“Now suppose we are walking to a sacred place. We would walk quietly and take each gentle step with reverence. I propose that we walk this way every time we walk on the earth. The earth is sacred and we touch her with each step. We should be very respectful, because we are walking on our mother. If we walk like that, then every step will be grounding, every step will be nourishing.”
While we love the Dorrigo Plateau, at Gaia Forest we are committed to building spiritual community in a way that transcends attachment to a particular location.
Our not-for-profit association; Gaia Forest Sangha hosts nature immersion and wilderness walking retreats, days of mindfulness and other practice opportunities that combine meditation, mindfulness and nature connection.
To join such an event, keep a lookout among the posts below, or drop us a message, we’d love to hear from you. For more information or to get involved, visit our Sangha page.
In person retreats:
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Dear Friends, We warmly invite you to join us on stunning Gumbaynggirr and Thungutti country near Point Lookout on the New England Plateau. We will camp nestled in Gondwanan forest on the slopes of the ancient Ebor Volcano, and enjoy hikes in moss-hung Antarctic Beech forests, Snowgum woodland and montane heath. In this retreat we…
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Dear friends, Due to unforeseen circumstances we’ve had to POSTPONE this event. Please stay tuned for new dates… We warmly invite you to join us on a “Sacred Ecology” retreat on beautiful Darug and Gundungurra country, at the historic Dunphy’s camp in Blue Mountains N.P. In this retreat we will explore the Buddha Dharma at…
Online events:
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Following from the Thich Nhat Hanh’s last book, authoured together with Sister True Dedication , entitled “Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet”, Plum village is currently offering an online course of the same name. Having enjoyed the course earlier this year at www.gaiaforest.org we are currently hosting a regular monthly discussion group for…
Past events
See below for information regarding past events and retreats, including photo galleries and links to resources.
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In June this year Tenzin facilitated a pilot “Sacred Ecology” nature retreat on nearby Yaegl country. A group of 30 enjoyed a beautiful three nights and four days together at Grey Cliff campground, in Yuraygir National Park on the mid-north coast of NSW, Australia. In collaboration with www.yatra.org.au we explored some of the important intersections…
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It’s an honour to again have the opportunity to work with Ken Golding and Ronny Hickel in the MenAware nature retreat format. Ken is a grandfather of Men’s Work in Australia, and Ronny is the founder of www.yatra.org.au. This time we’ll be circling up on Thungutti Country, near the spectacular Point Lookout in New England…
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We are very happy to confirm dates for our first meditation retreat with Bhante Dhammadipa (http://dhammadipa.cz) in Australia, February 19th-26th 2023, at beautiful Corindi, on the NSW Mid-North Coast. In this retreat we will take a deep dive into the Four Immeasurable Minds; Loving Kindness, Compassion, Joy and Equanimity. These practices are central to the…
