|
| First Annual Summer Rains Retreat |
First Annual Summer Rains Retreat
led by Gen-La Michael Gregory
May 1 through July 31, 2009
Location: Karuna Meditation Center, Phuket, Thailand
Jump to schedule
Full Retreat Cost: This varies based on accommodations
(Please pay at signup, non-refundable)
CDs available after the retreat for a modest production cost of $60 (for attendees ONLY). (MP3 format only)
Please call Avtar at 970-618-1032,
or email Sarah at info@meditate-thailand.com for more information about attending.
|
|
Every year, when the summer monsoons made the roads of northern India impassable, the Buddha suspended his traveling teaching routine and took his closest followers to a protected location where he gave them intensive instruction and guided their practice for 90 days. This event became known as the Summer Rains Retreat. In the spirit of this original practice as established by the Buddha, we are holding the first Annual Summer Rains Retreat at the Karuna center in Thailand, beginning May 1.
The practices of the retreat are as laid out by the Buddha himself in the Mahasatipatthana Sutra: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Mindfulness of Body-first month; Mindfulness of Vedana-second month; Mindfulness of Mind-third month; Mindfulness of Object of Mind-third month), The Seven Factors of Awakening (practiced throughout the retreat), and The Four Noble Truths (practiced as the Four Immeasurables, at the very end of the retreat). Gen-la will teach nearly every day, and there will be frequent opportunities for meditation interviews.
There is no better way to establish or revitalize your practice than to attend all or part of this retreat. Of course, it would be ideal to be able to attend for the full 90 days, but as a practical matter it’s understood that for most people it will be a huge undertaking to attend for as much as a month. So the retreat structure takes this into account.
During the first six weeks, from May 1 through June 15, the retreat is open, meaning that you can come at any point and stay for any length of time. The final month is also open to SDC members in place of the usual 30-day retreat, and will cover essentially the same teachings and practices as have been covered in previous 30-day retreats.
Contemplate your precious human birth, and its impermanence, and give serious thought to participating in at least a part of this tremendous opportunity. You will find it to be more than worth the effort, and will forever be glad that you did.
Sign-up sheets are available at all classes; put your name down as a statement of intention. Although you aren’t considered registered until you’ve paid a deposit, stating your intention to attend is the first and perhaps most important step of the process.
Tentative Schedule (subject to change before and during the retreat):
Daily Schedule:
| 5:15 - 6:45 |
First Meditation Session |
| 7:00 - 7:30 |
Breakfast |
| 8:30 - 10:00 |
Second Meditation Session |
| 11:30 - 12:30 |
Third Meditation Session |
| 12:30 - 1:00 |
Lunch |
| 3:30 - 5:00 |
Fourth Meditation Session |
| 5:15 - 5:45 |
Evening snack |
| 6:15 - 7:45 |
Fifth Meditation Session |
|
|
|
Return to Retreat Listings...
|
|
|
|
|
|