Take a Retreat at the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center
Seven to 14 day retreats are offered Spring and Summer this year. We recommend 8-10 days as the optimum time. Participants will enjoy the quiet environment in the beautiful Ozark Mountain retreat center two hours south of St. Louis. This sunny and spacious center occupies 102 acres of forest in Southeast Missouri with access by shuttle to the St. Louis Airport. Weather is warm in the summer but every space is equipped with air conditioning to keep you cool.
Participants will be instructed and guided in the practice of Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation. This practice was taught by the Buddha and described in the earliest Buddhist texts. Bhante guides students to effectively cultivate and develop the foundations of wakefulness that leads to the pinnacle of insight and wisdom: Nibbana. It starts with intense practice of "Mindfulness" of Metta or Lovingkindness based on instructions directly from the earliest Buddhist texts. The participant will go through all eight jhanas (of understanding) and finally, to awakening itself.
The TWIM retreat is ideal for beginning and advanced meditators providing an optimum supportive environment for developing deep states of insight knowledge and serenity. A daily one-on-one personal interview with Bhante Vimalaramsi provides every participant with individualized instruction and guidance so as to progress easily in their practice. Bhante’s retreats are not difficult or a test of endurance, but rather a joy filled journey on the middle path to progress to the highest stages of meditation. Each evening, Bhante gives an instructional talk based on early Buddhist texts and his personal experience. Eight precepts comprising a code of moral conduct are maintained during the retreat. There is an emphasis on ease and lightheartedness as a foundation to the practice. Sincere and consistent effort enables the majority of participants to attain advanced stages of meditation and transformation, during this practice. the majority of meditators progress into the deeper levels of understanding. We expect this. It is really possible to attain Nibbana in a 7-10 day retreat as is stated in Sutta MN 10 in the Satipatthana Sutta. We do see it happen, so come and see your life change when this sacred experience becomes your new reality. |
Latest Testimonials |
June 20th, 2018 "As I mentioned, I had been radiating Metta most of the day. During both sitting and walking meditations, I found the experience significantly different from yesterday. While yesterday, the radiation was quite overwhelming and resulted in very strong sensations on the outside of my head, Today it flowed very easily and readily. At different times, it felt like a very lucid stream of water or like I was a source of light/ electromagnetic radiation. Felt very effortless...
"6)Upon reaching this heightened attentive state, I actually realized that my mind had started tackling distractions at a very early stage, and kept them far from my attention at this stage.. I could also see the various stages of each distraction, its specific type, its stages and its connection to my consciousness (the origin). It was like seeing BV's talk and dependent origination being played out in my experience. 7) I could also relate to the idea of meditation is life and life is meditation, as everything in life fell neatly into this construct..." RD India |
