Dear Friends,
Our General Retreat this year is called: “Refreshing Our Body and Mind Retreat” and will take place from Thursday, August 29th to Monday, September 2, 2024.
In the world today, there are endless distractions and the societal pressure of needing to do more. This endless pursuit of ever-increasing activity is not sustainable in the long run. Living this way can be exhausting and even detrimental to our overall well-being. Even if more could be achieved, it cannot be sustained, and happiness cannot be found in an endless pursuit for more. We invite you to join us at Magnolia Grove Monastery for a special retreat to personally experience the energy of mindfulness with the nuns and monks from the Plum Village Tradition. This retreat is reserved for adults. (For families, please refer to our annual Holiday Retreat, December 28, 2024 to January 1, 2025 – more info will be posted about 3 months in advance.)
Whether you are new to or advanced in the meditation practice, please know that you are welcome.
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There’s a beautiful feeling that one experiences being at the monastery with friends on the path as a beloved community when we come together to learn the art of slowing down and being present to live fully and deeply. We are offering this retreat as a place of refuge for refreshing the body and mind, and for meaningful connections to be made that starts first with the inward journey of being at home with ourselves. A retreat in the Plum Village Tradition offers a profound awareness that deep joy and inner peace can be found in the humility and simplicity of life.
If you have been wanting to return to Magnolia Grove Monastery, or to come visit for the first time, this retreat will be a great one to consider. There will be a limit on the attendance due to the renovation of the main dining hall and kitchen. Therefore, all meals will take place at the Brothers’ Hamlet, which is a special treat itself. Due to the cap of 100 retreatants, the intimacy of the retreat will allow for a more personal experience with the monastics and other practitioners. No words can describe the experience, and we know that each experience is also unique. Therefore, we hope to meet you here. Please register soon before registration closes. Until we meet, we wish for you to be happy and at ease in the present moment.
Some important information that might be helpful:
Retreat Costs Per Individual:
– Camping (bring your own tent/camper van): $ 240.00
– Commuter (staying in nearby accommodation): $ 240.00
– Bed in shared room (dorm/cabin): $ 400.00
(Please note that cabins are reserved for families and couples, based on “requested roommates.”)
A 20% discount for seniors (over 64) and young adults (under 27) is automatically included when you register. For students who require financial assistance, please mention this in the Notes section at the bottom of the registration form. For anyone else who requires financial assistance, please contact our office.
When: The retreat opens on August 29th with onsite arrival between 2 and 5 pm CT, and the retreat ends on September 2nd after lunch.
Retreat Program: There will be morning meditations, mindful meals, walking meditation, Dharma teachings, chanting, singing, group sharing, mindful services, Five Mindfulness Trainings transmission, and Noble Silence for certain hours.
Food: All meals will be vegan. Please be sure to let us know in the Notes section if you have certain food allergies when you register.
Sample schedule:
5:15 Wake up
6:00 Morning Sitting Meditation; Sutra reading / Touching of the Earth
7:00 Walking Meditation
8:00 Breakfast
9:15 Mindful Service
10:30 Dharma Talk
12:30 Lunch
2:00 Deep Relaxation
3:30 Dharma Sharing
5:15 Personal Time / Private Consultation
6:00 Dinner
7:30 Evening Sitting Meditation / Presentation
9:30 Noble Silence
We look forward to seeing you!
–Magnolia Grove Monastics
