Self and Work Retreats
Self Retreat
Self-retreats are for individuals who have an established daily dharma practice and are looking for a deeper dharma practice in a retreat setting. Self-retreaters plan their schedule each day and are responsible for buying/preparing their own food. There is the opportunity to meet with the guiding teacher to talk about your practice, in person or on Zoom.
Self retreatants join the community every morning at 7:30am and in the evening at 7:30pm to meditate together, unless they are meditating throughout the day on their own schedule, and are encouraged to join our weekly study dharma study group. The residential community may host dinners weekly and other community activities; you are always welcome to join in if you’d like.
We also ask self-retreaters to offer one hour a day of work to support the ongoing maintenance of the center. Typical work includes cleaning common spaces, laundry, administrative tasks, etc. Self-retreaters may enter/use any of the common areas (main house, including kitchen and zendo/meditation hall). We meet every morning Monday-Friday at 9am to share tasks for the day and share the merit of our efforts.
The cost of staying at Dhamma Dena is a sliding scale, from $35 to $10 per night, according to need. This goes toward covering utilities and basic maintenance. In the tradition of dana, you are invited to offer support for the center and teacher at the end of your stay.
Work Retreat
If you would like to provide service to Dhamma Dena, please apply to be a work-retreater. Room and basic food staples for cooking (grains, beans, vegetables) are provided for your stay, in exchange for a maximum of 4.5 - 5 work hours per day, for five days in the week. If this is your first time at Dhamma Dena, we will meet together after one or two weeks to check in with each other and see if it is a good fit for you. Return retreaters usually stay from one week to three months. We meet every morning Monday-Friday at 9am to share tasks for the day and share the merit of our efforts.
Typical work includes:
cleaning common spaces
cooking
washing dishes
administrative tasks
small projects
etc.
Interviews with the guiding teacher can be scheduled to take place either in-person or on Zoom. The community meets every morning at 7:30am and in the evening at 7:30pm to meditate together. Once a week, we gather to inquire and study a text. Weekly the residential community comes together for community dinners, and occasionally for hikes. Attendance at these activities is always voluntary and we welcome any community activity that you would like to offer/host/plan.
In the tradition of dana, you are invited to offer support for the center and teacher at the end of your stay.
If you are interested in doing a work retreat, contact us at retreats@dhammadena.org.
