Bookings

To book, please visit the Events Tab to view upcoming retreats and events.   Unless specifically mentioned all retreats are suitable for beginners as well as more experienced meditators.

Refunds

Unless specified differently for a particular retreat, all refunds incur a €10 handling fee.  If you book a retreat space and ask for a refund a week or more before the retreat occurs (unless more time is requested for a particular retreat), we will be happy to provide a full refund minus the handling fee.

Dana (Generosity)

The closing manger's talk has included a "dana" section and has been a feature here at Sunyata as well as at most lay meditation centres in the West.  We are doing away with this part of the closing talk for all retreats. In these financially difficult times, we suggest that you take the practice to heart as your dana for the teachings rather than expect to have to provide a financial gift into a dana bowl or box.

Lay teachers use dana for their very livelihood and we will let you know prior to the retreat (in the retreat description) how we will accomodate their need.  The rest of us, including monastics, will forego any extra retreat fee completely.   Monastics are not allowed to take financial renumeriation for their teachings.  Our resident lay teachers--Marion and Bartl--do not accept dana and there is no dana component built into the fees for their retreats.  There will always be a dana bowl or box available for Sunyata Centre, but that's all it is: available. 

What you've heard over the years is that dana is a way to develop generosity and generosity is a traditional first step on the path to liberation.  All that is true, but the way these talks and comments are generated, it is clear that the centre is looking for money for a teacher or for its expenses.  Developing generosity and becoming generous is an important and wonderful way to be.  It is one of the first steps on the path.  We urge each of you to move in that direction as well as you are able.  Be generous with your family, your loved ones, your friends, the poor, people you meet, people who are doing service jobs--house cleaning, waiters, flight attendants, taxi drivers, store clerks--as well as with organizations you want to support.  We do very much encourage generosity and being generous is typically the only way to develop and become a generous being. We encourage you to practice giving generously. Try giving a kind word, a smile, a "thank you," helping someone with something, volunteering for an organization, or even a tiny gift to a friend or acquaintance or a donation to a cause or organization you would like to support.  Give freely and develop the heart.  This makes for real happiness.

The Buddha talked about characteristics that exemplified the ideal gift: “The donor, before giving, is glad; while giving, his/her mind is inspired; and after giving, is gratified. These are the three factors of the donor."  Notice there is no expectation, no pressure.  Every step on the Buddha's path has the feature of being voluntary--even following the guidelines of the sila (moral guidelines).  Giving utterly freely in this way does create the conditions for real happiness and help us develop along the path of loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.

Concessions

We offer an 10% concession for the unemployed, students, and pensioners. You may request a concession on the booking form when booking your retreat.  If you need a larger concession, please contact us.

Daily Retreat Programme

Unless otherwise stated all residential retreats start between 6 PM-7PM on a Friday, when retreatants arrive for light supper and are welcomed by the retreat manager. All meals are vegetarian. The first meditation starts between 8 and 8:30PM. Accommodation is typically in shared rooms though there are opportunities for being alone in a room. We can accommodate between 15-22 people on residential retreats. We rise early with the first sitting between 5- 6:30 am. Breakfast is about 7.15 am. The daily routine involves sitting and walking meditation, talks from the teacher, question and answer sessions and sometimes periods of working meditation. Lunch is about 12 noon and usually consists of green salad, fruit, main course and dessert.  There is tea, bread and soup offered between 5 PM and 5:30PM. Unless specified differently, weekend retreats usually end at 4 PM on Sunday and longer retreats between lunch and 4PM on the last day. Retreats are held in "congenial noble silence" i.e. no talking unless necessary and no righteous criticism of oneself or others (the congenial aspect). The freedom from having to engage in social chit-chat gives everyone the space to withdraw inwards and benefit more deeply from the meditation practice.