Radiant is the Mind: A Retreat for BIPOC Practitioners
Teacher
Tara Mulay & Nakawe Cuebas Berrios
When
October 8-12, 2026
Where
Kio-o
Ste-Lucie-des-Laurentides, QC
In today’s world, it is vital that BIPOC people have access to the Buddha’s empowering teachings on the heart-mind’s capacity for deep stillness, tranquility, and insight. A calm, collected mind offers strength and stability, allowing us to meet life’s challenges with resilience and to open to liberating wisdom.
This retreat will offer teachings and practices that support the development of wise mindfulness and wise concentration. We will explore qualities of mind that nurture these states—including equanimity, renunciation, seclusion, calm, and joy. Participants will engage in both mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation, discovering how the cultivation of these practices can enrich and deepen one another.
This retreat is open to self-identified Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) of all experience levels.
Teachers
Tara Mulay
Tara Mulay is a dharma teacher and mentor, guiding practitioners in both retreat settings and everyday life. She was trained and authorized to teach by the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts, and her teachings draw deeply from the Mahasi Sayadaw lineage, while being enriched by a range of Theravāda and Early Buddhist traditions. Tara began her meditation practice in 2003, during a two-decade career as a criminal defense attorney. She has engaged in extensive periods of silent retreat in both the United States and Myanmar, immersing herself in intensive training. Of South Asian heritage, Tara was initially drawn to the Buddha’s teachings on the rejection of caste as a measure of human value and spiritual potential. Her teaching is grounded in a vision of the dharma as a liberative path of non-harm and wise action in the world, naturally leading to release of the heart and mind from suffering.
Nakawe Cuebas Berrios
Nakawe Cuebas Berrios has been a practitioner of Buddha Dharma for over 20 years, having begun her journey under her first Buddhist teacher, Goenka. She is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Dedicated Practitioners Program, the Community Dharma Leaders Program, and the IMS Teacher Trainer Program, and currently teaches meditation retreats primarily with Insight Meditation Society (IMS) and meditation sessions through different meditation centers. Alongside her spiritual practice, Nakawe has devoted 40 years to working as a midwife. Rooted in her ancestral home of Puerto Rico, she draws guidance and strength from the Spanish, African, and Taino Indian heritage that flows through her lineage. At the heart of her work is a deep belief that all people carry the potential to live a life of wisdom and compassion, and these are the teachings of liberation she is dedicated to sharing.
Registration Information
LOCATION: Kio-o, 1905 Chemin 6e Rang, Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, QC J0T 2J0
Most of the rooms are double rooms, with shared washrooms. There are a small number of single rooms. Single rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the order in which registrations are received.
ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30 - 5 pm, Thursday, October 8. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Monday, October 12. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch.
COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat.
A deposit of 50% of the base rate is required to register to the retreat.* The deposit is included in all of our fees.
- Benefactor: $1 640
- Sustaining: $1 280
- Base: $860
- Reduced: $720
- You Choose Rate: Please choose between $300 and $719. The deposit is half of the chosen rate.
◆ Deposit : $430
So that TNI can offer this form of financial assistance to as many as possible, we invite you to contribute at the highest rate that feels possible for you.
Benefactor
The Benefactor rate provides the opportunity to offer more substantial support for TNI.
Sustaining
The Sustaining rate represents the actual cost to TNI to operate our programs. If you can afford this level or higher, you assist our efforts to offer lower sliding-scale rates and ongoing financial subsidies.
Base
The Base rate covers 69 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Reduced
Payment at the Reduced rate covers only 55 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Scholarship
TNI offers scholarships providing a reduction of up to 50% on the base rate on our sliding scale to those who request them. Scholarships are available for a limited number of places.
Important Information