New Year Meditation Retreat 2018

Do your thoughts run away uncontrolled?
Is your mind always working and never seems to stop?
Do you want to find tranquility and to be at peace?

Join us for our annual 10 day Mindfulness Project Meditation Retreat!

Since 2006 we have organised this retreat and it gets better and better each year. It is a perfect opportunity to begin your meditation practice, or will profoundly deepen your current practice.

The event takes place in Wat Pho Monastery in Khon Kaen, one of the most famous monasteries in Thailand, renowned for its active meditation program. You will be fully immersed in Thai culture from start to finish.

The Vipassana Meditation is taught by Ajahn Somchai, one of the Directors of the second largest Buddhist university in Thailand, Abbot of the monastery, and arguably the best meditation teacher in Thailand. During the retreat, he will teach sitting, standing, walking and lying meditation. He makes it accessible to those new to meditation whilst leading those more experienced into a deeper practice. The teachings are focused on developing deep wisdom and unconditional love in a very open and modern way.

The icing on the cake for this retreat is New Years Eve. You will spend the night of New Years Eve in meditation and chanting, alongside 3000 Thai people in a truly remarkable and heart opening event. This has to be experienced to truly understand the sacredness of this night.

Start 2019 in the best way possible at this once in a lifetime retreat.

 

What to bring:
Sleeping: We provide mosquito nets, very thin mattresses, pillows and meditation clothes. Please bring anything else you think you may need to sleep comfortably.

Eating: Food is provided.

Clothing: The meditation clothes are very thin so bring underwear and ladies please wear bras which are suitable for a monastery, skin coloured or white bras preferred.

Essentials: Bring a water bottle, head torch, towel, and your personal toiletries. There is no toilet paper provided so please also bring this if you are not comfortable using the bum gun!

 

Where?
The Meditation retreat will be held in Wat Pho Baan Nontan in Khon Kaen. Wat Pho is one of the oldest monasteries in Khon Kaen, the third largest city in Thailand. It is known as one of the leading monasteries for meditation and youth work. Ajahn Somchai even got a prize from the queen of Thailand for his exceptional work in this field.

 

Costs:
The Meditation retreat is on donation basis. Minimum 110 Euro.

 

Information:
You will be served two vegetarian meals at 7am and 11am, unfortunately we are unable to fulfill dietary requirements. In the evening there will be drinks instead of a meal. The aim is to provide the best circumstances for meditation and concentration.

For your stay we ask you to remain in complete silence for 10 days.

The 5 precepts need to be followed at all times (not harming any living being, not taking what was not given to you, no lying, no sexual misconduct, no intoxicants).

You will sleep in gender separated dorms with good facilities and toilets.

Retreat language is English. German translation is offered.

 

Day/time of arrival:
Arrive 28.12.2018 at 4:00pm

Finish 07.01.2019 at 2:00pm

 

What is Vipassana Meditation?

Teachers

Venerable Dr. Ajahn Somchai Kantasilo

Venerable Dr. Ajahn Somchai Kantasillo, Abbot of Wat Pho Monastery, Director of the Sangha College of the Mahachulalongkorn University, Khon Kaen, is a very innovative dharma teacher and initiator of the Mindfulness Eco Project.

He became a novice at the age of 15 and since then has stayed ordained. On his path he became a disciple and the successor of Long Po Poh, one of the great monks from the forest tradition. His teachings express his deep wisdom and knowledge of the scriptures and meditation practice. His wish is to support his disciples to wake up to their full potential.

Included as part of his teachings , he likes to take his disciples on retreats in nature, with very basic facilities to create a feeling of being closer to the environment. This can create a humble and strong mind. Being able to let go of comfort from the outer world helps us to turn inward and find our true nature; a liberated heart and mind. He goes beyond the “I, me, mine” self-centered thinking of the modern world, as it creates stressed feelings of separation and competition.

 

Christian Carow

Christian Carow was the owner of a successful marketing company, worked as an consultant and was an assistant in group psychotherapy before he decided to change his life very radical. He became a monk for one year in the Thai forest tradition under his teacher Ajahn Somchai Kantasillo. He has also studied alongside leading meditation teachers like Jack Kornfield, Thich Nhat Hanh and Fred von Allem.

Since 2006 he is leading meditation retreats in Thailand and Germany. He is the co-founder of the Mindfulness Project, a modern community, where he integrates Psychology, Neuroscience, Meditation, Yoga with new ways of holistic living. The project provides a unique learning experience for thousands of volunteers from around the world and has been life changing for a lot of them. His goal is to find a modern approach to contemplative practices in order to impact the personal, social and economic dimension of people towards a more fulfilling and sustainable life.