Introduction
We are holding a week-long retreat this coming autumn. We aim to bring together both regular students and those that would not otherwise be able to complete a full Zen retreat, creating conditions in which experience and freshness mutually contribute to your enrichment. The retreat will provide a supportive environment, encompassing Zen and related practices traditionally thought to be conducive to, or benefit from, developing Zen intuition. Mornings and evenings will be devoted to Zazen and Kinhin (sitting and walking meditation) and afternoons of Zen calligraphy, poetry walks, Qi-gong and Zen-yoga, breath-meditations, and Sanzen (one to one exchanges with Ryūshin Rōshi). For financial and work purposes this retreat will be run as a co-operative. We will take turns in carrying out basic tasks that support the retreat e.g. meal preparation, washing up, cleaning the Zendō etc.
Accommodation
In order to make this retreat affordable, we have chosen the Barn at Unston Grange as the venue. There is the option of sleeping in the Zendō, in which case you will need to bring your own campbed/mattress and sleeping bag/blankets, etc. Alternatively you can camp or park a campervan in the grounds (same price).
Cost
In true Zen-spirit the teachings will be free, and the cost is to cover venue hire and meals only. This will depend on the number of people who attend. At present we estimate the cost per person to be £64 per day, including meals and overnight-board (based on 10 people). This price will change (reduce) with the number of people. Should there be any profit after the retreat ends, we will refund the excess proportionately. (If you wish, of course, we would gratefully accept a part of your return-portion as a donation towards future retreats).
Meals
The food will be vegetarian/vegan. If you have any other dietary requirements e.g. gluten free, please state them when booking and we will see what can be done, especially if you can be helpful in this regard.
Booking
The retreat will start with supper at 6 pm on the 14th and finish with lunch on the 20th. Attendance the whole week would bring the greatest benefits, but it might also be possible to join for shorter periods (min. 1 day). However, preference will be given to those booking the whole retreat and regular ZenSpace members. We will need a 50% deposit 2 months prior to the commencement of the retreat, with the remainder payable immediately upon entry at the retreat. If insufficient numbers are achieved by two months before commencement of the retreat, we reserve the right to cancel the event, or shorten its length and reimburse your deposits proportionally.
If you are interested in booking a place/s and obtaining further information, please please contact. Ryūshin Rōshi for an application form, with your email address, mobile number, physical/dietary needs, your proposed attendance dates, and we will register your request. Occasionally you may have to wait a short while for a reply, because we currently run 9 in house retreats of one week per year.
More info.' about us at < http://www.arrivinghome.co.uk/AboutUs.html >.