Nourishing our Happiness

Mindfulness Retreat in the Tradition of Plum Village, October 26-28, 2012

at the Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism, Lotus Pond Temple,
Ngong Ping Village, Lantau Island, HK

September 15, 2012

Dear friends,

              “Every step and every breath can be an opportunity for joy and happiness.
               Life is full of suffering. If we don’t have enough happiness on reserve,
               we have no means to take care of our despair.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

Please join us for our second annual Fall Retreat at the AIAB. Nourishing peace, joy, love and understanding in our individual and collective consciousness. Whatever your age, faith or experience we welcome you to join us for this retreat.

The activities held in this mindfulness retreat are similar to the ones offered in Plum Village France. We will learn and practice mindful breathing, mindful walking, and pleasant smiling; the foundation of the Plum Village tradition. We will also practice deep listening and loving speech. By embodying these basic skills, we can offer our true presence to our loved ones, our children, and our parents.

In the retreat we will have an opportunity to listen to two Dharma Talks to help inspire us to come back to ourselves and to recognize our own awakened nature. We will learn from the teachings and sutras taught by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, to recognize what is true happiness, what is nourishing our happiness, and how to release what causes us so much pain, anxiety, stress, and overall suffering. By practicing to stop, rest, listen deeply to our body and our mind, we can rediscover and nurture our deepest roots of solid living.

The tentative program is as follows

Accommodation and cost: Accommodation for this retreat is limited to dormitory-room and camping. Participants will be housed in dormitories (bunk beds) and tents at Lotus Pond Temple and at the nearby SG Davis Youth hostel (15-minute walk to Lotus Pond Temple). Pillows, bed-linens, and blankets will be provided if staying in dormitory. For camping, please bring your own bedding supplies. The cost per person is listed below (in HK Dollars), based on bed/tent space taken.

*Please write us at  retreats@pvfhk.org to arrange accommodation for children under 6.
Single-person tents are provided. If camping as families/groups, please bring your own tents.

Working Meditation: Because the retreat is held in the monastery, all the preparation and cooking will be done by the monastics and some volunteers. During the retreat, we need help from participants in preparation works like: setting up the meditation hall and dining hall, washing up after meals… Participants will be grouped into Dharma discussion groups and will work together in the same groups to help with the retreat.

How to register: Registration is available online at the Plum Village Hong Kong Website at http://www.pvfhk.org on a first-come-first-serve basis. There will be a children and teenagers program for children and teens from 6–18 years old (if there are enough participants). There are no separate programs for children under 6, and they have to be under full care of the parents. Registrations are not final until we receive your payment. Please make payment within one week after you register. If payment is not received within one week, your registration will be placed on a waiting list. For means of payment, details will be sent along with the confirmation email to those who completed online registration. Closing date for registration: October 22, 2012. Payment is not refundable for cancellation after October 15, 2012. For enquiries, please contact us by e-mail: retreats@pvfhk.org or by phone from 15:00 – 17:30 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday): 2985-5033 (English), 2985-5281 (Chinese).

We are looking forward to seeing you at the retreat!

A lotus to you,
A Buddha to be.

Sr. Hanh Nghiem (Sr. True Adornment with Action) and Br. Phap Dung (Br. Dharma Courage)

The Retreat Registration Coordinators
Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism