London Buddhist Centre - Winter Open Retreat at Sibford, Oxfordshire Dec 22

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What will the retreat be like?

The first thing to say is that a retreat is just that – a retreat. It is a chance to get away from the noise and complexity of modern life in order to deepen your experience of yourself and of the world around you .

On the retreat there will be plenty of opportunity to practise meditation, and also a thorough introduction to meditation if you are new to it or would like a refresher. There will also be talks on aspects of Buddhism given by members of the retreat team as well as Buddhist devotional rituals (called ‘pujas’) (however you do not have to be a Buddhist to come on the retreat). As the retreat progresses there will be more meditation sessions and periods of silence to allow for more reflection. In order to meditate effectively one needs to maintain clarity of mind. We therefore ask you not to drink alcohol or use any recreational drugs during the retreat.

We advise you not to contact friends or family, or anyone outside the retreat, during the retreat – except where absolutely necessary. This is to help maintain the concentration and focus of the retreat. Over the page is an emergency phone number in case anyone needs to contact you. We ask you not to use mobile phones, e-mail etc while on retreat. Basically the idea is to get away from it all even if only for a few days.

Living Communally

On the retreat we will be living together as a community. The accommodation will be in shared single-sex rooms. Living communally is an important and usually very enjoyable part of the retreat and we ask retreatants to respect that – for example you will be asked to help out with simple chores like washing-up and chopping vegetables. We aim to make our retreats friendly and harmonious and we ask people to live co-operatively together - helping each other when necessary and refraining from harsh speech or anti-social behaviour.

Diet

Our food on the retreat will be vegetarian (with a vegan option). Vegetarianism is part of the Buddhist commitment to non-violence. The cooks on the retreat (as well as the rest of the team) are voluntary helpers and will be on retreat themselves. This means we will not be able to cater for any other special diets unless for medical reasons. If you do need a special diet for medical reasons then we need to be notified as soon as possible and at least by the 1st of December.

Anything else…

No pets please! (They’re not allowed on the premises). No smoking on the premises. People who smoke will need to take a short a walk and smoke off-site. For welfare and safety reasons please let us know if you have any disabilities or serious physical health problems such as diabetes or epilepsy, or any clinical mental health problems – particularly if you are on medication. We would prefer for you not to offer physical therapies such as reflexology on the retreat.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Dates, travel and location details

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