Hideaway Weekend retreat

The first weekend in July we will be holding a Little Bangkok Sangha weekend meditation retreat at a delightful hideaway in Pathum Thanee.

The retreat is almost full – mostly with regulars, so it should be very pleasant! Just a couple of spaces remaining – 1 in the male side and 1 in the female building. Remeber to bring your favourite meditation cushion if you have one (cushions will be provided at the centre too!)

We have changed the meeting point – now we will meet at Baan Aree – close to Ari BTS Station. They have reat veggie food stalls and the food is very reasonable in price.  see map below:

Weekend Hideaway Meditation Retreat

Friday 2nd July (10am pick-up)

to Sunday 4th July (4pm drop off)

 

The cost of the super-budget weekend will be 1300 baht/person including food, accommodation and transport to/from Mor Chit…. (not including food at Asoke veggie food court where we will meet). If anyone wants to join but is too short of funds, we can give a free place.

Meditation is Vipassana ‘mindfulness-based’ style, with practical methods for differentiating between the mindful and non-mindful state. Clarifying this distinction helps to catch and maintain the mindful mode in daily living.  The retreat should be suitable for beginners and advanced meditators. People with prior experience in meditation are free to follow their own meditation system, but everyone is asked to join in the group sitting and walking sessions. Extra guidance will be available to beginners.

British monk Phra Pandit will be leading the meditation, with a practical balance of sitting, walking, free time, and dhamma talks. The meditation instructions will be clear and precise, easy to follow, and fleashed out in the Dhamma talks. See Schedule below

Location:

We’ll be at a beautiful hideaway in Pathum Thanee – see the slide show at the bottom of this post! The place is very peaceful and conducive to meditation, with few distractions. We have 2 pairs of buildings – so men in one side and women in the other. On each side are 2×50 sqr metre rooms which we will be sharing – so that is 4 or 5 to a large room. Since we are only sharing for 2 nights it should add to the fun! There is plenty of space, and it is a very beautiful resort style of dwelling.

The Hideaway is about and hour and a half from Bangkok, and we will head off there after meeting at the Asoke vegetarian place near Mor Chit(map will follow when I get chance to scope it out!). Return is planned for about 3:30 – 4pm on Sunday afternoon at Mor Chit BTS Station. We will all go and return together in the minivans.

What to Bring

You will need to bring a sleeping bag or sheets and a pillow. There is option to be in the air-con room or in the ante-room without air if preferred.

Bathroom stuff – it is not a resort so you will need to bring your own soap, towel and other items.

We’ll be taking the sitting mats, but you might have your own meditation cushion if preferred.

A change of clothes. Loose clothes are best. Some people also bring a shawl or light blanket to defend against air-con – although the air-con is not icy in this building.

We will be on meditation retreat so no need to bring suitcases. Bags that can be stowed under the minivan seats or on your lap are best as luggage area is limited – and anyway you won’t need very much while you are there! So please keep bags as small and light as possible.

Food will be vegetarian throughout, with a Veggie BBQ for Sunday lunch finale

Schedule

 

Friday
10am	Meet at Asoke Food court, Mor Chit (map to follow)
12 noon	leave for the Hideaway
2 pm	get settled into the rooms
4 pm	Noble Silence beginsMeditation instructions, sitting/walking
6 pm	Break, some light food provided for those who need it.
7:30 pm	Dhamma Talk, meditation
10 pm	lights out
Saturday
5 am	Early rise and Dawn Meditation
7 am	Breakfast
8:30 am	Short Dhamma talk, sitting/walking
11 am	Full lunch (silent)
2 pm	Afternoon Dhamma/sitting/walking
6pm	Coffee break (some light food provided for those who need it)
7:30 pm	Dhamma Talk, meditation
10 pm	Lights out
Sunday
5 am	Early rise and dawn meditation
7 am	Breakfast
8:30 am	Wrap-up Dhamma Talk, final meditation
11 am	Noble Silence endsBBQ lunch (vegetarian also)
1 pm	pack up stuff
2 pm	leave for Bangkok
4 pm	drop off at Mor Chit BTS/MRT

Meeting Point : Baan Aree

Baan Aree Library is right on the Skytrain line. Go to Ari BTS station and walk back towards the victory monument about 20 meters and you should see the passage way to Baan Aree Library on the right hand side.

Baan Aree car park is accessible from the rear (Soi Ari 1) where you see the sign for ‘ BANANA FAMILY PARK ‘. Bus routes 8, 28, 29, 38, 54, 63, 74, 77, 108, 157, 177, 502, 503, 509, and 510 all pass by on the Pahonholtin Road side.

We plan to leave Baan Aree at 11:30 am (when it gets packed out with office workers) so arrive anytime after 9:30 am.

click map to enlarge:

click map below for a wide area view of Baan Aree location:

 

Booking

Please book your place in advance by paying the retreat cost. Since we are limited to just 20 participants  please be absolutely sure that you will be attending . Last minute cancellations mean others will have missed the chance to join us. We can’t really return the cost in case of cancellations as we still have to pay for the transport etc… so please understand, and only book if you are certain to be joining. The cost can be given to Rubby at the Monday meditation at Ariyasom, or at any of our other events. Rubby will be coordinating the retreat, and alternative arrangements can be made for deposits and booking as appropriate.

Please give your Name, Nationality, email address and phone number, plus roughly what meditation experience you have had before if any, and state if you are male or female so we can divide the rooms up – and enter into the box below:

(after you enter the information, and hit SUBMIT you will be returned to this page – don’t worry, the message will have gone through – please wait a day or two for a reply. Information is kept private and does not appear on this website.

Watch below for the slide show – the Hideaway bedrooms, scenery, outside shot and lower open eating/meditation area

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