Personal Retreat

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Personal Retreat

In 2013 there will be very limited availability for personal retreat space, since we are planning to rebuild our retreat huts this year.
For more information on this project please visit: The Retreat Hut Project.

Tushita was founded in 1972 by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche as a retreat centre in response to the ever-growing demand from their Western students. The Lamas decided on this location, since McLeod Ganj was home to many of their beloved teachers, especially His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Ling Rinpoche, Trijang Rinpoche and Geshe Rabten.

Although Tushita's main function has shifted during the last three decades from offering retreat facilities to introducing the Buddha's teachings to many people from around the world, Tushita still provides a very blessed and inspiring environment for those experienced meditators looking for a peaceful retreat place.

Tushita's personal retreat facilities include:

Three vegetarian meals per day, safe drinking water & milk/chai
Fire puja house
Excellent library of books and videos
Laundry service
Meditation cushions/boxes, water bowls, prostration boards and other retreat supplies available
Shop for your daily needs (toiletries, stationery, candles, incense, snacks, etc.)
Friendly staff who will respect your retreat silence and be available to provide logistical and emotional support to retreaters if needed

Please note: Tushita does NOT offer any self-catering facilities! Usually retreatants come to the dining hall for meals, but in case of strict retreat it is possible to have meals delivered to your room.

Tushita's personal retreat facilities are available for experienced retreatants only:

doing a individual retreat with a minimum of 10 days in duration.
doing a strict individual retreat with a set schedule of three/four sessions of Buddhist practices per day, e.g. ngondro, deity practice, Lam Rim, etc.
not leaving Tushita property, except occasionally to buy supplies.
remaining in silence most of the day. This does not mean you must be in complete silence, but you should not be hanging out talking with others.
having a teacher who gave advice for the appropriate time to do the retreat and detailed retreat instructions. Your main teacher or another qualified teacher should be available to you when difficulties in your practice arise.

Please note that we do not have a teacher who can give you guidance with your practice or help you when difficulties arise!

Individuals wishing to undertake a private retreat please complete the on-line registration form.

Rules of Discipline

It is only possible to stay at Tushita if you are taking one of our residential courses/retreats or are an established Buddhist practitioner doing your own formal Buddhist retreat of a minimum of 10 days duration. silence_small

Since Tushita is a semi-monastic meditation centre and not a guesthouse, we ask all of our retreatants and visitors to observe the following rules of discipline in order to maintain an atmosphere conducive to inner reflection and meditation:

Respect all life: do not intentionally kill any living being, even small insects.
Respect others' property: do not steal or take anything not freely given.
Be honest and straightforward: do not lie or intentionally deceive others. This is easy when observing silence!
Be celibate: no sexual activity. This also includes no holding hands, hugging, massages and other physical displays of affection.
Be alert and mindful: avoid intoxicants such as alcohol, drugs and cigarettes (we encourage you to stop smoking while here, but if this is impossible, one can smoke at a designated place within the centre boundary).
Be considerate of others' silence: keep silence in the appropriate areas and at all times during residential courses, especially in the Gompa and the dormitories. No singing or playing music and in general, maintain a quiet demeanor while on the property.
Be considerate of the monks and nuns: dress respectfully (please no shorts above the knee, tank-top shirts or tight and revealing clothing).

Basic Course Discipline

In order to keep the atmosphere conducive to inner reflection and spiritual pursuit and to minimise distractions during the course, students on our residential courses and retreats are asked to abide by our basic code of discipline listed below.

Please settle all outside communication before the course begins. Telling friends and family that you will be out of contact for the duration of the course and sticking by that decision significantly reduces distraction from investigation into the workings of your own mind! Likewise, please settle your travel arrangements etc before you come to Tushita!
You are expected to observe silence (no talking at all) from the evening of the first day until the end of the course.
Do not leave Tushita property for the entire course.
Participants must attend all sessions of the course and come to sessions on time.
Please put all communication / entertainment devices (laptop / mobile phones /cameras / MP3/CD players) etc into our safe at check-in.
Please be gentle in your behaviour and sensitive to fellow group members.

Gompa Etiquette

"Gompa" is a Tibetan word which we use for Meditation Hall. Because a Gompa is the location of study, meditation and devotional practices, Buddhists consider them to be holy places. In this tradition, the following modes of behaviour are considered respectful in a Gompa and we ask you to follow them while here:

Do not point your feet towards the teachers, the altar or any holy object.
Do not put Dharma materials – prayer books, texts, Dharma books or notebooks with Dharma in them – on the floor, or sit or step over them.
Do not lie down or do any yoga exercises in the Gompa at any time.
No idle chit-chat in the Gompa (ie. You can ask the teacher questions during class, but do not talk with other students).

Thank you so much for your support.

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