PLEASE CLICK “Register” to see our latest schedule.
**To help us with the preparation, including lunch, we kindly ask you to please register for a Day of Mindfulness. Registration opens for each month, 2 weeks prior to the first Sunday event.**
Days of Mindfulness at the Monastery
Most Sundays we open our monastery to those who would like to come and practice with us for the day. This is an opportunity to discover the practice of mindfulness with our community and to enjoy the peace and beauty of our monastery and its magnificent sprawling grounds.
We invite all newcomers to visit us on Sunday so you can receive an introduction to the basic practices of mindfulness.
See below for a typical schedule of events. Please note that the schedule is subject to change if the Sunday falls at the end of one of our themed retreats. Check our calendar of events for dates of themed retreats throughout the year.
Please check the calendar in Eventbrite for days when we welcome guests throughout the year and register online. Donations to cover costs and support the upkeep of the monastery are always welcome.
Enjoy a day of mindfulness and peace.
Weekly on Sundays we hold Days of Mindfulness. We welcome you to come practice the art of mindful living with our community. These days can help support you in your practice of mindfulness, taking an entire day to come back home to the present moment and learn to take care of ourselves. No experience is required and anyone can benefit from even one day of mindfulness. Other activities include a Dharma talk, walking meditation, silent meal, and a discussion of the practice.
The talk is either a live Dharma talk by one of our resident Dharma teachers or a recorded teaching by Thay. Walking meditation is an invitation to practice mindful walking, uniting our breath and movements, remembering our true home – the present moment. A silent meal, prepared by the monastics, is the opportunity to eat together, looking deeply at our consumption and enjoying the miracle of nourishment. Lastly, a unique practice in our tradition is the way of sharing our practice, called Dharma Sharing. It is an opportunity to give voice to our experiences – our joys and our difficulties – in a calm, receptive, and safe environment. This is also an opportunity to practice deep listening and loving speech.
Please check our calendar or contact our registration office to confirm a date. We look forward to seeing you here.
Tentative schedule for a Sunday:
You are most welcome to join us for the morning sitting meditation if it fits your schedule. Otherwise, we are happy to welcome you at 8:00am.
5:30 am – Sitting meditation & chanting (Optional) *
6:45 am – Breakfast (Optional)
8:30 am – Walking Meditation (Please meet in front of the Rising Tide Meditation Hall)
9:45 am – Dharma Talk
11:30 am – Precepts Recitation *
- 1st Sunday – The Five Mindfulness Trainings *
- 3rd Sunday – The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings *
- 2nd, 4th, 5th Sundays – Dharma Sharing
1:00 pm – Lunch
- 2nd, 4th, 5th Sundays – Formal lunch in the Rising Tide Meditation Hall *
- 1st and 3rd Sundays – Lunch in the Dining Hall
After Lunch – Mindfulness Day Ends
For descriptions of the practices above, see our Be Mindful in Daily Life page. If you would like to know which 11:30am activity is planned for a given Sunday, please contact us a few days in advance.
- * Friends are welcome to sit anywhere in the meditation hall (on either side) behind the monastics for ceremonies, precepts recitation, sitting meditation, and formal lunch.
Registration
To help us with the preparation, we kindly ask you to please register for a Day of Mindfulness.
Donations
There is no set fee for taking part in a Day of Mindfulness, but please note that a donation is required in order to receive a ticket online when you register.
Donations are our main source of support, so every offering is greatly appreciated. Your contribution can help us to keep the monastery open all year.
Individual Needs
Magnolia Grove is deeply committed to inclusiveness. If you have any particular need for assistance, please contact us at office@magnoliagrovemonastery.org so we can offer you as much support as possible. All meals are vegan. There is generally a variety of options available at mealtime, but feel free to bring supplementary food for yourself if you have a particular dietary need.
What to Wear/Bring
Please wear casual and modest clothing that is comfortable for sitting (i.e. long sleeve shirt (shirt covering shoulders), long pants (below the knees), loose fitting clothes…). Please wear or bring weather-appropriate clothing and shoes suitable for walking on nature trails so you can fully enjoy the outdoor walking meditation with the community. Please avoid wearing perfumes or other products that may affect those who are sensitive or allergic to scents.
You may like to bring a water bottle, especially during hotter months.
Where should I go when I arrive?
During ongoing renovations at the monastery, and if you are new to monastery, we invite you to meet us in front of the office when you arrive. If it is your first time visiting us, we kindly ask you to arrive at 8:00am, which allows us to share some information with you so that your stay could be more pleasant and beneficial. Please plan to arrive at the monastery at least 15 minutes in advance in preparation for the walking meditation.
Please note that we have a new location for our office at the monastery – it is now located where the bookshop used to be (the bookshop has moved next door). If you are new to the monastery, this will be the small building located directly across from the main parking lot. We ask that you come to the office after arriving for the check-in process.
Ticks
In the spring, summer, and fall, Magnolia Grove is home to deer ticks which do carry Lyme Disease. It is easy to protect yourself if you take a few simple precautions–most importantly, thoroughly checking yourself and your children for ticks each day. Please follow the link to learn more.
