2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat Registration (Closed)

2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat Registration (Closed)

Registration has closed. This post is left here for informational purposes.

Update August 2: The retreat application period has ended, and there were more applicants than available seats on the retreat. Space on the retreat will be allocated by lottery, and the retreat manager will inform those who applied of their lottery status by August 15th.

Original retreat announcement

Abhayagiri Monastery in Redwood Valley, California and the Sanghapala Foundation invite you to join Luang Por Pasanno and the Abhayagiri Community for a 10-day retreat over the Thanksgiving holiday. We will create a monastery environment during our time together, and we offer you this opportunity to explore the Dhamma in a setting that differs somewhat from a typical meditation retreat. We will all live the monastery life, following the Eight Precepts, taking only what is offered, and attempting to reflect on our every activity as part of our practice. This will include noble silence, morning and evening chanting, sitting and walking meditation, a work period, and daily Dhamma talks and teachings.

The retreat will be held from Friday afternoon, November 21st, through midday Sunday, November 30, 2014, in the Ursula Hall at the Angela Center in Santa Rosa, California. The closest airports are Santa Rosa, Oakland and San Francisco, with shuttles available to Santa Rosa. Because of the length of this retreat and the adherence to the Eight Precepts, you must previously have sat at least one five-day meditation retreat. Retreatants are requested to attend the entire retreat, from the opening taking of the Precepts on Friday evening to the closing ceremony on Sunday morning.

The facility is wheelchair accessible. We are unable to accommodate any special dietary or environmental needs. We will eat a light breakfast and, in keeping with this monastic tradition, the daily meal (vegetarian) is eaten before noon; there is no evening meal. Incense and candles are used at the morning and evening chanting periods.

The retreat will be offered solely on dana (freewill donations); there is no set fee. Due to the popularity of this retreat, we will be doing a lottery this year. Please email the information below by the deadline of August 1st. You will hear back from the retreat manager by August 15th, at which time we will ask you to send in a refundable deposit of $100 if you are in. For those who attend the retreat or who cancel by October 25th, the deposit can be refunded upon request or it can be offered as a freewill donation to Abhayagiri Monastery. The deposit cannot be refunded to those who cancel after October 25th. Out of respect for others, please register only when you can make a clear and wholehearted commitment to attend.

Registration has closed. This post is left here for informational purposes.

To register, please email the following information to Paul Friedlander, Registrar, at Retreat14@juno.com by August 1, 2014.

  1. Your name, address, telephone number and gender.
  2. Have you previously attended a five-day or longer silent meditation retreat? _____ yes _____ no
  3. Have you previously attended a ten-day or longer monastic meditation retreat? _____ yes _____ no
  4. If you don’t get into the retreat, are you interested in being placed on a waiting list? (There are always cancellations, and sometimes very close to the retreat start. ) _____ yes _____ no
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