Tid: 4. juli til 21. juli – løpende påmelding i forkant og under retreatet, til en fritt valgt tidsperiode – du velger selv fra når, og hvor mange dager.

Sted: Haukeliseter, Hardangervidda. Nærmere bestemt her: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1tjpwbCYoXcSgskq5?g_st=ic

Pris: 200 kroner per dag – minimum tre dager. Utover dette mottar vi gjerne en donasjon til vår forening.

Deltakere: Vi kan bli opp mot rundt 10 personer samtidig. Minimumsalder for deltakelse er 18 år. Kjæledyr kan ikke medbringes. For familiefolk vil det være fullt mulig at den ene av foreldrene telter et stykke unna meditasjons-campen, eller overnatter på fjellstue sammen med barna, mens den andre deltar på retreatet.
Språk: Norsk språk, noe engelsk hvis vi har deltakere fra utlandet.
Overnatting: Fjellstue (Haukeliseter fjellstue), bobil eller telt – etter eget valg.
Transport: Det er bilvei og kollektivtransport helt frem. Hver enkelt må sørge for transport til og fra.
Base: Stort fellestelt med god varme.
Kommunikasjon: 4G-dekning i hele området.
Retreat-ledere: Ajahn Nitho og Erlend Neergaard.
Arrangør: Den Norske Buddhistforening

I juli 2023, vil DNBF gjennomføre et langt retreat i den norske fjellheimen, hvor interesserte kan være med i en periode etter eget ønske. Dette er et retreat for de som liker friluftsliv.

The retreat will create a culture that supports meditation and learning – an arena in the mountains that provides peace of mind, exercise for the body, and a simple and uncomplicated lifestyle. A beautiful mountain landscape, close to water and a river, is in itself inspiring, and an ideal setting for deep relaxation and meditation.

Fondsbu, ved Bygdinvannet i Jotunheimen, der vi hadde fjellretreat i fjor.

Meditation experience

The retreat is open to people with different levels of experience and from different meditation traditions, and is intended for those who genuinely want to prioritize meditation and learning for a period of time. We are also open to people with a lot of experience across traditions – it provides interesting mutual inspiration when we meet for conversations in the evening (see schedule further down).

Se våre tidligere retreat, inklusive fjellretreatet i fjor, på denne nettsiden.

Meditation, Guidance and Mountain walks

Meditation is an individual exercise, and requires a lot of time, calm and a supportive environment. The whole day, every day, is free for personal development, and in the evening we meet for mutual inspiration. Ajahn Nitho or other skilled retreatants, can answer questions or, upon request, teach a topic after some preparation. Everything will take place in Norwegian language, but some teachings may be in English, if we get participants from abroad. All activities are voluntary and we will try to tone down the social aspect during the day for practice.

Som rekreasjon og revitalisering, og som pause fra en fokusert aktivitet, planlegges det frivillig og lettere fotturer i fjellet – når det er stemning for dette. For sikkerhet, har vi med satelitt-kommunikasjon utstyr på slike gruppeturer.

The Base

We have chosen not to rent premises for accommodation and activities. The retreat takes place in the middle of summer, so we have chosen an open-air base, with a large heavy shared tent that is well heated, on a state public property. It makes the retreat affordable, and creates a simple lifestyle. The base will be located within walking distance of Haukeliseter mountain lodge. Exact location will be announced once we find it.

The large tent is used for group activities − group meditation, social and inspiration in the evening, administration of the retreat and storage − as well as a small library of books.

Private practice is carried out in the communal tent, where you spend the night, or in nature – sitting, lying down or walking.

Accommodation and Food

Participants must provide their own accommodation and food. There are several variants:

• stay at the Haukeliseter mountain lodge – accommodation, food, shower and toilet
• stay in your own mobile home
• stay in your own tent during the day at the base, but in the mountain lodge for accommodation, food and shower, or cook yourself in the tent
• completely independent in your own tent – daytime, accommodation, food etc. there

If you choose to use a mountain lodge, don’t wait too long to book a room. This is in the middle of the Norwegian summer holiday, and the mountain lodges fill up quickly.

If you choose to use a tent, and perhaps over many days, then a tent of some size and quality is recommended. In order for the body and mind to relax in meditation, the comfort must be sufficient, one must be able to sleep well and warm, have the opportunity to cook good food, and physical space for one’s own practice – even during a rainy or windy periode. If you pay a little, you get access to a shower and toilet at Haukeliseter.

If the tent, the comfort and the space are not sufficient – it will quickly ruin an otherwise excellent starting point for development and training.

Transportation

There is a road to our base at Haukeliseter, and a large car park. There are also daily bus departures to and from Oslo and other places.

Daily Schedule

For normal days, without hiking in the mountains, we have set up a couple of group activities with fixed times:

Klokken	Aktivitet
07.00	Frivillig gruppe-meditasjon
19.00	Kveldssamling – inspirasjon, diskusjon, undervisning – sosialt

Direct guidance from Ajahn Nitho is also possible, but only in the evening. Ajahn Nitho will spend the day in meditation, like everyone else.

Medicine and Health

If you have a physical illness , remember to bring the necessary medicine for your entire stay. Meditation cannot replace medicine. If you have a physical illness that gets worse from long periods of sitting or walking, check with your doctor before signing up.

If you have a mental disorder, you must clarify this with Ajahn Nitho and health personnel before signing up, because a retreat can be too demanding. Meditation cannot replace therapy or medication, and a retreat is not a place where you can stop or adjust medication.

Meditation

During a meditation retreat, we put the world on the outside a little aside, to reach an uplifting peace on the inside. Depending on your experience level, effort is required, especially at the beginning. And it must be an effort comming from wisdom.

Meditation is a practice that over a few days creates a peaceful, harmonious, happy, light and bright mind, and the deeper you go in the meditation, the stronger the experience will be. Meditation is the eighth factor in the Buddha’s Eightfold Path, which places meditation in a larger necessary context for the practice to result in insight and wisdom about our own human nature – and it is these insights that result in the mind’s long-term change towards peace, ease and freedom.

As described in the Eightfold Path, successful meditation builds on knowledge, good intentions, ethics/morality, effort to consciously direct the mind towards positive states, and attention/awareness/mindfulness.

A mind in harmony and peace positively affects the body and health – it relieves stress, improves health and can even help in the treatment of illness. But meditation as part of the eightfold path is primarily a tool for quality of life and wisdom.

Retreat in General

In general, a retreat over many days – free from work, family, hobbies, entertainment and responsibilities – is an exciting opportunity:

• Through a few days withdrawn from your normal life, your energy – that is usually scattered in all directions – can be focused on one thing, and you learn about yourself, gain inspiration and new perspectives. On a retreat, you have time for yourself – and you have no responsibilities.
• Without TV, colleagues, family, mobile phone and internet – what do you see, hear and feel then? The mountain wind, the smell of moss, sunrise – and harmony on the inside? It is allowed to be ‘human being’, not ‘human doing’ on a retreat. One can lower the shoulders.
• På et retreat kan en sove ut, tømme sinnet – bli uthvilt, oppladet og mer tilstede i livet. Og når sinnet er i stille harmoni, da kommer sinnet med svarene på dine spørsmål.

Ta med

What is important to bring depends on how you choose accommodation. Check DNT’s website for advice and tips for a stay in the mountains. For the retreat itself, we have the following advice:

• The retreat does not have chairs, stools, sitting mats, sitting cushions or sleeping mats for the group gatherings. You must bring your own equipment. Bring comfortable chairs and thick mats. The main point is that your body can sit/lie comfortably for a long time, without pain − both for meditation and group gatherings.
• Blanket – which you can wear around you on a cooler evening.
• Ear plugs and eye mask – if you want.
• Flashlight.
• Alarm clock.
• Klær for sommeren på fjellet ved Haukeliseter. For mer info, se klimahistorikk på Yr.

Do Not Bring

• do not bring children, this is a retreat for adults – an opportunity for adults to be free for a period of time
• do not bring pets
• do not bring or use alcohol or other intoxicants

Registration and price

Dette sommer-retreatet i naturen, blir gjennomført med enkle midler, og den lave prisen på 200 kroner per dag, er til å dekke kostnadene våre for utstyr − og så håper vi på noen donasjoner for å hjelpe frem foreningen vår.

In order for the retreat to be able to maintain a good focus, we cannot be too many at the same time − depending a little on the participants, and how they spend the night, we may be around 10 people at the same time − and the retreat leaders will decide this on an ongoing basis.

One must sign up for a minimum of three days, and one can extend the stay during the retreat, if there is space available.

If you register for more than three days, you pay for the remaining days on the first day of the retreat. So, for example, when registering for 7 days, you first pay NOK 600 as a deposit upon registration, and then NOK 800 upon arrival. Payment can be made with Vipps, Visa/Mastercard or bank transfer – see below.

IMPORTANT: For those who withdraw from the retreat, even after the retreat has started, for whatever reason (including illness), the price will only be refunded if we get another person in instead.

IMPORTANT: According to Norwegian law, there is a 14-day cancellation period for purchases over the internet. This then applies 14 days after registration, or until the service is delivered – i.e. first registered day.

Literature

For those seeking literature, Ajahn Nitho recommends a small book on meditation called Kindfulness, published by Wisdom Publications, Boston, USA. It is an expanded and improved version of the free booklet Basic Method of Meditation. It provides a simple, short and effective introduction to meditation. The book will also be available for purchase at the retreat. The book is in English, but the free booklet is available in both English and Norwegian.

Recommended video:
The Power of Meditation – BBC documentary.

 

The 8 training rules

During a retreat, in order for the mind to have maximum conditions to develop towards freedom, lightness, energy and balance, there are eight recommended training rules:

• train not to destroy/harm living beings
• train not to take, what is not given
• practice abstaining from sexual activity
• practice refraining from improper speech (lies and other speech that deliberately harms/hurts others)
• practice abstaining from intoxicating drinks and substances, which lead to indifference
• practice refraining from eating after lunch
• practice abstaining from dancing, singing, music, entertainment, perfume and cosmetics
• practice abstaining from a luxurious lifestyle