Guidelines are given to support all retreatants’ practice and the meditative community while on retreat. If you have any concerns about adhering to these guidelines, we encourage you to contact us before the retreat. We are here to assist you in making your retreat experience fulfilling and comfortable.
Attendance: This Vipassana retreat begins on Thursday evening and ends on Sunday morning. Participants must stay from start to end of this retreat.
Noble Silence: Instruction will be given the first evening in the Meditation Hall. The purpose of Noble Silence is to help participants stabilize attention and investigate the mind. Although Noble Silence can be difficult in the beginning, participants usually begin to appreciate the silence. Noble silence is a time-honored tradition, and includes refraining from speech except in emergencies, setting aside reading or writing, and not making social contact (touching, meeting eyes, and other non-verbal communication).
Please consider leaving your cell phone at home. You will be given an opportunity to allow the retreat manager to hold your phone in a safe place during the retreat.
Maintain Independence. For couples attending together, we respectfully request adherence to the retreat’s guidelines on individual focus and practice, keeping in mind the communal retreat environment. Each person will have their own room.
Clothing: Please avoid clothing that is revealing or has harmful messages, especially advertising substance use or violence.
Scented products: please bring non-scented cosmetic items like shampoo and body wash, as some meditators may find the heavy scents of some cosmetic products distracting and unpleasant.
Special diets: Please let us know in your retreat application if you are vegetarian or =vegan. Please feel free to use the available refrigerator to store any specific dietary items you bring. If you have any specific food allergies please let us know ahead of time.
Emergency Contact Information: In case of emergencies, please approach our retreat staff. Contact details and emergency procedures will be provided upon arrival.
Precepts
All who attend a Vipassana retreat must conscientiously undertake the following five precepts for the duration of the course:
- To abstain from killing any being;
- To abstain from stealing;
- To abstain from all sexual activity;
- To abstain from telling lies;
- To abstain from all intoxicants.