May 2024 Buddhist Day Retreat

You're invited to a day retreat for the study and practice of Buddhism. The schedule shall include 2 components:

1. studying the theory of practice, in the vipassana Theravada tradition and the later schools of practice with focus on working with the mind, and

2. alternating sitting and walking meditation, including more challenging and/or longer periods, depending on who’s attending.

The level of teaching shall be geared to whoever is participating, from beginner to more advanced.

Everyone is invited. Participants shall take Pañcasīla, the Five Training Precepts.

Please bring your own lunch. Water is available, hot and cold. We won't be leaving the campus once the retreat starts. Chairs will be available. Please bring your cushions if you prefer to sit on the floor.

A nonrefundable registration fee of $15 is due upon arrival. Cash only please. This helps cover facility rental and supplies. It does not cover teacher fees.

A Dana basket will be available in the zendo or meditation room. Traditionally, students make a voluntary donation for teachings that are considered beyond monetary value. For those unfamiliar with Dana, participants in the past have given $20 to $120 on top of the registration fee.

The teacher, Orlando Gustilo, has been practicing since 1985, first in Zen then, after sitting with Ruth Denison at Insight Meditation Society in 1986, in the Theravada tradition. In the mid-1990s, he dedicated himself to Abhidhamma study and, since has broadened his practice to include the Mahayana Bodhisattva traditions. Since 2011, he has been leading residential retreats. He organized and taught at the Indianapolis Buddhist Meditation Retreats until COVID shut things down.

The retreat will be at the Benedict Inn Retreat Center with its gardens and wild areas, available for our use.