“The Tears I Shed Yesterday Have Become Rain”

A 5-day Retreat with Ven. Phap An & Plum Village Monastics

From 16:00 March 21 to 17:00 March 25, 2012

at Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism, Lotus Pond Temple, Ngong Ping, Lantau

Click here for online registration of the retreat

Dear friends,

You are invited to attend a special 5-day quarterly retreat organized by Plum Village Hong Kong. The retreat will be led by Ven. Thich Chan Phap An, Head of the European Institute of Applied Buddhism(EIAB), Germany. The Plum Village monastics at the Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism (AIAB) are also joining him to conduct the retreat. There will be a transmission of the 5 Mindfulness Training on the last day of the retreat.

In this mindfulness retreat, we will practice mindful breathing, mindful walking, and pleasant smiling. We will go back to the present moment, enjoying the beautiful scenery of Lotus Pond Temple and the surrounding area. We will enjoy the presence of our friends and fellow practitioners, who also take the time off from the busy daily routines to slow down, to enjoy a walk, to just be there for the present moment, for the preciousness of life.

We will have the chance to study the art of transformation and healing, as taught by the Buddha in the “Discourse on the Four Establishment of Mindfulness” (Satipatthana Sutta). We will learn to be aware and to contemplate on our body, feelings, mind (mental formation) and objects of mind (perceptions). Suffering is caused mostly by our wrong perceptions about things in life. By just being aware of our perceptions, without any attachment and aversion, we will be able to look at the formation and dissolution of these phenomena. Only by having a clear and calm mind, can we realize the impermanent, selfless and interdependent nature of them, thus liberating ourselves from suffering. We will also have the chance to practice touching the earth, to get in touch with ourselves and our ancestors, and the practice of beginning anew to understand and love ourselves and others more sincerely.

The retreat will be conducted in English with Cantonese translation.

The tentative program for the retreat is as follows:

* Help is needed to set up food serving and washing up tables (before meal), clean up (after meal), and setting up meditation hall…

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 temples and at the nearby SG Davis Youth Hostel (15-minute walk from Lotus Pond Temple). Pillows, bed-linens, and blankets will be provided for those staying in the dormitory. For camping, please bring your own bedding supplies. Single-person tents are provided. If camping as families/groups, please bring your own tents.

Full cost per person is listed below (in HK Dollars).

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: setting up mediation hall and dining hall, washing up after meals, cleaning the washroom, and cutting vegetables, etc... The work will be divided out into groups by Dharma Sharing Families. Each family will have a chance to practice working joyfully and harmoniously together in mindfulness during 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-served basis. 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, we will put your registration on the waiting list. For means of payment, please refer to the confirmation e-mail of the registration. You can either pay by check or by direct deposit. We encourage you to attend the whole 5-day retreat to benefit from the in-depth teachings. However, if you can’t attend the whole 5-day retreat, you can register for the 2-day weekend session. Because of the nature of the 5-day focused retreat, there will be no children and teenage program.

Closing date for registration: March 14, 2012. Payment is not refundable for cancellation after March 7, 2012.

For enquiries, please contact us by e-mail: retreats@pvfhk.org or by phone from 14:30 – 17:00 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday): 2985-5033 (English), 9771-6453 (Chinese).

We are looking forward to seeing you at the retreat!

A lotus to you,
A Buddha to be

Br. Phap Dung (Br. Dharma Courage) and Sr. Tu Nghiem(Sr. True Adornment with Practice)

The Retreat Registration Coordinators
Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism