful for having sought out these resources for myself as they have added greatly to my practice. As we cannot attend in-person retreat right now, I am taking myself on my first every solo retreat this coming week

All the best, 
Alex