Cecilie Kwiat

A bhudda statue
Cecilie Kwiat is a meditation teacher with skill in crafting traditional meditation techniques to accommodate individual needs. Cecilie considers herself to be a Buddhist practitioner rooted in North American culture. Since the mid 1960's when she met her first Buddhist teacher - then known as the Venerable Ananda Bodhi, later recognised by the late Holiness, the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa and given the name Venerable Namgyal Rinpoche - Cecilie has also had the good fortune of receiving teachings from many excellent teachers from the three main schools of Sakyamuni Buddha's lineage - most notably H.H. the Dalai Lama, H.H. the 16th Karmapa, H.H. Sakya Trinzin and H.H. Penor Rinpoche. Cecilie has also studied Soto Zen Buddhism, spending nine months in Japan sitting in a Soto temple under the guidance of Ven. Uchiyana Roshi. As well, she spent 21 months in Thailand doing practice and studying the Theravadin path. For this rare and precious gift of Dharma she is most grateful.

A Canadian, attracted to the Buddha's teaching by the Venerable Namgyal Rinpoche’s suggestion that she stop inner wars rather than outer ones, Cecilie has been focused on developing non-clinging, compassionate awareness to still the fires of suffering and ignorance. Her main practices aim at increasing love, skill and a respect for the gift of what is present. 

Cecilie is a gifted writer and poet, as well as a Dharma teacher. She shares her love of writing and Dharma by giving writing / meditation workshops in many beautiful places on the planet. To quote Cecilie:

“The gift of language bestows on its recipients great power. It can be used to paint the possibilities of imagination into our daily life. It holds the promise of clarity when we make estimates and measurements. Through language we are able to coordinate group activities. A few words can throw us into loneliness and pain or transform disaster into pleasure. But perhaps the most profound use of language occurs when it is woven into myth. Although the art of myth involves speech, its true power lies in transcending the world of duality. Myth is the language of the undivided heart. Every life, every culture has at its core a myth, calling us into a union beyond words."
Cecilie Kwiat is the resident guide and teacher for Novayana Society for Eastern and Western Studies, based in Edmonton, Alberta. She teaches regularly in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta and Boise, Idaho as well as at various Dharma Centres across Canada, including the Dharma Centre of Canada, and Crystal Staff in Ottawa. She has been graced, as well, with the opportunity to teach frequently at various Centres in Tasmania, Australia, New Zealand, England, France, and North America. She currently lives in Didsbury, Alberta, Canada where she provides individual meditation and retreat instruction. 

Cecilie’s house is located in Didsbury, one of the oldest farming communities in Alberta, on a street once known as ‘Mortgage Avenue’. It has become a vibrant Retreat Center. Meditators from across Alberta and around the world, travel here to do retreat work. The positive aspirations from all the meditative practice manifests as a tangible presence in the house. This calm, clear, and compassionate atmosphere supports all those who come. 

Novayana Society is pledged to support the ongoing work both of this Retreat Centre and of this important teacher and guide. Novayana and its extended circle of friends have funded an addition to the shrine room to give Cecilie a space for writing. As well, an antique furnace has been replaced with a new one, the bathroom has been modernized, and old windows have been replaced with more energy efficient ones. Retreatants and friends have generously donated time and energy to beautifying the garden and flower beds surrounding the house. 

Cecilie is a teacher completely living by the gift of dana - so members of Novayana and students and friends of the Dharma across the world provide this support in the form of ongoing monthly financial contributions and assistance. 

A Retreat house in Western Canada with a teacher as gifted, compassionate, and accomplished as Cecilie is precious beyond measure. Novayana is honoured to be able to assist in this ongoing support of Dharma. 

For further information, regarding ongoing Novayana activities, retreats, and teaching schedules please contact Don MacKenzie at don.mackenzie@shaw.ca 
or Bob or Kathi Sinclair at (780) 438-3574.