Winter Monthlong Retreat: Registration

– Li Po

A monthlong period of practice is a unique opportunity to settle back into a continuity of awareness and to see what is revealed through such a sustained quality of presence. The retreat will offer time for a momentum of mindfulness to gather and carry us, revealing both the beauty of the ordinary as well as the challenging tendencies that each of our own minds have been conditioned by. Practicing alongside a dedicated community of practitioners supported by a daily schedule, teacher guidance and the seclusion, quietude and beauty of the wider natural world offer an environment conductive to the cultivation of awareness and understanding, inviting a deeper relationship with life.

To embark upon an extended period of retreat is really to embrace the gift of simplicity and renunciation. In support of this the majority of the retreat will be held in silence, though there will be periods of group inquiry and meetings with the teacher a number of times each week. Teachings will be offered around the four foundations of mindfulness along with guided meditations offered more frequently during the beginning of the month. Dharma talks and reflections will be a combination of live teachings with recorded talks from respected Dharma teachers.Rupert’s own teaching emphasizes intimacy with the more-than-human world and this emphasis will be woven throughout the retreat.

We offer these dharma talks (audio only) as a way of getting to know the teacher’s style:

Ordinary Mind

Southern Dharma’s intention is to make the retreat available to those from a range of financial backgrounds through having a community supported format for the retreat and including our work with our practice. Retreatants will take on responsibility for maintaining the center throughout our stay and there will be a work period of roughly an hour to an hour and a half each day in support of this. Also, one day a week each retreatant will have the role of preparing the main meal at lunch and the evening meal (often soup) for the community. Menus will be provided and retreatants will cook together with one other person and have support from a ‘meal prep’ crew in the morning work period. A sample daily schedule can be found here.

Prerequisite: We recommend that candidates have participated in at least 14 nights of structured and teacher-led Buddhist meditation retreats. This should include a minimum of two silent residential retreats of six nights or longer. Your teacher will exercise their discretion in accepting or declining applications. Prior residential retreat experience is required in order to be considered. Online retreat experience does not fulfill the prerequisite. Future attendance in a retreat also does not qualify.

Fees: Sliding scale fees allow individuals to pay what works best for their financial situation. Please consider choosing the highest level that you can afford so others who need to pay less can do so. Those who are in need may also consider applying for a Scholarship or Fellowship. Amounts offered above the Base Rate are considered a tax-deductible donation to the Center. Note that registration fees do not include dana for the teacher. In the Buddhist tradition the teachings are offered freely and teachers are not paid for their offerings. They rely on dana contributions from students.

– Terry Tempest Williams