A Peace Offering
The Peace of Being Aware

The Prescott Insight Fall Retreat
Taught by Howard Cohn

November 13 – 16, 2025
Garchen Buddhist Institute, Arizona


Meditation reminds us that peace is
available in every instant as our natural state.
Practicing together in a sustained way helps to weaken
the habits of mind that oppose peace,
and grow the conditions that increase peace and wellbeing.
What better peace offering can we make to this suffering world
than being together in silence,
moment to moment, ending war in our own hearts and minds?
–
Howie Cohn
On this retreat we will practice the two most important ways to meet our life peacefully — with wisdom and with love. Using the time-tested practices of Vipassana (insight) and Metta (loving kindness) Meditation, together we will strengthen our minds and soften our hearts so that we can peacefully navigate this wondrous world.

The world is not presently peaceful and harmonious, given war, polarization, greed and cruelty. We are often heartbroken or angry. Though we don’t have a peaceful world, each of us can be at peace in the world.
Inner peace does not depend on circumstances, but the way we relate to them.

Meditation instructions, dharma talks, and opportunities for checking in with the teacher will be included. Suitable for all levels of meditation experience.
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Courtesy Mission Dharma
Our Teacher

Howard Cohn is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in northern California. He has led the Mission Dharma sitting group in San Francisco for over 35 years, been in private practice as a psychotherapist, and led Vipassana retreats worldwide since 1985. He incorporates the influences of Theravada, Zen, Tibetan Dzogchen and Advaita Vedanta in his teaching, with an emphasis on reawakening our intrinsic freedom. Among his many teachers and mentors are Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, U Pandita Sayadaw, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and the Advaita Vedanta Master H.W.L. Poonja. Howie is known by his students for his kindheartedness and warm sense of humor.
We are SO honored to receive the gift of Howie's teachings every autumn since 2007!
Howie receives no compensation from your fee for his teachings, offering his time and wisdom freely.
Honoring our ancient tradition of dana (generosity), the teachings of The Buddha are considered priceless and offered freely to all. We are thus inspired to help Howie lead a life devoted to teaching the dharma by offering a gift of dana in any amount, before, during or after the retreat. In the act of giving, we develop our ability to let go, cultivate loving-kindness for all beings, and honor our inter-connectedness.


The Retreat

This is our 26th annual Fall Retreat, begun by Carol and Monty Cook in the autumn of 2000, and led by Howie beginning 2007. Our gratitude flows endlessly to them for their dedication and love of sangha and the dharma!

Our days together will comprise instructions, sitting meditation, walking meditation, question & answer sessions, and evening dharma talks. Noble silence will be observed throughout the retreat in order to provide an optimal container for internal work. We'll receive guidance in the Five Precepts, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, and in the practice of loving-kindness (metta), cultivating friendship toward oneself and all beings. One-on-one or group check-ins with the teacher will be scheduled as time permits. This retreat is suitable for beginning and experienced practitioners alike.
There will be guided movement sessions on Friday and Saturday afternoon, as the schedule permits. Cushions and chairs will be available.

Set-up and check-in for participants will be from 12:00 to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 13. No lunch will be served Thursday, and the retreat starts at 2:30. We will wrap up sometime after lunch on Sunday, November 16, 1:00 - 2:00 pm.
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Venue photos courtesy Garchen Buddhist Institute
The Setting

We are grateful to gather once again at Garchen Buddhist Institute, a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist center in the pinion-juniper hills, about one hour north of Prescott, Arizona. This serene, off-grid location is graced with sweeping views to the northeast of the Sacred Peaks, Red Rocks country, and Verde Valley, and the landscape surrounding Prescott to the southwest. For driving directions to Garchen visit their location page. And here is a Google Maps link.
For a user-facilitated ride share signup list, use this Google Sheet.

This is primarily a camping retreat, including indoor and outdoor camping. Lodging with beds and linens include the Dorm, retreat huts and Tashi House. Availability of accommodations will change as reservations are filled. Details of each option are included on the registration form. Regrettably, there are no ADA compliant (wheelchair accessible) rooms available.
Participants not requesting a bed must bring their own bedding and other gear for indoor or outdoor camping. The U.S. Forest Service camping area has level tent sites and a portable toilet, and is a 200-yard walk downhill from the main campus. No fires are allowed in the camping area. Limited space is available in the lower parking lot for car camping or a few small RV's. All participants will have access to the bathhouse near the Assembly Hall.

During the week prior to the retreat we will send you important, detailed information. An online ride-share signup sheet will be available for those wanting help with transportation.

If you experience symptoms or a positive test for any infectious illness in the week prior to the retreat, we ask that you not attend.

Registration & Fees

Retreat fees are $285 for outdoor or indoor camping, and $345 for a bed in the dorm and retreat cabins.

The fee covers our use of the venue, expenses, and three vegetarian meals per day, except lunch on Thursday. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. If you are unable to pay part or all of the retreat fee we offer full or partial scholarships. For funding assistance please email us after registering and before November 13.
Once the first 50 positions are filled, submitted names will be placed on a waiting list in the order in which they are received. 
If you must cancel your reservation please let us know as soon as possible to allow others to plan ahead. Refunds will be issued for 50% of your fee through October 20, 2025. After that date we will not issue refunds, and any non-refunded fees will be contributed to our retreat scholarship fund.
After you are confirmed to attend, we ask that you pay your fee as soon as possible, preferably with Paypal, using the link below or the one in your confirmation email:

You may also pay by check, either by mail or during check-in at the retreat.
Please make your check payable to:

"Prescott Insight Meditation"
PO Box 10014
Prescott, AZ 86304

Please write in the memo field "COHN RETREAT".

To get on the mailing list for announcements about this and other retreats, or about our weekly Tuesday night sits, please use the form at the bottom of our Connect page.