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Online Retreat Info for Spring 2013

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:31 pm
by mirco
Announcement on Facebook by Sister Khema

There are not many online retreats out there, so I think this is an interesting especially for all who got no teacher or group they can visit.
AN ONLINE RETREAT INFO FOR SPRING 2013
http://www.dhammasukha.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ONLINE RETREAT SCHEDULE: These are always one week long.

The first online retreat will run from May 16 - May 23 for 10 people max.

Other retreats will follow after a break time. I will do as many as I can this spring. Please remember there is a lot of clean-up work still going on here (mostly small stuff now, but messy and we have to keep going with this) in the center and new building is happening too…

Please always be patient for our replies… we commit to answering you each day very carefully after we receive your comments. Advice is given by myself and often times Bhante is consulted too.

WHO IS ASKED TO ENTER THESE RETREATS?

You may ask to be on a list , but, also, what we do is we try to get people who are new OR who have been trying this practice on their own without any routine guidance so they can learn the value of close in training as happened with the monks of the Buddha in the very beginning.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DOING AN ONLINE RETREAT?

You have to do one to really understand the total benefits.

Many times a person does not notice their own shadow. The shadow I am speaking of is, in this case, their personal points of craving and clinging which cause the barriers in our meditation.

A trained guide can often catch how a person is falling off track by what they write in reports and from multiple experience with students, they can advise them how to get back on track just as quickly. The student learn problem—solution answers and keep them in mind for future meditations.

What are the requirements for an online retreat.

The requirements for this kind of online retreat are found on our website and I will put you down as one of these 10 for this first retreat until I hear otherwise from you.

What about Dana for online retreats?

Some people have asked me about this before. So here is the deal about this when attending any online retreat activities. We do not post any cost for this teaching. This is a personal thing. A participant may send any form of Dana following a retreat or do what they can do according to the value of what they have experienced and according to their conscience. This ranges from sending an encouraging note of appreciation, to sending something to help the Center keep growing (like a small Walmart or Lowes gift card), or sending a direct donation to paypal for use in the building program or supporting the monastics.

However, this is NOT mandatory and you should not feel badly about this if you are in bad economic straights. A smile, a note, and your happier life, spreading the word there is a way to easier mind, is enough reward for us all.

This IS how the Center grows worldside and keeps going and any form of generosity helps us continue this work.

This is how Buddhist Centers keep going.

Specifics for an online retreat:

You DO NOT have to sequester yourself to do this kind of retreat. In fact the idea of this form of retreat is to discover that you can KEEP WORKING while you are doing the meditation all the time in daily life! You will discover that MEDITATION is LIFE; LIFE is MEDITATION.

You are asked to make certain agreements as a student in this retreat. WE require you to:

- Agree to Cut out all CELL PHONE TALKING or TEXTING, TV, MUSIC, RADIO, NEWPAPERS, NEWS ITEMS (which are way depressing)--
- Take the REFUGES and PRECEPTS with us online as directed on the instruction page for the Online retreats and follow the reading for the DHAMMAPADA together with us online.
- Sit AT LEAST one time in the early morning for AT LEAST 30 minutes each day before going in to work ( after shower, dressing, and eating... so you can sit and then get up and go)
- Walk one time during the day, during a lunch break anywhere (maybe in a park?), continuing to do the loving kindness as you walk per instructions.
- FORGIVE everything that goes on during the day that has been annoying and Put Loving kindness into EVERYTHING you are doing as you work. Keep smiling.
- Continue smiling ALL THE TIME during the day..
- Agree to listen to one DHAMMA TALK as directed each night within the directed program.
- Write one report each day and email it to me and this can include ONE question about the practice.

WHAT IS DOES A MEDITATION REPORT CONSIST OF?

Your daily report = you answer 3 questions each day:

1. How long was your best sitting time for the day?

2. How long were you able to stay with your spiritual friend before mind was pulled off of the object of meditation? (Estimate please 1,2,3 minutes? or so like that)

3. What did you do when that happened?

Then you answer the questions 2 and 3 in respect to when you walked with the meditation.

You may ask one question ‘pertaining to your meditation’ each day.

Retreat guides will comment back to you to keep you on track.

Also check out http://www.dhammasukha.org/Retreats/ON-YOUR-OWN-ONL.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Online Retreat Info for Spring 2013

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:30 am
by Svadhyaya
This sounds wonderful for me, as I have been a practicing Buddhist for several years but live in a town where no sangha is available to me. I looked on the website and am interested, but could not find a place to formally request to join the retreat. Do you have the details about where to submit my application?

Thank you!

Re: Online Retreat Info for Spring 2013

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 3:32 am
by mikenz66
Hi Svadhyaya,

I thin
http://dhammasukha.pbworks.com/w/page/59801/Schedules" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
ONLINE RETREATS are guided by Ven. Sister Khema with supervision support by Most Ven. Vimalaramsi.

This is s daily support program for those who continue to go to work normally and learn a meditation to carry with them all the time.

Request a spot- contact
[email protected]

Re: Online Retreat Info for Spring 2013

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 9:43 am
by mirco
A good way to communicate with them is the discussion group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dhammasukha/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regards :-)

Re: Online Retreat Info for Spring 2013

Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:48 pm
by Svadhyaya
Thank you both for your help!