Day of Mindfulness
Days of Mindfulness at the Monastery
A Day of Mindfulness is a day where we invest our time and energy into being fully present and mindful on that day.
At Magnolia Grove Monastery, most of our Sundays are open to the public for anyone who is interested in coming to practice with us for the day. We invite you to come and discover the practice of mindfulness with our community and to enjoy the peace and beauty of our monastery.
Please note that our 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 for free. Donations to cover costs and support the upkeep of the monastery are always welcome.
Enjoy a day of mindfulness and peace.
We welcome you to come practice the art of mindful living with our community. These mindful Sundays can help support you in your practice of mindfulness, to take 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, a silent meal, and a group discussion of the practice.
The talk is either a live Dharma talk given by one of our resident Dharma teachers or a recorded teaching by Thay, our spiritual teacher. 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 an opportunity to eat together, to look deeply at our consumption and to enjoy 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!
Tentative schedule for our Sunday Day of Mindfulness
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 – Recitation of the Five Mindfulness Trainings *
- 3rd Sunday – Recitation of 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, Mindfulness Trainings Recitations, Sitting Meditations, and Formal Lunch.
There is no fee for taking part in a Day of Mindfulness, but we suggest a donation of $15.00+ per person.
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. You can make your offering in any of the donation boxes in the Rising Tide Meditation Hall or the dining hall.
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.
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.
If it is your first time visiting us, we kindly ask you to arrive at 8:00am, which would allow us to share some basic practices 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 at 8:30am. We ask that you park your car in the parking lot and gather in front of our Big Meditation Hall.
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.
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