You are invited to join with us to celebrate the higher ordination of Ayya Santacari Bhikkhuni and to honour the 2600 anniversary of the founding of the Bhikkhuni order by the Buddha. To do this we will be having a full day [daylong] meditation retreat program. It will be the first time we have held such a program at Dakkhina Dhammatthala.
We will enter into silence and enjoy this opportunity to deepen our practice and embrace freedom from talking, freedom from busy-ness and freedom from too much going on. The schedule gives us a structure and an outline to the day, but you don’t need to feel constrained by it. If you have been sitting for 45 minutes and you would like to very quietly get up and walk, then you are free to do so. If you are walking and you feel like a cup of tea, by all means, have a cup of tea, sit under the tree or in the courtyard and quietly enjoy the garden. If you are sitting and the bell rings but you want to keep sitting, then of course, keep sitting.
I would however ask you to do your best to keep the silence. It is such a wonderful gift to give to yourselves and to the other participants. Everyone will enjoy their day so much more and the tranquillity will be so much deeper if we can all keep the silence.
Please bring a plate of food to share. Let Ayya Santachari know if you would like to volunteer to look after organising and setting up the lunch Dana on this special day.
Please RSVP via the Buddhist Society of SA [BSSA] website www. buddhistsocietysa.org.au
Schedule
| 7am | Start: Opening Chanting: taking refuge and precepts | Cost: |
| 7.15am | Basic meditation instruction | Free for BSSA members |
| 7.30 am | walking meditation | and for members of the |
| 8 am | sitting meditation | Adelaide Sri Lanka Vihara |
| 9 am | walking meditation | $25 facility fee for |
| 9.30am | sitting meditation | non-members. |
| 10.30 am | Puja ceremony, blessing chanting [you may do walking meditation if you prefer] | Membership of BSSA is only $30 |
| 11 am | Dana food offering to monks | You can join through the BSSA website here. |
| 11.30 am | Shared lunch for everyone | |
| 12.30 pm | clean up | |
| 1.30 pm | walking meditation | |
| 2 pm | sitting meditation | |
| 3 pm | usual Saturday program of Dhamma discussion class and guided meditation [you may do walking meditation if you prefer] | |
| 4 pm | Dhamma talk [a more formal teaching] | |
| 5 pm | sitting meditation | |
| 6 pm | Closing chanting & blessings | |
| 6.30 pm | end of program, cup of tea, evening allowables. |