I have been invited to be the resident meditation teacher during the whole month of September, 2018 at Dharma Treasure, the meditation center of Nancy and John Yates (aka Culadasa of The Mind Illuminated (TMI)), which is in Cochise Stronghold, Arizona, about 90 minutes to the east of Tucson.

The center can hold up to about 18 people at a time. It is a place for self-directed retreats that yet have the support of someone there to help.

Please contact Nancy for further questions about logistics, lodging, scheduling, and the like at land phone number five too ooo, eight too six, four one four one, or mobile at five too zero, five ooo eight, too three six ate, written out this strange way to avoid spambots and telemarketers flooding her phone numbers.

Might also listen to this podcast on Decontructing Yourself with Michael Taft for some useful information on my thoughts regarding co-adventuring. I appreciate practicing with those who take responsibility for their own dliigent practice and learning and who avoid projection and transferrence as much as possible.

This will be my first time doing something like this, so hopefully it will be fun and fruitful for all concerned.

Daniel

I could make it there. 

Hi Daniel - I think would be worth announcing on Reddit TMI (https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMindIlluminated/), in order to ensure this great opportunity is fully taken advantage of by those who could benefit.

Thanks for the suggestion. It has been posted at TMI and streamentry on Reddit.

Daniel - could you explain the co-adventuring thing a bit deeper? It seems like trading one formality for another.

For example, I want to go to Cleveland but I don't know the way. I know you have been to Cleveland and know the way.

So instead being like;

"Sir trainee Jason respectfully asks permission to inquire about directions to Cleveland, sir."

We would like:
"Bruh, how we getting to Cleveland, yo?"

Haha.

The content is the same and seems unavoidable. The form is variable but seems irrelevant to the goal.

I have listened to the podcast and halfway jest but maybe you could clarify a little?

I signed up for 9-7 to 9-25! See you there. 

Daniel,

I'm signed up for September 4 - 26th. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Be prepared to sign my copy of MCTB. 

- James

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm curious how you will handle the two different streams of practitioners present?

For example, I'm presently working within Culadasa's framework and expect I will proceed more or less on that basis during the retreat. But of course I'm hoping most of all to have stream entry sooner than later. Is there anything you'd like to see from those of us who are really quite enamoured with both MCTB and TMI?

- James

How exciting, Daniel! Culadasa mentioned this on his latest Patreon Zoom on Saturday. Wonderful to see the co-adventuring spread far and wide.

Loved the podcast too. The co-adventuring model is probably the most significant development in modern Dharma since the sixties. Brilliant!

Traditional: you tell me about your practice and I offer advice and instructions.

Co-adventurer: we both discuss our practice and we might both offer our perspective and thoughts on what the other person says.

As to TMI or MCTB or whatever, I am comfortable with a range of frameworks, models, maps and sets of terminology and can both meet people where they are and offer some augmentation to whatever they are using.

More important than what framework people are using is that they really learn to use it well and become empowered and encouraged to learn not only how to practice but to assess their practice and balance imbalances.

Are you going to be doing fire kasina? Would fire kasina a good alternative to annapanna to build concentration before insight practice on the first couple days of the retreat? 

I have a month fire kasina retreat that I will be going on Oct 10 - Nov 10, and fire kasina, at least for me, benefits from less distraction and more concentration power, so I am not sure what practice I will be doing then personally, likely whatever strikes my fancy at the time. Could very well be fire kasina, but I often adjust my practice choices on retreat depending on what comes up and seems right at the time, and September seems a long way away at this point, and I have no idea where my head will be then.

However, other practitioners are invited to pursue any reasonable practice that falls within the general range of things I can provide reasonable feedback on, which is broad but not unlimited, and I would prefer that people stay in the general territory of vipassana and samatha and their skillful combination.

Will Culadasa be there as well, or before and after? It would be great to be able to pick the brains of both of you.

Culadasa plans to be there at times, health and logistics permitting.

Hope to be in the first category .

Glad to see you conduct retreats. Wish I could be there.

Nofap has a forum section for accountability partners. Maybe, DhO could have a co-adventurer section allowing practitioners to pair up and share their journeys. What do you think?

I asked Nancy about policy on candles. This is what they said:

"

GREAT question!   I spoke with Culadasa about how we would like to work with this... and we agreed that we are fine with a candle on the altar of the meditation hall/ yurt which you could sit close to.    
As we are located in a dry forest canyon,  we would request that the candle be placed in a candle holder which is set in a bowl with water.   We did have an experience of a meditator once leaving a candle burning which scorched the top of the altar and made us all much more cautious.   Also, you would be welcome to use a candle in the dharmatory yurt as well.   September not considered fire season, as the summer monsoon rains normally end in August and the moisture content of vegetation is higher. 
"

I have never done this before. Would this setting work for this? Would it be disruptive?

I personally travel with a camping travel lantern designed for use in tents, which are obviously flammable, and haven't had problems.

Here's an example of the type I have, and not meaning to endorse any particular brand or vendor.