October Retreat

“We are all sitting here together. We have nothing to do. We just enjoy sitting with no worries,

When we know how to live simply and mindfully, and how to live deeply each moment of our life, we can touch the wondrous, refreshing, and healing elements that are inside and around us. Awareness of breathing and of our steps is our anchor in the present moment. It enables us to nourish peace, joy, love and understanding in our individual and collective consciousness, and to avoid losing ourselves in regrets about the past, worries about the future, or craving, anger, or jealousy in the present. We invite you to learn the art of mindful living and join a four-day retreat offered by Thich Nhat Hanh, the monks and nuns and a group of dedicated lay practitioners of Plum Village, Maple Forest, Green Mountain Dharma Center, Deer Park and Blue Cliff Monastery.

Each day Thich Nhat Hanh will offer his teachings on mindfulness, and will lead us in the practice of walking meditation. The monks and the nuns will guide us in the practice of Sitting Meditation, Total Relaxation, Touching the Earth, and the practices of deep listening and loving speech, the foundations of reconciliation. Our meals will be taken in silence to allow us the space and time to contemplate the food and the presence of other practitioners around us. We will meet daily in smaller groups to discuss the teachings and the practice of mindfulness. During a Tea Meditation we will have time to express our happiness of being together as we share poetry, songs, stories, music and moments of silence. We will have the opportunity to all share in daily ‘working meditation’ periods, learning to work together in harmony and with to help the retreat run smoothly. This could include helping with food preparation, clean-up, pot washing, working in the garden, etc. as a way of continuing mindfulness practice while performing everyday tasks.

Blue Cliff Monastery is a beautiful center surrounded by forests, streams, lakes and the Shawangunk Mountains. It will be autumn here and the golden leaves falling one by one are truly beautiful. Together as we take the time to be in touch with the present moment, watching our breath and maintaining our mindfulness, we can be refreshed and restored.

The retreat is open to all, including beginners, those who have previously attended retreats and families with children. The first part of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Dharma talks is normally dedicated to the children. A mindfulness practice program will be offered for Teens (13 to 17 years old) and for Children (6 to 12 years old) with the help of parents. Children under 6 years old are welcome to join the retreat under the care of their parent. We usually start the day at around 6 a.m. and end the day at around 10 p.m.

Wake Up	Working Meditation
Walking and sitting Meditation	Dharma Sharing / Tea Meditation / Other
Breakfast	Dinner
Dharma Talk	Sitting meditation & chanting/Total relaxation & touching the earth/ beginning anew presentation
Lunch / Personal Time	Noble Silence / Rest Time

All meals are vegetarian, including some vegan options. Unfortunately we are unable to cater to individual dietary needs.

Retreatants are requested to refrain from smoking and drinking alcohol during the entire retreat and to practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings in order to support creating a safe and healthy environment. The Five Mindfulness Trainings are guidelines that support us in realizing our aspiration of living a meaningful and happy life in a spirit of non-harming. A full text of the Five Mindfulness Trainings will be sent along with the retreat confirmation package after you have registered.

There will be an opportunity for retreatants and others to receive the Five Mindfulness Trainings with Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh early in the morning on Tuesday, October 16^th. If you have studied and practiced the Five Mindfulness Trainings and wish to formally receive them but cannot attend the retreat, please contact Blue Cliff Monastery.

The retreat begins with check-in. Please plan to arrive between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm on Friday, October 12^th. Dinner will be served at 6:00 pm. An orientation talk will be given at 7:30 pm. Please plan to attend the entire retreat. The retreat will end after lunch on Tuesday, October 16^th.

Please register for the Retreat by September 1^st to facilitate the processing of your registration form. If you would like a single room, we suggest that you register as soon as you can because we have limited availability. Friends requesting single occupancy will be housed at the Dharma Drum Retreat Center located 4.2 miles (about 10 minutes) away from our center. Shuttle transportation will be provided to and from Dharma Drum & Blue Cliff. Most of the activities will be held at Blue Cliff Monastery. For more details, please contact us.

Register by mail: Mail registration form with check, money order or credit card information to:

Register by Fax: Fax registration form with credit card information to (845) 733-4300.

If you would like to share a room with a specific person, please note it on your registration form. If you do not have or specify a roommate, we will assign roommates by gender. For each person in the group or family, print the full name on the form. Please use an extra sheet as needed. Please indicate the age of all participants to help us with housing assignments and to better coordinate the children’s and teen’s programs. Also please give us a name and telephone of a close relative or friend who we can notify in case of an emergency. We will be sending your confirmation information to the person and address filled out at the top of the registration form.

Transportation: We will provide transportation from the following bus station: Bloomingburg and Middletown Bus & Train Station to the monastery on arrival and departure day if needed. Please feel free to contribute for the provided transportation.

Cancellation Policy: On or before September 8^th there will be a refund of the amount you paid less $50 processing fee per person on all cancellations. After September 8^th a 50% refund of the full registration fee will be available. No refund of any portion of the fee is available for late arrivals or early departures.

We will begin sending confirmation letters with other pertinent information on August 1st. If you send you registration form after August 1st, please allow us 2-3 weeks to process your form.

October 12-16, 2007 – Blue Cliff Monastery, Pine Bush, NY