Summary

Date	1–15 July 2018
Teacher	Phra Ofer
Venue	Pension Jana (Central Slovakia)
Cost	329€, 23.50€/night (sponsored price available)

We are lucky to welcome once more:

Phra Ofer Adi is originally from Israel and has been practicing meditation since 1989 (in Wat Ram Poeng and in Wat Chom Tong, Thailand) under Ajahn Tong. He was teaching meditation in Israel, before ordaining as monk in 2001. He has spent several years as monk and teacher in Götzenhain (near Frankfurt, Germany) and is leading meditation courses around the world.

Phra Ofer will be accompanied by  supporting teachers, Katarína Bírešová & Václav Šmilauer − see about us.

May I come?

On this retreat of the Vipassana meditation, we welcome both beginners and those with prior meditation experience, irrespective of religion, gender or age (16+). Vipassana is a Buddhist contemplation method; however, one does not need to be Buddhist (or have knowledge of Buddhism) to fully benefit from the meditation; in fact most course participants are not.

We recommend to go through the whole course to gain the full benefit. It is nevertheless possible to come for a shorter time (at least 4 nights) as the course proceeds on individual basis.

The number of participants is limited to 25, due to the individual approach of the course and capacity of the facilities.

Course

All participants are given detailed introduction into meditation at the beginning of the course.

The course is organized around directing attention inwards as much as possible. Participants sleep 6 hours a day, breakfast is served usually 6:30, lunch at 11:30. The rest of the time is dedicated to the practice with short breaks between “rounds” (walking+sitting meditation). The course is conducted in silence (and off-line). Whatever happens during the day can be discussed with the teacher at daily individual meetings; however, teachers are available 24/7 if needed. The teachers might adjust the regime individually if necessary (e.g.due to medical conditions).

Participants follow traditional 8 precepts which support meditation by eliminating distractions and make it easier to share space with others: no killing, stealing, sexual activities, lying, intoxicants, eating after lunch, entertainment (reading, writing, singing, music, yoga, phone, internet, …) & cosmetics, luxury.

Food is vegetarian; snacks are served in the evening (youghurt, fruit juice, piece of cheese). Water, teas and coffee is available all day round.

The accommodation is individual by default. In the (rather infrequent) case of capacity exhaustion, we will try to find solution which works for everyone.

Participants can be contacted by their families in case of emergency through organizers.

Venue

Jana guesthouse is in a secluded village Nižná Revúca in central Slovakia. The venue, which is comprised of several buildings with direct access to meadows and forest, will be for our exclusive use.

The closest train/bus station is Ružomberok (about 20km); the airport with the best train connection would be Ostrava (OST), then Bratislava (BTS) and Wien (VIE). From Ružomberok, there are local buses to the stop Nižná Revúca, Jednota, a few minutes walk from the guest-house. We will help you arrange transport and, if needed, pick you up at a suitable place.

The whole course will start on Sunday, 1 June at 1p.m. and finish Sunday, 15 June after breakfast.

Cost

Accommodation and food cost 329€ for the whole course, amounting to  23.50€/night (19€ goes to the hotel, 4.50€ helps us cover other expenses such as teachers’ travel & accommodation). A deposit of 120€ (less if you come for a shorter time) is payable in advance by bank transfer, the rest at the start of the course (transfer/cash).

If the accommodation price is prohibitive for you, you are welcome to contact us and we will try to offer you something you can afford, and have the rest paid by sponsors.  If you can pay more, thus becoming  sponsor of others, you are the most welcome to do so.

Teaching itself is on a donation basis (dāna), following the tradition that meditation should be accessible to anyone. Donations can be given in cash at the place, or by transfer.

What to bring

• loose comfortable white/light clothes (by tradition) or neutral colors, covering shoulders and knees;
• warm socks for inside; also take warm clothes (like jumpers, long sleeve shirts, …);
• slippers;
• toiletries (toothpaste, shower gel);
• (alarm clock/timer we will have enough to borrow; note that using phones is not possible);
• optionally your favourite tea/coffee, cushion, blanket;
• flask (thermos) for hot water (for colder weather);
• course fee (minus deposit) in cash, or send it in advance by bank transfer;
• cash for donation for teachers after the course; bank transfer will be also possible;
• any medication you take or might need.

Please try to bring also meditation cushion and sitting mat (yoga-mat folded in halves is sufficient); we will have some to borrow but not for everybody. Towels are provided by the facility.

How to register

Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions before you make decision. The registration procedure is easy:

1. Inform us about your intention to come.
2. We confirm space availability.
3. You transfer the deposit and fill registration form.
4. We confirm the reservation.