Our newest meditation retreat center located in Phuket, Thailand, Karuna (Compassion in Sanskrit) is designed for retreatants for any length of practice.

Cost and Amenities

Individual, furnished, retreat bungalows are available for $500 per month. Each bungalow has its own bathroom and kitchen with refrigerator, oven, pots and utensils. Two bedroom furnished condominiums are also available for $900 per month. One of the world's most beautiful beaches, Kamala, overlooking the Anadman Sea is also within a fifteen minute walk.

Instruction and Teachings

Beginning to advanced meditation instruction is available in English in the Theravadin, Mahayana, and Vajrayana traditions. Group meditation sessions will be held three times weekly for an hour, and attendance is mandatory. The expectation is that most of your retreat will be done on your own, in your own room. Meditation interviews will be conducted twice weekly at specific times.

Food

There will be two meals given each day, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. The food is vegetarian, although eggs are served. Any food that the retreatant has beyond this is up to them, although no meat is permitted on the grounds. Retreatants are responsible for washing their own dishes, utensils, pots, and pans.

The seriousness of your meditation retreat is up to you. While in retreat, you must adhere to the following policies:,

• While on the grounds only functional silence is permitted
• No killing of any kind
• No intoxicants of any kind
• No sexual contact of any kind
• No visitors are allowed
• Men and women are not permitted in each other's rooms
• No pets or feeding of wildlife is permitted
• Any absence from the retreat grounds for more than 24 hours must have permission from the retreat master
• All payment must be arranged before entering the retreat, no exceptions
• Any violation of these policies and the retreatant will likely be asked to leave the retreat
• Respect toward the teachers, monks, nuns, staff, other retreatants, and Buddhist images is a given. Violation of this is reason for expulsion from the retreat.

Daily Schedule

Below is the current daily schedule for the retreatants. The schedule is followed from Monday until Friday. Weekends are up to the retreatant--either exploring Thailand on your own, or doing solitary retreat under the guidance of Gen-la Chokyi Dhakpa at your discretion.

• 5:00-7:00am: Mindfulness of Breathing, Four Thoughts and currently Meditations on the Six Realms
• 7:00-9:00am: Breakfast and Free Time
• 9:00-10:00am: Tonglen (Compassion Meditation)and Four Immeasurables
• 10:00-11:30am: Free Time
• 11:30-12:30pm: Mindfulness of Breathing
• 12:30-3:30pm: Lunch and Free Time
• 3:30-5:00pm: Ngondro or Six Yogas of Naropa (Advanced) Sessions
• 5:00pm: Snack
• 5:30-7:00pm: Mindfuness of Breathing and currently meditations on Mindfulness of Body and Sensations
• 7:15-8:30pm: Tantric Meditations on Chenrezig, Amitabha, Guru Rinpoche combined with Seven Branch prayers and Mahamudra meditations

Logistics

Visa upon arrival (30 days) is available to all U.S. citizens, Australians and most Europeans and may be extended twice for a total of 90 days. One year permits are available under certain conditions to citizens of most Western countries.

Longer retreats (90+ days) are also available. For those who would like to stay at the retreat center in Thailand as inexpensively as possible, the option exists to stay here for $200 per month - room and board included. To do so, the student must be willing to teach English for 3-4 hours a day, 5 times per week and keep approximately to the meditation schedule. A Thai TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate is required - avaliable through us - the cost is currently $1200 and requires a one-month training course. The certificate would then also allow you to teach anywhere in the developing world as it is internationally recognized. A work permit will also be required to stay in Thailand which we can also provide. The legal cost of that is $750 (a one-time fee). For more information, consult the Teaching English as a Foreign Language School for Phuket.

All retreatants should bring their own towels, toiletries, and meditation cushions.

A check-out library is also available, although books must be returned within a week.

Internet facilities, a food market, international banking including ATM, laundry services, pharmacy, and medical services, professional Thai and Swedish massage ($10/Hour) are available within a 15 minute walk.

Miscellaneous Considerations

Any washed and dried laundry done on your own must be hung discreetly, i.e. not hanging for other's to view.
Smoking is not permitted in the rooms.

Music with headphones is fine.

Recycling of trash is necessary, and each retreatant is responsible for doing this themselves. The recycle bins are within a five minute walk.

Please check the CDC travel website for current inoculations you may need before arriving. If you have serious physical or mental health issues then these must be addressed before arriving at the center. It is not acceptable to arrive here and then begin to look into these matters.

The climate is tropical, but can be cool at night. A jacket is recommended. It rains here, but not for long. Mostly sun showers. The exception is during the monsoon period in which it can rain here each day for a few hours for weeks at a time. The retreat center is not located within a tsunami zone.

We want you to enjoy your time here and relax as much as possible please feel free to explore the local area, the beach, tours. Just try and balance everything with your meditation practice!

Other policies and procedures may be implemented during your stay at the retreat center. If you wish to go, you must have read and agree to all of these terms and understandings before arriving at the retreat center. Please print this Word document, and sign and date it prior to arrival.

To sign up for retreats, or to get more information, please send email to retreats@summitdharmacenter.org.