Retreats at DSMC
Dhamma Sukha Retreat Registration
Dhamma Sukha offers 10-day retreats in the meditation practice of TWIM-Metta-Loving Kindness, based on the earliest Buddhist Suttas. The goal is full awakening here and now, as described in the earliest ancient texts.
Three types of retreats are offered:
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Online retreats which is a less intense retreat that you do at home even while you have work and family to take care of.
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The Zoom Retreat offered usually in the winter months. More Intense practice, where we expect at least 6 hours of sitting sessions. Undisturbed by family. Typically you are not working.
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Physical On-site retreats (this page) here, at DSMC. Totally withdrawn from worldly affairs with noble silence practicing all day long.
Upcoming On-Site Retreats
TWIM Annual Easter Retreat -California
April 18-27, 2025
Space Available : HERE
Recent Tour of DSMC -July 2024
Upcoming On-Site Retreats
Note - Deposit is $300 -Refundable up to 3 months before retreat starts If signing up for waitlist do not send deposits.
2025 On-Site Retreats at Dhamma Sukha
Retreat Dates for 2025 20 People Max/Retreat
Multiple Teachers are offered -Certified in TWIM
*Only One On-site Retreat per person per year
*New fees are $80 daily rate $300 deposit toward total
Retreats
Possible retreat for Oct tbd
MAY
No retreats
JUNE
June 5 to 14 D. Armstrong- 1 spot
JULY
July 7-13 D. Armstrong -Adv Retreat-Full
July 24 -Aug 2 D. Armstrong-Full-waitlist
AUG
Aug 21 to Aug 30 Ven Bhante Kusala-Full-waitlist
SEPT
Sept 11 to Sep 20 Antra/Mark Berger-Open
Guest Talk with David Johnson
Sit with the earliest and most advanced students of Bhante Vimalaramsi. They set up all of the early retreats and have practiced TWIM for 20+ years.
Retreat Policy
DSMC Policy on Fees
In response to increased late cancellations, beginning with all 2025 retreat registrations, these rates/rules will apply:
Missouri On-site 9 day Retreats:
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Deposit is $300 - Balance due is $420 -2025 Rate is $80/day
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After three months deposit is not refundable if cancellation.
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Full payment of registration due three months before opening day.
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Cancellations received four weeks or less before opening day will not be refunded-contact us for any exceptions.
This 10-night Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation retreat is a residential retreat.. All retreats are take place at our lovely retreat facility in the Ozark Mountains. The quiet and spacious facility is split into an upper Meditation/Meditator area and the lower Monastic area.
Participants will be instructed and guided in the practice of tranquil wisdom insight meditation. This is the method taught by the Buddha and described in the earliest Buddhist texts. Tranquil wisdom insight meditation is ideal for beginning students or advanced meditators seeking to cultivate greater wisdom and insight. Learn meditation here.
Our retreats are neither difficult nor a test of endurance, but rather a joy-filled journey on the middle path of clarity and wisdom. Every day an instructional talk, based on early Buddhist texts from the Majjhima Nikāya or other suttas, along with anecdotes from personal experience, is shared as the evening Dhamma talk. For the first few days instructional videos are played by the creator of TWIM, Bhante Vimalaramsi and other TWIM masters, along with comments from the teacher leading that retreat.
A daily one-on-one personal teacher interview provides each participant with individualized guidance and instruction. The retreat program provides an integrated and supportive environment for optimizing meditation practice. Eight precepts comprising a code of moral conduct are maintained during the retreat, which is conducted in mindful silence with an emphasis on ease and lightheartedness
The retreat facility is located 2 hrs. south of the St. Louis Intl Airport in St. Louis. You can drive in or arrange a a personal pickup from our staff.
This is a non-profit retreat. DSMC offers teaching and guidance freely and without payment any kind. Retreat fees only cover the direct costs of your accommodations. All donations to Dhamma Sukha are welcome and essential to continue functions at the monastery.
Arrival and Departure
If you are driving, plan to arrive at DSMC between 1:00 and 4:30 pm on the first day to check in. Parking is available. Find the retreat manager in the dining hall, do some paperwork and then get settled in your cabin. Then you will watch an Orientation meditation video and hear a talk at 7pm. The retreat will end after the morning meditation and breakfast on the last day of the retreat Note: Anyone who arrives by 12:30pm at the airport to be picked up may go with us to the India Palace for lunch. Meditators who have flights after 2pm on the last day will go with us to the full weekend India Buffet and then get dropped off at the airport. Sign up for your transportation and join the group.
Arrival by Air
Out-of-town participants requiring ground transportation to and from the retreat center should request the DSMC shuttle at an extra cost to get to DSMC. We are 2 hrs South of St. Louis Airport. Details may be found here
Arrival by Car
Please arrive between 1:00 and 4:30 pm on the first day of your retreat. Locate the retreat manager to be assigned your cabin and do your paperwork. Please print out a map just in case your GPS takes you into the forest... All details with maps
Accommodations
Comfortable single or double occupancy cabins are available. You may request a single cabin or you may share a cabin with another retreater. Most cabins now are single and private cabins for your use only.
The full price for single occupancy room is $720 for 9 days. Includes access to a new bath and shower facility, a twin bed with linens, blankets, and towels.
Most cabins are single and can be requested. Also available are twin share cabins at the nightly price.
Food
The dining room offers indoor seating for up 30 people. Breakfast (cereals: hot and cold, eggs, toasts, pancakes- Always GF &Dairy and Non-Dairy options) Soy-free is not supported. Lunch is served buffet style. Two meals are served daily at 7:00 and 11:30 am. Lunch is gluten-free and includes either vegetarian or meat/fish entrees. Hot and cold beverages including tea, hot chocolate, and coffee in K-cups are available. Special requirements-please ask us.
K-Cups -Coffee is drunk here :) - And many teas.
Detailed Information
What to Wear Be prepared for summer weather temperatures in the 80-90's during the day and 60-70s at night. All buildings and cabins are air-conditioned.
Both men and women are asked to wear modest clothing in order to not distract other meditators. Please cover shoulders and knees. Sleeveless shirts, tank tops, short dresses, leggings, body-hugging and revealing clothing are not appropriate. No political or harsh language on shirts. Shorts can be worn if they cover the leg to the knees.
We suggest dressing comfortably by wearing loose and light-weight clothing to help you be comfortable sitting and walking. You may want to bring a wrap or shawl for the meditation hall and cool evenings.
The traditional color to wear for an 8-precepts retreat is white. White symbolizes purity and helps to empty the mind. However, this is optional and left to your own discretion. If you have a light rain jacket and umbrella you can bring those - we do have a few umbrellas here for borrowing. Most people bring slip-on sandals to easily go in and out of the meditation rooms. A light bathrobe for the short walk to the bathroom at night is a good idea. Bring a small flashlight to walk around the facility at night, but we also will have several flashlights for borrowing. Laundry room available.
What to Bring for Meditation
Chairs for sitting will be provided in the meditation hall. You may wish to bring your own special chair, if desired, along with meditation cushions or pillows.We have a large supply of futons and cushions for the floor.
Other Necessities to Bring
Bed linens, blankets, and towels are provided by the center. You may want to bring a special personal pillow or blanket, if desired. Bring personal toiletries (toothpaste, bath soap, sunscreen, Kleenex, etc), flashlight or headlamp and extra batteries and a water bottle. There will be a notification bell to announce meals and group gatherings.
What to Leave at Home
Do not bring valuables, nonprescription drugs or alcohol. Do not bring food, unless you have made prior arrangements with the retreat manager for accommodation of medically required special dietary needs.
Avoid using scented cosmetics or perfumes that may be allergic to others. Reading and writing are discouraged during this training period, except during the evening dhamma talks. You may take notes. Candles, incense, and smoking are not allowed in any rooms.
Clocks and Phones
Please attend to personal matters before coming so a not to hamper progress in mediation. To support the practice of silence, participants’ cell phones and tablets, and computers will be collected at the beginning of the retreat and held in a secure area until breakfast on the last day of the retreat. Analog watches are ok.
Emergency Phone Numbers
There is no public phone on the facility. If your family needs to reach you in an emergency, they may call these emergency contact numbers:
Retreat Manager, David Johnson cell phone:
573-604-1481
Retreat Admin, Kirsten Jones cell phone:
573-604-4279
Cats and Dogs
There is one dog that comes and goes from the dining hall and two cats. If you are severely allergic to cats you probably should ask us whether its ok to come. "He's a shedder!"
Simplicity and Renunciation
Meditation retreats offer a sacred space that is protected and removed from the world. They allow participants a rare opportunity to look deeply inside, quiet the mind, and open the heart. Often the most beneficial and rewarding experiences of spiritual life happen at a meditation retreat. The sheltered and quiet setting is a key element that enables participants to develop patience, steadfastness, loving-kindness, generosity, joy, and wisdom.
These are the seeds that grow insight, compassion, and happiness. Participants are requested to let go of concerns for daily life and embrace an attitude of simplicity and renunciation by adopting a traditional spiritual practice that is called “taking what is offered.”
Trauma and other Challenges
Intensive silent meditation retreats can be a beautiful and transformative experience. However, they can also invoke challenging emotional and mental states that are best engaged when physically and psychologically healthy. If you have experienced trauma and suspect that it would be difficult for you to be alone in silence, intensive retreat may not be the right practice for you at the moment. Recent painful experiences such as the death of a loved one can make silent retreat more difficult for some practitioners while others may find retreat healing or comforting. If you are in doubt about whether retreat is appropriate for you at the moment, consult a therapist or mental health professional.
Though our teachers are trained to recognize the symptoms of trauma and severe distress, they are not in the role of therapists or psychological professionals (even if they hold that training professionally). Retreat teachers are unable to give the kind of individual psychological care necessary to care for acute trauma symptoms.
If you are currently under the care of a psychiatric professional, please discuss your attendance with them. Practitioners should be in a stable period of mental well-being and have adequate self-regulatory resources to attend an intensive silent retreat.
Taking What is Offered
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Taking Any Residence – whatever quarters are offered. We ask participants to happily accept the accommodation assigned and continue to practice in this spirit throughout the retreat.
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Taking Food that is Offered – Happily accepting food that is offered is part of the practice. The cook lovingly prepares tasty and nutritious meals. Gluten-free alternatives will be available for those with medically required dietary restrictions. Participants with other special dietary needs may arrange with the retreat manager to bring supplemental food items with them to the retreat. Food items are prohibited in rooms and the meditation hall.
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Silence – In fostering an atmosphere of contemplation and meditation, participants are expected to embrace the practice of silence during the retreat. Living in silence is the practice of observing within and not communicating with others. This includes reading or writing, using telephones, computer, email, or text messages. Talking is permitted during the evening dhamma talks and teacher interviews. Inquiries about the retreat may be directed to a retreat manager or whenever necessary in the case of an emergency or a specific need that arises.
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Serving the Community – After Breakfast there will be a Yogi-Job for 30 minutes in which the main purpose is to bring the meditative practice to daily life. It may include sweeping, weeding or other cleaning tasks.
The retreat is organized and managed by volunteers as a community service. Dhamma Sukha Teachers freely give the teachings and their time to be of service to the Buddha, the Dhamma (the teachings), and the Sangha (the community).