Price and donations
The base price is 250 euros for a one week period. This covers the teachers’ travel expenses, the cost of renting the facility and food expenses.
We feel that financial situation should not prevent anybody from participating, so we are willing to offer the retreat for a reduced price, if needed. If the base price is too high for you, please contact us at retriitit@nirodha.fi and let us know how much you are able to pay. If you would like to help sponsor someone who does not have the financial means to pay the full price, you are welcome to pay more than the base price.
The teachers and organizers do not receive any payment for their services but offer them freely so that as many as possible have the chance to benefit from the teachings regardless of financial situation. This principle of generosity is very central to the teachings of the Buddha and has made it possible to continue the practice of meditation still 2,500 years after his life. The teachers live primarily off of donations. Retreat participants may support the teachers and organizers by donations at the end of the retreat – we ask that you take cash with you for this purpose.
Registration and cancellation policy
The retreat consists of three one week periods, and it is possible to apply for one, two or three periods. Each period has the same price of 250 euros, although the middle period is one day shorter. This is in order to ensure that there will be enough middle periods available for those who want to participate for two or three weeks.
Applicants should fill only one registration form independent of how many periods they wish to attend. There are three application forms, one for each period. If there are more applications than there are places for two to three weeks, the places will be offered based on a lottery. For this reason please select your application form based on the assumption that you may end up getting one week despite applying for a longer time.
You can sign up for the retreat by filling in one of the following registration forms:
Period 24 May – 1 June 2019: registration form .
Period 1 June – 8 June 2019: registration form
Period 8 June – 16 June 2019: registration form
You will get a confirmation email after we have received the form.
After receiving the confirmation please pay the registration fee 30 euros to the following bank account:
Account number: FI84 4108 0010 3769 97
Bank name: Oma Säästöpankki
Bank address: Valtakatu 32, 53100 LAPPEENRANTA, Finland
Swift code: ITELFIHH
Name of bank account holder: Nirodha ry
Address of the account holder: Vetehisenkuja 3, 00530 Helsinki
Type of account: business account
Reference number: 30190511 (It is important to use this reference number in the payment!)
The rest of the retreat fee (220 / 470 / 720 euros for 1 / 2 / 3 periods in the case of the base price) should be paid by 4 March 2019 to the same bank account (or via PayPal) using the same reference number. If the payment is not received by this date, your place will be given to someone on the waiting list. If you pay from an account that is in someone else’s name, please inform us at retriitit@nirodha.fi and let us know your name, the name of the bank account holder and the date of payment.
Alternatively, you can pay via PayPal. Make the payment to talous@nirodha.fi. Please include the reference number above in the “note” field. To cover the PayPal fees, please add 8 euros when you make your second payment. (If you choose to pay the entire retreat fee of 250 euros in one payment, please add the 8 euros then.) The due date for the final payment is the same as above.
In case of cancellation, please inform us as soon as possible so that we can give your place to the next person on the waiting list. The registration fee is not refundable, but if the cancellation takes place before 4 March 2019, we will return rest of the fee. If the cancellation takes place after this date, we will return the rest of the fee only if we can find another participant to fill the empty place.
If you are coming from abroad, please note that we are not able to provide any documents for visa applications because of limited resources.
We offer three free one week seats for monastics, one per person. Please contact retriitit@nirodha.fi if you are interested.
Arrival and departure times
The retreat begins on 24 May, 1 June or 8 June 2019. You may arrive from 4 pm onwards. Dinner will be served at 6 pm, and the actual program begins at 7 pm. The retreat ends on 1 June, 8 June or 16 June 2019 by 3 pm. Yogis are expected to participate from the beginning of the retreat period to its end.
Venue
The retreat will take place at the Friendship Inn in Kruusila, near Salo, about 100 km from Helsinki (in the direction Turku). The address is Ystävyyden Majatalo, Kalkkilantie 74, FI-25110 Kruusila. The nearest bus stop is located about 600 m from the inn.
We will send you an email approximately one week before the beginning of the retreat with detailed information on how to get to the site, such as recommended routes and bus connections. We will also help to coordinate liftshare so that those who need a ride can connect with those who have extra space in their car. (You might not want to buy a bus ticket for your return trip in advance, because we will also help to coordinate liftshare at the end of the retreat.)
Accommodation, meals and the daily routine
The Friendship Inn has room for approximately 40 yogis. Participants stay in shared rooms of 2 – 4 people. The rooms will be assigned to yogis in the order of arrival. If you have pet allergies, please note that there might be cats and/or dogs inside the house, but they don’t have access to the meditation hall or bedrooms during the retreat.
Three simple vegetarian meals will be served daily: breakfast, lunch and a light dinner. There will be tea and instant coffee available during the breaks. Please mark any food allergies you have on the registration form.
A typical day on the retreat includes a guided meditation, sitting and walking meditation without any given schedule, as well as a one-hour working period during which participants help with chopping vegetables, cleaning common spaces, etc. It is possible to do yoga and stretching or to take a walk during the day.
Silence and abstinence from alcohol or drugs
Use of intoxicants is not permitted during the retreat. Smoking is allowed only in a special area designated for this purpose.
During the retreat we maintain noble silence, which means yogis do not talk with each other, read, write, or use mobile phones. Talking is only done with the teachers. Later on the retreat talking meditation will be introduced, during this time talking may be done on designated areas. There will be more disturbances than on a typical silent retreat for example due to the open schedule, which means that participants can enter and leave the meditation hall at their will. This is a natural part of the teachings on this retreat as one of the purposes is to strengthen the skills to practice during our daily life.
If someone needs to contact you in case of emergency during the retreat, they may call Ville Pursiainen (+358 40 592 5030).
What to bring
Please bring your own bed linens or sleeping bag with you. Make sure you have with you a towel, your personal items, medication, etc. It is also possible to rent bed linen and a towel for a small fee. The organizers cannot get items you are missing for you during the retreat, and there is no possibility to use washing machine.
It is possible to meditate on the floor or in a chair. Nirodha will provide one set of cushions (zafu and zabuton) for each yogi. We will also provide about twenty meditation benches. If you need extra cushions or blankets–for example, to support your hands or knees–please bring your own with you. If you easily get cold during meditation, it may be good to bring your own blanket or shawl.
Indoor footwear is recommended as well as outdoor shoes that are easy to put on and take off, since the meditation hall and some of the bedrooms are located in different buildings.
Questions
If you have anything to ask, please contact us at retriitit@nirodha.fi. We wish everyone a rewarding and meaningful retreat!
Warmly,
Tuulikki Hukka (registrations, +358 50 432 9241) Ilkka Urvas (general questions, +358 50 454 3000) Ville Pursiainen (before / during the retreat, +358 40 592 5030)