Guidelines for Personal Retreat

Eligibility

(Applicant must fulfill all the requirements without exception)

• You must be either a nun or a lay female practitioner.
• You must have done either a few group retreats or, at the very least, a few solo retreats already.
• Except for urgent needs, you must agree to adopt Noble Silence (no communication) for the duration of your retreat. Unfortunately, this includes the use of instruments (bells, drums, etc.) since there might be others in the retreat center who need the space to be quiet.
• You must agree to stay within the premises of DGL Nunnery. (No roaming around or going out to do shopping. However, going around the Stupa and joining the pujas in the Temple will be allowed)
• You must surrender all your electronic/communication devices when you start your retreat. This includes cellphones, laptops, iPads, etc. The only exception will be e-book readers.

Ethical Conduct

Since Dongyu Gatsal Ling is in fact a Nunnery, we ask all of our retreatants and visitors to observe the following rules of discipline, based on the basic precepts of Buddhism, in order to maintain an atmosphere conducive to inner reflection and meditation:

• Respect all life: do not intentionally kill any living being, even small insects.
• Respect others’ property: do not steal or take anything not freely given.
• Be honest and straightforward: do not lie or intentionally deceive others. (This is easy when observing silence)
• Be celibate: no sexual activity. This also includes no holding hands, hugging, massages and other physical displays of affection.
• Be alert and mindful: avoid intoxicants such as alcohol, drugs and cigarettes.
• Be respectful of the nuns: dress respectfully (please no shorts above the knee, tank-top shirts or tight and revealing clothing) and allow the monastics to enter the temple first.

Failure to abide by the guidelines will result in the participant being asked to leave.

Duration

In order for the practitioner to benefit the most from the retreat we request a minimum commitment of  1 week and in order to give opportunity to other practitioners to make use of the retreat center we have set a maximum stay of 3 months.

For foreigners
India does not allow any type of meditation or religious visas for Buddhist practitioners, therefore DGL Nunnery cannot facilitate any documentation for foreigners to apply for a long-term visa.

We will assume that most foreign retreatants will be coming with Tourist Visa and therefore must plan their stay according to the maximum allowance of continuous stay corresponding to you country.

You should make sure to leave a few days before and after the retreat for traveling and settling in.

For Indians and OCI holders
Indian nationals and those who are able to stay for extended periods of time in the country can plan for long-term retreat. However, in order to give the opportunity for others to access the retreat facilities we have set a maximum time of 3 months.

What we offer

We have a 6 rooms in our retreat house which are all identical in terms of size, layout and furnishing. Obviously this means that there is a chance you will be sharing the common spaces with other practitioners.

We will provide the retreatant with:

• A comfortable and ample single room with shared bathrooms. (2 toilets/showers for every 3 rooms)
* Includes a bed, bedding, towel, meditation cushions, a thermos and cupboard/altar.
• 3 vegetarian meals per day delivered to the retreat house. (Cooked by the nuns)
• Dining hall equipped with electric kettle, fridge and other appliances.
• The possibility of shopping for specific necessities such as supplementary food and other items. (Taken care of by the office staff once a week)

For beginners, particularly those doing a simple Shamatha retreat, some of our Khenmos have offered to provide guidance on the practice when needed.

What to bring

During your stay in the retreat centre most of your basic needs will be taken care of, however there are a few things which we will not provide:

• Toiletries: You’ll have to bring your own body soap, shampoo, moisturizing cream, etc.
• Food supplements: The food here is simple. The retreat centre will be provided with 3 meals per day from the nun’s kitchen. However, meals consist of simple vegetarian food (most times rice, dal and a vegetable), so if there’s any dietary supplements that you may require, you must arrange those yourself.
• Altar Set-up: While each room has the space for an altar, different people do different practices so you will need to bring any of the elements you want to place in your altar such as: Statues, thangkas, water bowls, Dharma books, etc.

Clarifications

In order to avoid misunderstandings during your stay in DGL Nunnery there are a few points that we need to clarify:

• Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo will not be guiding your retreat: Jetsunma will not provide direct guidance for the practioners in the retreat centre. First of all, she doesn’t consider herself a Guru or Lama and she doesn’t give any transmissions or empowerments. Secondly, she already has a very busy schedule. And while there is the opportunity to schedule an appointment with her, she definitely will not take the role of retreat leader.
• We cannot provide 1 on 1 continuous guidance during your retreat: This is why the practioners who come need to have a good idea of what they are doing and be used to a retreat environment. As mentioned above, for those of you doing basic Shamatha practice, our Khenmos will be able to give some advice on the practice but that will be only on a weekly basis. We are not a Dharma Centre so there are no ongoing courses or meditation training happening here.
• During the months of June, July and August things change a little bit: June is the time when our nuns have their holidays and get to visit their family in their villages. That means that very few nuns are left in the nunnery. July and August are the months when the nuns themselves are in retreat. With that in mind, there are couple of things we can’t guarantee for the practitioners who stay during that time: 1. That meals will be delivered to the retreat house. You might have to go and get them yourselves from the nun’s dining hall.  2. That the Khenmos will be available for guidance. Perhaps all of them will be away on holidays or doing retreat themselves.