Retreat: The Gradual Training

This Non-Residential retreat is being offered at a private residence in Shelburne, MA.  Please contact [email protected] if interested in attending.  There is no fee or previous experience required.  Preference will be given to those wanting to attend for both days, followed by those willing to commit to an entire day.

The goal of Buddhist practice is clear and attainable, and yet the paths to that goal are many. We all start from a different point and progress at different rates. Yet there are guidelines and checkpoints for the journey that can benefit everyone.

Enter the Gradual Training. The Buddha returned to this theme again and again in the discourses, likening the training of the mind to the taming of a wild horse: first it accepts the trainer, then the bit, then the saddle, and finally a rider.

Likewise, mastery of the mind and purification of the heart occurs based on certain basic foundations of practice: morality, sense restraint, mindfulness, and contentment. In this weekend retreat we will practice together with these foundations and discuss how to integrate a deeper commitment to practice into our daily life.

Schedule

Friday Evening

8pm – Online Group Meditation

8:45 – Optional Refuges and Precepts

9pm – Online Dhamma talk (Upavana ZOOM and YouTube live Innovative Dhamma – YouTube)

Saturday and Sunday

9:00am – Meditation instructions

9:30 – 11:00 – Sitting/Walking Meditation

11:00am – Lunch (Potluck)

Break period

1:00-3:00pm Sitting/Walking

3:00pm – Talk/Discussion:

Sat: Sila and Sense Restraint

Sun: Mindfulness and Contentment

5:30pm – Tea Time

6:30pm – Metta practice

7:00-8:00pm – Puja/Meditation