Hybrid Fall Retreat with
Ajahn Pasanno, Guiding Elder, Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery
In-person at Pine Lake Camp in Westfield, WI, or online via Zoom
October 12–15, 2023
We are thrilled to announce that our fall retreat will be led by Ajahn Pasanno, guiding elder and prior abbot of Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in California. This hybrid retreat will be held in person at Pine Lake Camp in Westfield, Wisconsin, and online via Zoom. Pine Lake is in a beautiful location, surrounded by rolling hills, farms, and oak savannas, and offers lovely walking trails.
RETREAT DESCRIPTION
During this retreat, we will practice as we would if we were visiting a Theravada monastery. We will begin and end the day with chanting and follow the Eight Precepts (see below). As part of this commitment, we will observe noble silence and abstain from eating after midday. Our daily practice will include sitting and walking meditation and Dhamma talks and teachings.
Please note: Incense and candles will be used during the morning and evening chanting periods.
In-person attendance at this retreat is intended for those who practice meditation on a daily or almost daily basis and have attended at least one three-day residential retreat. If you don’t have this experience, we warmly invite you to register for the Zoom option. If you have questions about this retreat or how it might differ from other meditation retreats, feel free to contact info@madisonmeditation.org.
As an introduction to Ajahn Pasanno’s teaching, sample any of his many talks and books on the Abhayagiri website.
THE EIGHT PRECEPTS
In registering for this retreat, you are agreeing that you understand and will abide by the following training precepts during the retreat:
Refraining from intentionally killing or harming any living creature
Refraining from taking that which is not given
Refraining from any intentional sexual activity
Refraining from false or harmful speech (in the context of this retreat, this means keeping noble silence)
Refraining from consuming intoxicating drink and drugs which lead to carelessness. (Please note: This does not apply to medically required drugs. Please continue to take any prescription or over-the-counter medications you normally take.)
Refraining from eating at inappropriate times (specifically, from 1:00 pm until dawn the next day)
Refraining from entertainment, beautification, and adornment (not indulging in entertainment or adorning the body with jewelry, makeup, or other things that draw the attention of others or distract from turning inward)
Refraining from lying on a high or luxurious sleeping place (not overly indulging in sleep or using sleep as a means of distraction)
COST
Registration fees are on a sliding-scale basis. The sliding scale goes from 50% to 150% of actual costs, and within this range, you’re invited to offer the amount that best suits your circumstances. Please pay at the highest level of the sliding scale you can afford; this gives others who need to pay less the opportunity to attend. If the lower end of the range exceeds what you can afford, please offer what you can.
In-person fees: Fees for those attending the retreat in person cover room, simple vegetarian meals, and fixed costs (teacher transportation, room, and meals; facility rental costs; and miscellaneous expenses).
Zoom fee: The fee for those attending online covers fixed costs only (teacher transportation, room, and meals; facility rental costs; and miscellaneous expenses).
Room assignments are made by the retreat manager before the retreat begins. In assigning single rooms, we give priority to those whose health, mobility, or other special circumstances would make it difficult to share a room.
In keeping with Theravada Buddhist tradition, there is no charge for the teachings. However, there will be an opportunity to offer a freewill donation (dana) to the monastery. We encourage dana as each person’s way to support and demonstrate appreciation to the teacher for sharing the Dhamma with us.
IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE
COVID protocol
To protect the health of the community, we will adhere to the following COVID precautions:
Testing. All those attending the retreat in person will be required to take a COVID test within 24 hours of arrival on October 12. Testing kits will be available at the registration desk for those who have forgotten. If you test positive or feel unwell, we ask that you remain home and notify the registrar at registrar.madvip@gmail.com. Under these circumstances, you will have the option of switching your registration to Zoom.
Masks. Masks will not be required unless COVID conditions change. In-person retreatants will be notified of any such change.
Hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer will be located in heavy traffic areas, and hand sanitizing will be required before meals.
Waiver. Retreatants must agree to a waiver of liability as part of registration.
Reserved spaces for young people and People of color
In line with our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we reserve the last few in-person spots before the retreat fills up for young people and people of color who haven’t yet registered. We’ll reserve these spots until two weeks before the retreat (September 28). After that, we’ll open up any remaining spots to people on the waiting list. If you identify with one or both groups, please check the appropriate box(es) on the registration form. If you have questions about whether spaces are still available, contact the registrar at registrar.madvip@gmail.com.
Please note: Because of the high demand for spaces at this retreat, people who register when the retreat is close to full will probably need to share a room.
Meals
On each full day of the retreat, there will be a vegetarian breakfast and lunch in the dining hall. In line with the Eight Precepts, everyone attending the retreat in person will refrain from eating solid food between 1:00 pm and dawn the next day. Those with medical conditions that make it impossible to abide by this precept should contact the registrar at registrar.madvip@gmail.com to discuss their situation. Clear fruit juice and tea will be available at 5:00 pm. The retreat will end after lunch on Sunday, October 15.
Please note: We are unable to accommodate special dietary needs.
Special needs
If you would like to use one of our assistive listening devices, please indicate this on the registration form. We find that these work best if they are used with your own earbuds or headphones. If you have questions about our devices, please contact Mike Kehl at mike.fiddlehead@gmail.com. To inquire about other needs, contact the registrar at registrar.madvip@gmail.com.
Chemical sensitivity
Please refrain from using perfumes or scented shampoos, ointments, or lotions in consideration of those with chemical sensitivities.
Ridesharing
If you would like to request or offer a ride to and/or from Pine Lake, please indicate this on the registration form. Alternatively, contact the registrar at registrar.madvip@gmail.com.
SCHEDULE
Thursday, October 12
Pine Lake:
5:00 pm: Check-in
6:00 pm: Orientation for those newer to retreat or Pine Lake
Please arrive no later than 6:30 pm in order to check in, settle in your room, and be in the hall when the retreat begins.
Zoom:
6:30pm: Welcome and orientation
Pine Lake & Zoom:
7:00 pm: Retreat begins
Sunday, October 15
Pine Lake:
1:00 pm: Retreat closes
Zoom:
12:00 pm: Retreat closes
TO REGISTER
Please note: Out of respect for others, please register for in-person attendance only if you can make a clear and wholehearted commitment to attend the full retreat. Early registration is advised as this retreat will fill quickly.
To register for either in-person or Zoom attendance, COMPLETE ONLINE REGISTRATION by October 5.
In-person attendance. During the first five days of the registration period, priority will be given to Dane County residents and previous attendees of Madison Vipassana retreats. After that, registrations will be processed in the order received.
If the retreat is full, you can be placed on the in-person waiting list or register for Zoom attendance. Those on the waiting list who do not get an in-person spot may elect to attend by Zoom instead and indicate what portion of their registration fee they would like refunded. Those who do not get a spot and choose not to attend will receive a full refund.
Please note: Your place in the registration queue for in-person attendance will not be secured until we receive your payment along with your registration form. This applies both during and after the initial five-day priority registration period.
Zoom attendance. There is no cap on online attendance via Zoom, but registration is required.
CANCELLATIONS
In-person registration. All cancellations of in-person registrations will be subject to a nonrefundable $50 fee. Cancellations received on or before September 28 will be refunded the retreat fee less $50. Refunds, less $50, will be given to those canceling after September 28 only if there is another person wanting to register to attend the retreat in person.
Zoom registration. All cancellations of Zoom registrations will be subject to a nonrefundable $25 fee. The deadline for cancellation of Zoom registration is October 5; cancellations after that date will receive no refund.
ONLINE PAYMENT VIA PAYPAL
As you complete the registration form, you will be asked to pay your registration fee online. If you prefer not to pay electronically, please contact the registrar at registrar.madvip@gmail.com to make other arrangements.
If you are unable to pay your registration fee when you submit your registration form, you may come back to this page later and use this payment link.
After registering and paying your fee, you’ll receive two emails, the first confirming that we received your complete registration. Close to the time of the retreat, you’ll receive another email providing additional details.
For questions about registration, contact the registrar at registrar.madvip@gmail.com.
Ajahn Pasanno is the most senior Western disciple of Ven. Ajahn Chah in the United States, and the most senior in the world after Ajahn Sumedho and Ajahn Khemadhammo. With more than 40 years as a bhikkhu (Buddhist monk), Ajahn Pasanno has been instrumental in training many monks in Thailand and the United States and has been supportive of training for women. He is a well-known and highly respected monk and Dhamma teacher in Thailand, where he lived for 24 years, training under Ajahn Chah and as abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat International Forest Monastery in Northeast Thailand. In 1997, he moved to California to be a co-abbot with Ajahn Amaro of the newly opened Abhayagiri Monastery. Following Ajahn Amaro’s departure to become abbot of Amaravati Monastery in England in 2010, Ajahn Pasanno was the sole abbot until stepping down in 2018. He now travels to teach in Thailand and elsewhere, but he is based at Abhayagiri, where he serves as an anchor of wisdom and guidance for the community.
On December 5, 2015, at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, Ajahn Pasanno received the honorary ecclesiastical title Chao Khun and the name Phra Bodhinyanavidesa from the Crown Prince of Thailand on behalf of His Majesty King Bhumipol Adulyadet. The title Chao Khun is given periodically to monks in the Thai tradition who have distinguished themselves with their contributions to the monastic tradition. This high honor is particularly significant as Western monks rarely receive this special recognition.