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Retreat Basic Rules and Regulations

In order to make spiritual progress during the retreat, yogis need to have faith, effort, and perseverance.  Faith in the teacher and in the method will inspire yogis to practice.  Faith alone is not sufficient, however.  Yogis also need effort and perseverance to progress along the spiritual path leading to enlightenment and emancipation.  Therefore, faith, effort, and perseverance are indispensable qualities for yogis during the retreat.

 

For the retreat to be smooth and fruitful, all yogis are required to observe all the retreat rules and regulations.  They may seem demanding but they are created for the benefit of all the yogis who are ready to practice wholeheartedly. 

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They are as follows:

  1. Practice seriously.  During the retreat, upon seeing yogis not mindfully focusing on their practice, the meditation teacher(s) or the retreat coordinator(s) will kindly remind them to be mindful.  Please take it positively.

  2. Take eight precepts with two meals a day, breakfast at 6 A.M. and lunch at 11 A.M. Eating and drinking take place in the dining hall only except water can be taken in the room and in the hall way outside the meditation hall.  Please do not eat or drink in the open areas or in the meditation hall.  Yogis are responsible for cleaning their cups, the rest will be taken care of by the center. 

  3. Observe noble silence at all times. Talk only when really necessary such as during the interview or during the question-and-answer session, if any.

  4. Bow before and after each sitting meditation, each Dhamma talk, and each interview if possible to display gratitude and humility.  Please do not take bowing as a behavior of lower social status.

  5. Yogis must do all activities mindfully in slow motion.  However, when lining up for meals, resume your normal pace but with mindfulness to have time to finish your meal by noon.  Look down while walking, standing, eating and during the interview.  Do not forget to note mindfully.

  6. Avoid activities disturbing to the practice, such as greeting each other, smoking, physical exercises, yoga, tai chi, making calls, listening to electronic devices, reading books or materials not related to the practice, and wandering around. For stretching, yogis can do in their own room, not in the opening areas.

  7. Out of respect, avoid stretching legs toward the Buddha statue. 

  8. Show respect toward meditation teachers by waiting for them to first exit the meditation hall after every sitting meditation or Dhamma talk except when they remain for further meditation.

  9. Refrain from trying to see the meditation teachers outside of the scheduled interviews and the question-and-answer sessions, if any.

  10. After two full days of practice, yogis are scheduled for an interview every other two days with the same meditation teacher for the whole week.  Please do the following.  (1. Come to the interview location at least five minutes ahead of the schedule.  2.Report own experience of practice, direct to the point, not wasting time with intellectual questions. 3.Stay within your own time allocation for the interview.)

  11. Come to meditation hall in time to avoid disturbing other yogis.

  12. Open and close meditation hall’s doors gently, slowly and mindfully to minimize noises

  13. Yogis should arrive at the meditation hall at least five minutes before the daily Dhamma talk at 5 P.M.

  14. Do not skip any sitting meditation, especially the last sitting with loving-kindness (metta) chanting at 9:40 P.M. daily.

  15. Stay at prearranged rooms as well as seats in the meditation hall and in the dining hall. Please do not move to another location without first asking the retreat coordinator. Yogis are allowed to use resting chairs against the back wall of the meditation hall for 15-minutes maximum on a first-come-first-serve basis. 

  16. Sleeping time is from 10:30 P.M. to 4:30 A.M. Room lights should be turned off during this time.

  17. Refrain from using the dining hall, bathrooms and restrooms between 10:30 P.M. and 4:30 A.M.  For urgent use of restrooms, please reduce noise to the minimum to avoid disturbing other yogis who are sleeping nearby. For female yogis, please use the restroom area near the small “Japanese” garden.

  18. Conserve restroom paper tissues and towels, water, and electricity.

  19. Please volunteer for minor tasks, if posted.

  20. If communication is needed, write a note and leave it in the “messages” box on the front door of the office.  If urgent, find the retreat coordinator or office staff. Office hours:  11 A.M. – 1 P.M

  21. Laundry time and locations will be announced right after the Dhamma talk on the day before the service day. For laundry service, use bag received upon checking in and put name on it.  The laundry cost is paid by the center, so yogis need not bring a lot of clothes if it is inconvenient to them. 

  22. Please check out by 12 noon since the center needs time to get the room ready for upcoming yogis.  For everyone’s convenience, please take this seriously.

  23. Refreshment is served daily at 4:00 P.M. in the dining hall.  Minimize refreshment time to have more time for walking meditation before Dhamma talks. 

  24. To request books, please leave the list of requested books in the “Messages” box on the office’s front door and come to the office to receive them on the day before departure day.

  25. Check the interview list posted on the board in front of the office for the interview date, time, location, and teacher.

 

 

 

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Tathagata Meditation Center

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