Monthly Retreat

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I am writing on behalf of the Georgia Buddhist Vihara to invite you to the next day-long vipassana (mindfulness) meditation retreat on Saturday, September 3, 2016 from 7:30am to 5pm. This one-day meditation retreat will be held at the Georgia Buddhist Vihara (3153 Miller Road, Lithonia, GA 30038). This one-day retreat is a great way to strengthen and enrich your spiritual practice, explore meditation practices from the Theravada Buddhist tradition, and explore firsthand the benefits of mindfulness meditation. 

This retreat is open to everyone - those who are new to meditation as well as those who are experienced meditators. All meditation instructions and discussions during this retreat will be conducted in English. 

The following is a schedule of the day's events:

MORNING PROGRAM

7:00–7:30am - Arrive at the vihara and prepare the space

7:30–8:00am: Observance of the Eight Precepts and traditional Buddhist chanting

8:00–9:00am: Breakfast (as a group) and clean-up

9:00–10:00am: Guided vipassana ("mindfulness") meditation 

  10:00–10:30am: Break (coffee/tea)
10:30–11:30am: Metta ("Loving-Friendliness") meditation 

11:30am–12:00pm: Preparing lunch & traditional Buddhist chanting

12:00–12:45pm:  Lunch (as a group) and clean-up

AFTERNOON PROGRAM

12:45–1:30pm: Walking meditation

1:30–2:30pm: Vipassana meditation

2:30–3:00pm: Break (coffee/tea) 

3:00–4:30pm: Sutta Discussion led by Ven. Wajirabuddhi Thera. 

• The sutta (teaching of the Buddha) that will be discussed is the Maha-gopalaka Sutta: The Greater Cowherd Discourse #33. You can access the sutta online via access to Insightsl - Please print and bring a copy of the sutta to the Dhamma discussion.

4:30–5:00pm:  Conclusion - Termination of the Eight Precepts by observing the Five Precepts  

and concluding chanting

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PLEASE NOTE:

Participants will need to bring (1) a light breakfast food (e.g., fruits, bagels, etc.) and (2) a lunch dish (preferably vegetarian) to share with the resident monks and the retreat participants. It is also a common practice to bring flowers, candles, or incense to place on the shrine as an offering. It is customary in the Theravadan tradition for those observing the eight precepts to wear white clothing to signify purification of morality, though this is not a requirement for attendance.

During this special time, please consider making a monetary donation to the vihara as a way of helping to support the monks who make the teachings available to us and to keep the vihara open so that all people are able to practice and learn the Dhamma.

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, September 3. I request that you RSVP (by email) in order to let us know that you will be joining us so we can adequately prepare for those who will be participating in the retreat. To confirm that you are planning on attending the retreat or if you have questions about this program or other programs offered by the Georgia Buddhist Vihara, please feel free to contact me by email at justinhowell2112@gmail.com. 

I hope that you will be able to join us for this auspicious day. If you are unable to make this retreat, please know that we will be having regular, day-long vipassana retreats throughout the year. 

Additionally, I would encourage you to join us for meditation instruction and Dhamma discussion on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.  

May you, your friends, and family members be well, happy, and peaceful. 

With metta,

Justin

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Justin Howell
Cell phone: 404.375.0264

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow.  Learn as if you were to live forever."  -M. Gandhi

"You can't lead the people if you don't LOVE the people. You can't save the people if you won't SERVE the people."  - Cornel West