Discover the natural freedom of the heart and mind through inquiry and meditation practice.

Join this residential silent meditation retreat based on the Buddha's teachings of awakening.

This retreat will include comprehensive meditation instructions to develop and access natural freedom and cultivate steadiness of being in an unpredictable and changing world. The emphasis will be on direct release from the problematic mind states through awareness and inquiry into the nature of reality.

The retreat is suitable for beginners as well as experienced practitioners. There will be periods of meditation in all four postures. Radha will offer daily meditation instructions, guided meditations, inquiry sessions and talks on dharma themes. Neli Martin; psychologist, yoga, dance and meditation teacher, will lead mindful movement sessions daily to invigorate, relax and open the body to support deepening into the practices and intructions offered by Radha.

Teacher

Radha Nicholson teaches the liberation of the heart through inquiry and insight. She focuses on freeing the mind through the realisation of the non-dual nature of reality. Offered with humour, wisdom and compassion her teachings emphasise direct understanding of the Emptiness Teachings of the Buddha.

She has been teaching internationally for more than 20 years. She regularly teaches retreats in Australia, India, Germany and Israel and is a founding teacher of Bay Insight, Byron Bay, Australia. She has been a guest teacher in Thailand, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Palestine and the USA.

Her teachers have included Anagarika Munindra-ji, Christopher Titmuss, Ajahn Buddhadasa,and Vimala Thakhar. Radha also has a great love of the Advaita tradition of India.

Radha is a registered psychologist and has children and grandchildren.

Schedule

The retreat program consists of periods of sitting, standing, walking and guided meditations, meditation instructions, inquiry sessions, and evening Dharma talks. All participants also contribute to the daily mindfulness work period that consists of various task to support the flow of the retreat eg. gardening, kitchen prep, cleaning etc.There is an early optional exercise period e.g.yoga, walking or individual exercise. The retreat is conducted in silence apart from meetings with the teacher, manager and essential communication.

Costs

Costs for the retreat cover accommodation at Sangsurya and three delicious vegetarian meals daily.

Dana

Dana is the Pali word for generosity. In the Buddhist tradition the teachings are given freely, because they are considered priceless. In order for all to have equal access to liberation and freedom there is no set fee for the teachings. In accordance with this tradition, Radha gives her time freely. Participants are invited to offer Dana as a monetary contribution to support the continuation of the teachings.

A Dana (donation) box will be placed inside the meditation hall for donations to support the teacher.

Additional Information

All bedding and linen including towels, sheets, blankets and pillows are provided at Sangsurya (except for van campers).

No tent camping is possible. Only fully enclosed vans.

Three healthy, vegetarian meals are provided each day. Fruit, tea, and coffee are also available throughout the day. Gluten free/dairy free/vegan diets can be catered for - please tick the appropriate boxes on the registration form. Other dietary needs MAY be catered for at the cook's discretion but must be included on the registration form in the "other information" section.

What to Bring:

Meditation cushions and mat
Clothing plus meditation shawl or wrap
Torch with extra batteries: Sangsurya is in a forest setting and even though there is path lighting, a torch is necessary for moving around the area at night
Water bottle (please leave outside the meditation hall): Filtered water is available at the meditation hall and in the dining room
Rain/sun protection
Other useful items: Mosquito repellent and sunscreen. Yoga mat if you wish to participate in yoga (there are some yoga mats available)
Personal toiletries
Swimmers if you wish to use the pool

Etiquette on Retreat

The retreat will be run under the protection of the five precepts to create a safe and supportive environment. All participants are invited and encouraged to take up the five retreat precepts.

The Five Precepts for the retreat are the practices of:

Cultivating kindness and refraining from harmful actions.
Cultivating appreciation and generosity with possessions and refraining from taking what is not freely offered.
Cultivating inner joy and contentment and refraining from sexual expression.
Cultivating truthful and appropriate communication and refraining from speech that distorts or is damaging.
Cultivating clarity and refraining from habits that create dullness or heedlessness.

We acknowledge that this retreat takes place on Arakwal Country and pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.

This information will be sent to all participants in a document form prior to the retreat.