Awakening the Loving Heart: Making Kindness a Way of Life.
Why meditate?
Finding and nurturing our capacity for compassion and joy is the path to freedom from stress and suffering. The Buddha’s teachings encourage us to reclaim our goodness for our own and others well-being and happiness. Through the cultivation of kind mindfulness, metta (loving-kindness) meditation, and other heart-opening practices, we will discover for ourselves that ” a state of mind can not be stable but a loving attitude can be.” – Reb Anderson Roshi
With the support of the silence, Dharma talks, guided meditations, groups and one-to-one meetings with the teachers, we will cultivate a caring community and environment conducive to relaxation and awakening.
Vipassana and metta meditation techniques are over 2500 years old and draw from the Theravada Buddhist tradition. However, taking part in the retreat does not require an adherence to Buddhism or any adaptation of personal faith.
Why attend a retreat? What happens at a retreat?
This retreat is suitable for both beginners and advanced meditators. For beginners, the retreat is a great way to learn the basics of insight meditation and see its effects clearly. For advanced meditators, the retreat offers an excellent opportunity to deepen and clarify one’s practice in the guidance of an experienced teacher.
The retreat is held in English. The days are spent in silence and consist of sitting and walking meditation, dharma talks, work period, small group discussions and individual interviews. Vegetarian breakfast, lunch, and a light dinner are served during the retreat. The venue of the retreat is Ystävyyden Majatalo in Kruusila near Salo, about 100 km west of Helsinki, Finland.
Who are the teachers?
The retreat will be taught by Caroline Jones and Paul Burrows. Caroline Jones has been practising meditation since 1989. She started teaching in 2006, and now teaches at Gaia House and internationally. She has also covered periods at Gaia House as resident teacher. Caroline teaches in Finland annually. You may find some of her talks at http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/362/.
Paul Burrows has practised in ashrams, Buddhist monasteries and retreat centres in the UK, India and Nepal, and began leading retreats in the Insight Meditation tradition in 2007. Some of his talks may be downloaded at http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/367/.
How much does it cost? How can I sign up?
The base price of the retreat is 210 euros. The retreat cost covers the traveling expenses of the teachers, the rent of the retreat facility, and the food expenses. The teacher and the organizers do not receive any payment for their services; instead, the retreatants may support the teachers and the organizers by donations after the retreat.
You can reserve a place at the retreat by paying the registration fee 40 euros to Nirodha’s account IBAN FI6012483000213060 (reference number 0720128) and by filling out the electronic application form at http://tinyurl.com/6my2fzo. The rest of the retreat fee (170 euros in case of the base price) should be paid by May 26th. In case of cancellations the registration fee is not refundable. If the cancellation takes place before May 26th, the rest of the retreat fee will be returned.
If you are coming from abroad please note that we are not able to provide any documents for visa applications because of limited resources. Before signing up for the retreat, please make sure that you are able to travel to Finland with your own visa if needed.
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 nirodha.retriitit@gmail.com and let us know how much you are able to pay. If you would like to support those in dire financial situation, you can pay more than the base price.
If you have any questions, you can send us an e-mail at nirodha.retriitit@gmail.com.
Best regards,
Tuulikki Hukka (+358 50 432 9241)
Ilkka Urvas (+358 50 454 3000)