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Honoring the Past, Revisioning the Future:
Taught by Vimalasara, Arisika Razak & Aleta Toure
In-person, Residential Retreat
February 5 - 8, 2026
Calling all children of the Afrikan Diaspora; calling all folx of Afrikan descent. In the USA, February’s the time to celebrate Black History month. It’s a time we remember our rich global histories, and celebrate our resilience, resistance, creativity and joy. Join us for a four day in-person healing retreat acknowledging our diverse ancestral lineages, historic and contemporary Buddha-dharma teachers, and personal and social identities.
In these challenging and difficult times, let’s remember sacred connection, and loving kindness. Let’s review the wisdom that enables us to survive and thrive in a beautiful, hostile, and holy world – and generate visions for the future in which we want to live. We’ll use embodied prayers to call in our ancestors, the elements, and our planetary kin; we’ll ground in the generative power of the land, our holy and creative body-minds, and the healing medicine found in meditation, ritual, movement, writing, drumming, chant, and story-sharing.
Our co-facilitators, Buddhist meditation teachers, Vimalasara, Arisika, and Aleta, offer teachings based in Buddhist and Afrikan Diasporic wisdom traditions. They have offered monthly Afrikan Wisdom classes for the past four years and have worked for decades in service to the healing of peoples of Afrikan descent. We welcome all folx of Afrikan descent including those who identify as multi-racial, biracial, multicultural, and white adopted.
About the Teachers
About the Teachers
Vimalasara aka Valerie Mason-John is the award winning author of 11 books. They are an ordained buddhist working in the field of trauma, addiction and Afrikan Wisdom. Trained in mindfulness, pranayama breathing, five rhythms and exploring shamanism, they integrate these teachings through the lens of Afrikan Wisdom. They are a founding facilitator of Compassionate Inquiry and have achieved level one in internal Family systems. They have a private practice and work as an international public speaker as well as leading retreats in North America, Mexico, Europe and England
Photo by Vaschelle Andre
Arisika Razak, MPH, Core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center is the former Chair of the Women's Spirituality Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. She served as an inner city nurse midwife for over two decades and her teachings incorporate diverse spiritual traditions, women's health and healing, multicultural feminisms, queer theory and diversity theory. Arisika has led national and international healing workshops, and ritual celebrations for over four decades; she has contributed to numerous books and publications and continues to present at online and in-person conferences on the subjects of Afrikan wisdom traditions, Buddhism and womanism and embodied spiritual traditions. She is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Dedicated Practitioner Program, the Mindfulness Teacher Certification Program and the Embodied Social Justice Certificate Program.
Aleta Toure'. East Bay Meditation Center Visiting Teacher, bears witness as a vessel for social change through organizing education and healing arts. She centers healing in monastic lifestyle knowledge, through Intentional Communities, and Black cooperative movements. Her cooperative serves communities through Black Trauma Anonymous (BTA), Tai chi, Ecstatic Healing Dance and Healing Responders. Aleta spends time within Peace Pagodas, monasteries, heritages and dojos which have framed her work through Free Marissa Now, "I am Troy Davis" University Without Walls and other Diasporic Movements. She leads the 2025 California Reparations Interfaith Healing Walk to bring healing, theory and practice back as a Liberation tool.
Retreat Info
Retreat Info
Retreat Cost
Retreat Cost
This retreat is offered freely at no cost. Dana is a word in the ancient Pali language which means Generous Giving, which the Buddha tells us is a heart quality that arises from our gratitude and deep connection to each other. The practice of Dana invites us to disrupt the transactional consumer economy where everything and everyone is commodified and to live into a world where we can support all beings, and the planet, through generosity and care.
Dhamma Dena is one of the only insight meditation center in the country offering residential retreats for free, on a dana basis, in mutual interdependence with our community and in faith that our community will sustain this precious refuge. You can make donations to Dhamma Dena at any time through paypal or venmo, or by sending a check to: Dhamma Dena, PO Box 183, Joshua Tree, CA 92252. Please write "Wisdom of Afrika" in the memo. Donations will go toward the cost of groceries, supplies, utilities, facilities repairs, and everything else it costs to sustain the center and continue to offer retreats freely.
Teacher and Cook Support
Teacher and Cook Support
Our teachers and cooks at Dhamma Dena, like many around the world, offer their teachings and service freely and rely on the generosity of students for support. This approach is rooted in the Buddhist practice of “dana”, a Pali word meaning “generosity” or “giving freely”. This practice of dana has sustained the free offerings of these wisdom teachings for much of Buddhism’s 2,600-year-old history. Practicing generosity is believed to foster lovingkindness and compassion, deepen awareness of our interconnectedness, and encourage non-attachment. You will have the opportunity to make donations to the teachers and cook at the end of the retreat, which enable them to lead lives dedicated to teaching and service.
Covid Protocols
Covid Protocols
In order to attend this retreat, a negative Covid-19 rapid test upon arrival is required.
Please review our full COVID-19 Protocols for a residential retreat here.
Important Dhamma Dena Policies
Important Dhamma Dena Policies
Before attending a retreat at Dhamma Dena, please also review our important policies.
Questions? Please contact us at retreats@dhammadena.org
Retreat FAQ
Retreat FAQ
What time should I plan to arrive and depart?
The retreat begins the evening of February 5th and ends at lunch on February 8th. Please feel free to arrive anytime during the day before 5pm on Thursday, February 5th so that you can acclimate to your housing, our center, and the desert. We’ll be doing registration from 2-5pm, followed by a light dinner meal at 5:30pm, and the retreat orientation at 7:15pm after the meal. The retreat will close before lunch on Sunday, February 8th. If you would like to arrive a day early or stay a day later to help with set up and clean up please email us at retreats@dhammadena.org.
What is the nearest airport to the center?
Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) is the closest airport and is a little over an hour away. Ontario (ONT) is the second closed airport (about an hour and a half away) and sometimes has cheaper flight options, however we are unable to do pick ups and drop offs there. You can try using the carpool sheet provided after the registration to coordinate a pick up.
Will I be able to get a ride to and from the airport to the center?
We offer rides to and from the Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) for a $30 donation each way. You can specify that you need to be picked up or dropped off in your registration and we will contact you to arrange that. You can also email us at retreats@dhammadena.org. Please be prepared to wait for consolidated pick-ups and drop-offs and please avoid late night or early morning arrivals and departures. There will also be a retreat carpool/ride share and encourage retreatants to support each other and the center by offering each other rides to and from the retreat.
Does this retreat include food and lodging? What will those be like?
Yes, this retreat includes lodging and 3 vegetarian meals daily, prepared by retreat cook extraordinaire, Sinclair. Dhamma Dena has been lovingly (and often creatively) built by Ruth Denison’s students over the course of the last forty years. The structures and atmosphere can be described as rustic, quirky, beautiful and a work in progress. There is a main house where the kitchen and the office are located, the zendo (or meditation hall), two main houses for retreatants, as well as a range of other structures and trailers to stay in. On the grounds, there is also a walking labyrinth as well as four outhouses, two outdoor showers and a bathhouse. Residents are provided with either their own room or trailer or a shared room or trailer and access to single stall shared bathrooms as well as outhouses and outdoor showers around the land. Housing options depend on what is available at the time you arrive. Please let us know if you have accessibility needs around your housing before you come. We have a limited number of single rooms, so please only request this if it is absolutely necessary for you. Camping on the land or staying in your van/RV are also options.
I’m on a special diet. Will I be able to cook my own meals?
Food provided for retreatants will include options for a variety of diets, and we ask that you indicate your dietary needs in the registration form so we can meet them. We do have kitchens available if your diet requires that you cook your own meal. Please indicate this is what you plan to do on your registration form (or email us at retreats@dhammadena.org) so we can arrange a kitchen for you to use.
How much dana should I give?
There is no one answer to this question. We encourage you to give dana according to your heart and your means and to cultivate and appreciate the beautiful quality of generosity within. The center, the teachers and the cooks offer their services freely and receive no payment other than what the community gives to support them and to support the teachings to continue to be given freely into the future.
Can I bring my dog or pet?
No, we cannot accommodate dogs or other pets on this retreat. If you have a service animal as described in the American Disabilities Act, please let us know as soon as possible so we can reserve you an appropriate room.
Is this retreat wheelchair accessible? Will it meet my access needs?
Yes, the facilities are wheelchair accessible, offering two ADA bedrooms and bathrooms and a fragrance free environment. Please let us know your access needs when registering. Dhamma Dena is committed to making the center accessible to all who would like to come.
What do I need to bring?
Loose and comfortable clothes, suitable for both moderate and cold weather
Slip on shoes for going in and out of buildings more easily
Shoes suitable for hiking in the desert
Sunglasses
Sun hat
Sunblock lotion
Water bottle
Flashlight or headlamp
Alarm Clock (we have additional alarm clocks to borrow from the office, as you are asked to check in or put away your mobile phone for the retreat)
Toiletries and personal hygiene products – please avoid all fragrances (see the Fragrance Free Policy)
Warm outerwear as evenings and mornings can be quite chilly in the desert
Optional but highly recommended: fragrance free lip balm, body lotion or oil (skin gets dry in the desert), gloves & scarves, umbrella & rain gear, your personal meditation cushions/benches (the Zendo is well-stocked with a wide variety of these, as well as chairs, so you don't need to bring your own unless you wish)
Sheets and towels will be provided but you’re welcome to bring your own
If you have further questions about this retreat, reach out to us at retreats@dhammadena.org
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