Online Metta Retreat
Daily Program Schedule

Welcome to your ONLINE LOVING- KINDNESS METTA RETREAT!

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Friday Night- (or any time on Friday) (Day 1 Intro)

Please watch the full orientation video
Sit at least 30 minutes after this video
Download a quick "Brief Lovingkindness Instructions" from the Support Page

Download and read the Guide to TWIM in pdf or epub from the Support page or buy on amazon.
You can also review all the morning precept forms now and print them out and get them ready for Saturday morning.

Optional Materials to Review on Friday or Saturday

You can Listen to an optional MP3 Metta instructions on this page with transcript
Or Read the Lovingkindness Instructions from this Page
Watch and listen to "Brief Lovingkindness Instructions" on youtube
To get you started you can listen to the 30 minute Guided Meditation on the PODBEAN app on your phone. Just search "Vimalaramsi" and look for the guided meditation. Also listed at the bottom of this page.

Frequently Answered Meditator Questions - Getting Help -Here

Download the Precepts

Video: Quick Metta Instructions

Support Page

Video: FAQ on Metta

DAILY SCHEDULE -- STARTING SATURDAY MORNING DAY 2

You may want to also review this INTRODUCTORY TALK about the Five Precepts, and basic instruction for Loving-Kindness Meditation prior to your retreat (Metta, Davis, Feb-07 ~ 45 min, audio - video). You can do this on the Friday you begin your retreat.

Another good talk on Precepts which are very important for this retreat....Please listen/watch when you can.

EVERY MORNING:

Print morning Precepts and Refuges sheet from the SUPPORT PAGE. Use this page to recite the precepts to yourself.
You Can Watch a video and recite along with Bhante Kusala, a DSMC supporting Senior monk studying TWIM with Bhante V since 2013. The video has the full text of what you need to say in the description.

MORNING:

*Meditate - All sessions should be 30min minimum-remember to keep a smile there!

Required- Taking Refuges and Precepts
Note: Please understand that you are not making a commitment to becoming a Buddhist by saying these Refuges and Precepts for the time of this retreat. These WILL help your practice because taking the Refuges and Precepts each day is done to remind us to not do unwholesome actions which will make guilt or remorse arise and adversely affect our meditation. We say things three times so that we never forget there are three parts to Buddhism: The Buddha. who was the original Master teacher, The Dhamma which means the teaching itself, and The Sangha meaning those monks and nuns of all traditions who have sacrificed everything to preserve and keep the Dhamma alive.

Taking the Refuges means that you are paying respect to the Buddha because he discovered the way to the cessation of suffering. You are paying respect to the teachings which still work and can still relieve suffering. You are paying respect to the Monastics who constantly work to research, practice, preserve and teach others in hopes of leading a way to more Peace in this world.

AROUND NOON:

Meditate (if possible)

EVENING:

Evening Dhamma Talk and Submit form
Another sitting if you aren't tired

Suggested Sitting and Walking Goals

Day 1-2 Sitting Twice for 30 minutes and Walking Twice for 15 minutes
Day 3-4 Sitting Twice for 45 minutes and Walking Twice for 15-20 minutes
Day 5-9 Sitting Twice for 1 hour and Walking Twice for 15-20 minutes
As your meditation progress you may sit up to 2-3 hours but this will come on its own.

Note on Sitting: If your meditation is going well then please sit longer. This is not a "sit one hour; walk one hour" practice. You start with 30min/30min, and the sitting part of the practice expands as your ability and your comfort level increases. If the sitting is going well your progress will go deeper the longer you sit so don't get up unless you must. If you use a timer make sure it is a timer that won't need to be turned off manually if you decide to ignore and go longer.

If you don't follow Instructions...

FILL OUT YOUR DAILY RESPONSE FORM (Below)

and send to us at the end of the day- We will reply next day or same day with comments. Bookmark this too.

Around 6PM your local time each evening please listen to a Dhamma Talk (or whatever is convenient for your schedule).
Submit your first form no later than Saturday evening or Sunday morning for us to review. Then just continue.

Find and Submit the Daily Response Form that evening or next morning

HERE

SCHEDULE OF EVENING DHAMMA TALKS:

VIDEO PLAYLIST:
A 9 Day Online Joshua Tree Retreat - YouTube Bookmark this
(If this is your second or third online retreat use these links: 2nd playlist to watch, or 3rd playlist for #3 -If you do more then

2 or 3 retreats you can select this new optional 10 day retreat video playlist with Delson Armstrong.

*Some of the talks are quite long - you are only required to watch the talk up to where Bhante takes questions. Questions don't necessarily have to do with the subject of the talk so it's not really necessary to go through all those if you don't have time.

Day 1 : Friday
Joshua Tree 4 2009 Orientation and Beginning Instructions

Optional videos: INTRODUCTORY TALK about the Five Precepts, and basic instruction for Loving-Kindness Meditation prior to your retreat   Another good talk on Precepts which are very important for this retreat.

DAY 2: Saturday
2020 Mn128 'First Day Blues' - Talk for 2nd Day of Retreat
This talk will give you advice on how to work with your distractions and hindrances.

DAY 3: Sunday
MN#111 - One by One as They Occurred - Anupada Sutta (2016 Excellent talk on Jhanas and Nibbana)
This talk will discuss the progress path through the Jhanas to the awakening experience.

Day 4: Monday
MN#10 - The Four Foundations of Mindfulness - Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta
This is one of the most important suttas about how the Buddha dealt with meditation with a particular emphasis on the development of insight. The Buddha begins by declaring the four foundations of mindfulness to be the direct path for the realization of Nibbana.

5 Aggregates (Chart referred to in the talk)

Day 5: Tuesday
MN 140 DhatuVibangha Sutta - The Exposition of the Elements Aug 1, 2013
Primarily, the discourse is about four foundations: wisdom, truth, relinquishment and peace. It also includes a great deal on feeling (vedanā). The last section is about mental conceiving. 49 min.

Day 6: Wednesday
MN#38 The Greater Discourse on the Destruction of Craving - Mahātaṇhāsankhaya Sutta
Note: This talk introduces the student to the links of Dependent Origination.

Print off Dependent Origination chart here on the SUPPORT PAGE.

Day 7: Thursday
MN#43 - The Greater Series of Questions and Answers - Maha Vedalla Sutta
Note: This is a discourse on contemplating the six senses in a manner that can be observed during meditation.
This leads to a clear understanding of the impersonal nature of the Anatta perspective.

Day 8: Friday
#MN 44 Joshua Tree Retreat 8 - 8 Fold Path and Cessation of Identity

Note: This talk presents a version of the Noble 8-Fold Path that illustrates a "Harmonious" Path.
Print off the 8-Fold Path file on the SUPPORT PAGE.

Day 9: Saturday
Day 10 2022 DN 31 Advice to Lay People - -How to live! -with Delson Armstrong

Sigalaka Sutta

This talk is about how the Buddha tells us to live our daily life. How does one treat your family, how do you save for a rainy day.

Everything a Lay person needs to know.

Day 10: Sunday - Optional day You may continue to sit and submit a report - You can watch a video from our site. Your choice.
Suggest amazing talk by Delson Armstrong: Can be used as a guided meditation

Day 10 2022 MN 143 Anathapindikavado Sutta -July Retreat - -with Delson Armstrong

If you have done an online retreat before you can use a different version of the suttas than the talks above. Use either the video link above or listen to another version of the talk listed for the day from our website. Also, substitute playlists are mentioned above.

Print off a "After the Retreat" sheet from the SUPPORT PAGE., Post Retreat Resources
Join the Dhamma Sukha group discussion at https://groups.io/g/dhammasukha
Send us a quick 3 min anonymous survey with your comments and improvements to the program.