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A time to share dhamma, to follow one's own schedule & a moment of log cabin community life. Warmed by wood stoves & human hearts, nestled on a sunlit plateau in a wild valley, leading into endless hills of peaceful forests. A coming back to basics,to a simple way of living: emptying the compost, lighting fires, chopping wood etc, times for sharings, dhamma dialogues & one-to-ones with Noon as needed. The days will be silent with plenty of time for meditation. We will meditate together as a group in silence at the first morning meditation & the last of the day with some chanting. The rest of the day there will be scheduled meditation times of 45mns each which you are free to join or not. You can meditate all day if you wish.... In between the first & last meditation you are also free to choose how to use your time, within the boundaries of retreat centered activities of course. Here are some examples: walking meditation, listening to dhamma talks with headphones in the kitchen area or out in the sun, reading,long walks in the hills (possibility to take your lunch in a tupperware & be alone out in nature), writing, drawing,poetry, gardening......
As well as offering guidance as needed, Noon will give a weekly talk & guided meditation. He enjoys creating an alive safe space for people to explore & process whatever comes up. Sometimes we will go on silent contemplative walks in the hills together, &/or a silent walk on a full moon night. Sumedha & Noon will cook lunch & supper, retreatants will share breakfast preparation, veggie prepping, cleaning , washing up etc on a rotational basis of about 45mns per day.
Noon will manage these retreats by shopping, taking your washing to town, pickups to & from the station, etc; there will be no journeys to town for the retreatants giving you the full potential to go deep into your practices.
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Please read to end of page for more info.
Solitary Retreat Together
An example of the timings (this is to give an idea; they may change slightly):
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* 6.30 wake up
* 7 group meditation ( 45mns)
* 8 Breakfast
* 9 Community participation ( veggie chop, cleaning, wood chop, gathering kindling, emptying compost toilets etc)
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* 10 Meditation in dhamma hall (45mns) for those who wish
* 12 Meditation in Dhamma hall (45mns) for those who wish
* 12.45 Lunch
* 14.30 Meditation in dhamma hall (45mns ) for those ....
* 16.30 Meditation in dhamma hall (45mns) for those....
* 17.15 Fire on in bathroom for showers
* 19.15 Supper time
* 20 evening group meditation
Timings
The Dhamma Hall
Is a strawbale & mud room with a wooden floor, plenty cushions & blankets, & a big wood stove you can watch the flames flickering in "those" moments of meditation!
The bathroom: a beautiful tiled tiny space heated by wood stove, ( we have a solar water heater & heat the solar heated water up to boiling on the stove when the sun is absent )
The Space
In Ekuthuleni rustic retreat place in the foothills of the french Pyrenees. A south facing ecological homemade building of double glazed windows going around in a semi circle around the old log cabin with multiple skylights, creating a warm, well lit place to cook, for meals, to wash up, sit & read or just contemplate! Counters around the edges to sit looking out (in a way that can be helpful for solitary silent practice), for taking your meals, writing, drawing ....helped by the meditative silence suffusing the whole plateau.
The sleeping areas
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One 5 bed bunk bed dormitory (for people only staying one week)
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3 beds upstairs in the cosy log cabin and 3 downstairs, ( for people staying 2 weeks or more).
This will be a return to the zen monastery style whereby we live together, in silence, with time for dialogue in the Dhamma hall, bringing formal meditation & daily life meditation together. Retreatants could be meditating/contemplating/reading/writing in the dining hall or on their bed, or meditating in the meditation hall, & doing walking meditation outside or under the large outdoor shelter on rainy days! There will also be time to connect in quiet activity (collecting kindling together, or on walks through the hills: this can be arranged with the managers so people wishing for silence aren't asked to speak when out & about ensuring silence & safety for all.....).
Meals
are bountiful delicious vegetarian meals three times a day made by Noon & Sumedha skills from many years of cooking & teaching retreats simultaneously.......
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Noon will offer individual sessions to help people grow through knotted parts of life,to guide retreatants towards finding what really nourishes their own practice, & providing space for sharing of questions & insights.....
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We are delighted to offer this space for people to taste this precious mix of being together in meditation & daily living, finding one's own rhythm in practice & sharing some group meditations & walks.
COST
€ 380, ( €310 for people with less income) please pay € 180 in advance ( €110 for lower icome) to reserve your place which covers food, insurance, (water, in summer), cooking gas, firewood (in winter), general running costs. Please pay the remaining € 200 on arrival day for the cooks salary. Retreatants are invited to offer dana to Noon at the end of the retreat for one to one meetings, dhamma talks, guided meditations & the general management of the retreat.
PAST RETREATS PICTURES
​Winter 2024
1st to 7th and/ or 7th to 14th Febuary
Autumn 2024 dates coming soon.
In English, French & Spanish
With Noon Baldwin
