Category Archives: VictoriaIMS Events/Retreats

1 VictoriaIMS Retreats

2025 Victoria IMS Retreat Schedule
We are pleased to announce our 2025 non-residential retreats.
These in-person retreats will be at Goward House  in Victoria, BC, unless otherwise noted.

February 22 One-day Retreat with Margo McLoughlin
April 12/13 Weekend Retreat with Tempel Smith
May 10/11 Weekend Retreat with Kristina Bare
June 14/15 Weekend Retreat with Christina Feldman
September 20/21 Weekend Retreat with Tuere Sala
October 18/19 Weekend Retreat with Howie Cohn

All retreats are offered with no registration fees.
Victoria IMS and our teachers follow the Buddhist practice of giving, called dana.
Victoria IMS and the teachers continue to offer programs as a result of the collective generosity offered to sustain organizational costs and teachers’ livelihoods.
We thank you for keeping the Buddhist teachings alive and well in Victoria, BC.

For information about the retreat teachers:
https://victoriaims.org/?page_id=24

2025/02/22 Margo McLoughlin one day retreat

The Path of Friendship and the Refuge of Sangha
A one-day retreat with Margo McLoughlin

Saturday 22 February, 2025 at Goward House in Victoria.
2495 Arbutus Rd. from 9am to 4pm. In-person only.
In this one day retreat, storyteller and teacher Margo McLoughlin will guide participants towards a deeper appreciation and understanding of spiritual friendship and the refuge of Sangha, 
The Buddha is famously quoted as saying, “Spiritual friendship is the whole of the holy life.” It is by finding good companions, and walking the path together, that we grow in wisdom and compassion.
 
Likewise, when faced with uncertainty about how to contribute in a changing world, we can refuse the distraction and isolation that results from a culture of consumption. Instead, we can nurture friendships of all kinds, weaving community connections wherever and however we can. 
 
The day will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, 
 
Margo McLoughlin has been practicing in the Insight tradition of Theravada Buddhism since 1986. Margo is known for her telling of Jataka tales and in leading meditation retreats and courses on Vancouver Island, the US and Ireland. A former staff member at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts and a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School, Margo has also completed her training to be a Community Dharma Leader through Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Her teachers include Joseph Goldstein, Carol Wilson, Thanissara, and Eugene Cash.  For more information about Margo, please visit her website at