Time : Saturday 22nd until Saturday 29th of April 2023. We meet on the first day for lunch at 12.00.
Location : Venabu Fjellhotell, Rondevegen 860, 2632 Venabygd
Language: All teachings will be given in English.
Price: Total NOK 6,700. Of the participation fee of NOK 6,700, NOK 5,950 goes to Venabu Fjellhotell, and NOK 750 to DNBF. The payment to DNBF will cover the stay for both teachers (NOK 11,900) and transport to and from Oxford, England for Ayya Canda, and transport for Ajahn Nitho, in addition to advertising and administration costs.

We have a limited number of places for full-time students with a NOK 1,000 student discount.

The participation fee is paid to bank account 1506.61.85106.
For participants from abroad: Please pay the participation fee in currency NOK 6700 to our account with IBAN NO7815066185106 (BIC DNBANOKKXXX)
The ticket will be sent by e-mail when we have received the payment on our account.

Maximum number of participants : 50
Transportation: Each individual must themselves provide transport to and from.
Age: Minimum age for participants is 18 years.
Organizer: The Buddhist Society of Norway.
Retreat leader: Erlend Neergaard
Instructors: Ayya Canda and Ajahn Nitho.

Press the "Add to Cart" button to book. As soon as we have received your order and your payment of a deposit of NOK 1,500, you have secured your place. Note! See rules about booking and cancellation further down in the text!

We rent the entire Venabu Fjellhotell for a quiet meditation retreat in April 2023, so that all participants get optimal conditions for learning, practice and development – in a friendly, traditional atmosphere. All participants get their own room with shower/toilet.

The instructors Bhikkhu Ajahn Nitho and Bhikkhuni Ayya Canda have more than 30 years of experience, and have both led many retreats in different countries, and can inspire with high quality and safety. Both have British-Australian Ajahn Brahm behind them – one of the world’s foremost masters in meditation and spirituality.

All teaching is given in English, but Ajahn Nitho is Norwegian and can give guidance in Norwegian.

Beginner or experienced

This retreat will be suitable for everyone – a full introduction to meditation will be taught, as well as deepening in various areas as desired or needed. There will be teaching, guiding, questions/answers and individual guidance – and we will probably also have time for some yoga.

The meditation and teaching are carried out on comfortable chairs, but you can also sit on the floor using a mat and cushions or stools. Meditation can also be done lying on mats, or in bed in your bedroom.

All activities at the retreat are voluntary, you choose how many group activities you participate in, and how much you want to be alone and meditate/study in your own room.

See also the landing pages for this retreat.

Transportation

Everyone must provide their own transport, but we will try to connect those with and without their own transport.

Venabu Fjellhotell also has a pick-up service at Ringebu train station. There are trains and buses going to Ringebu – find alternative itineraries at vy.no

Food

We set up for breakfast at 07.00 and lunch/dinner at 12.00, as well as something snack in the evening – buffet/self-service. The food will be vegetarian, with eggs and dairy products. There will be snacks, tea and coffee available throughout the day. There will be lunch on arrival on the first day at 12:00 and we depart after lunch on the last day.

Accommodation

Everyone gets their own room with shower and toilet. The rooms have a good and simple standard, without TV. Wi-fi is available in the hotel, and the entire area has 4G coverage. There is no room service during the retreat.

To keep the price down, all participants must contribute with karma yoga – simple tasks during their stay – but the employees at the mountain hotel are responsible.

Equipment

The place has nice chairs to sit on, but we still recommend everyone to bring their own equipment: chair, stool, seat cushions, mat, etc.

Many people also choose to bring earplugs, so that everything can be completely quiet during a meditation.

Those who want a trip in the open air can bring their own skis, or rent skis at the hotel.

Program

The program for the retreat will be published before the retreat, but here is a preliminary day program:

Many different topics will be taught, based on needs and wishes. Here are some examples:

• Basic meditation, goals and method
• Practical meditation: sitting, walking, lying down
• Meditation on the breath
• Metta meditation (loving-kindness)
• Body scan meditation
• The Eightfold Path, which includes mindfulness
• The right effort – how to create peace and stability of mind
• Hindrances in meditation

Meditation

During a meditation retreat, we put the world on the outside aside for a while, to reach peace on the inside. Depending on your experience level, effort is required, especially at the beginning.

Meditation practised over a few days can create a peaceful, harmonious, happy and light mind, and the deeper the meditation is, the stronger the experience will be.

Meditation is the eighth factor in the Noble Eightfold Path, which sets meditation into a bigger framework, so that the training can lead to insight and wisdom about ourselves. It is these insights which can change the mind towards peace, lightness and freedom in the long term.

As described in the Noble Eightfold Path, meditation builds on knowledge, right intentions, ethics/moral, efforts to lead the mind in a positive way and mindfulness.

A mind in harmony and peace relieves stress and positively affects body and health. But meditation as part of the Eightfold Path is primarily a tool for better quality of life and wisdom.

Medicine and health

If you have a physical illness, remember to bring the necessary medicine. 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 with Ajahn Nitho and health personnel before registration. Meditation cannot replace therapy or medication, and a retreat is not a place where you can stop or adjust medication.

Do Not Bring

• Do not bring pets
• Do not bring or use alcohol
• Do not bring and wear provocative clothing

Registration and cancellation

You register by pressing the “Add to Cart” button at the top of this page. Payment must be made by bank transfer after you have booked a place. Do not use Vipps. Your registration is valid when we have received the payment. You will receive the ticket by email.

IMPORTANT : For those who have paid a participation fee of NOK 6,700, and subsequently withdraw from the retreat, even after the retreat has started, for whatever reason (including illness), NOK 6,700 will be refunded if the association finds another person, e.g. from the retreat’s waiting list, who pay the NOK 6,700. We recommend travel insurance, to remove risk if you have to cancel, e.g. in case of illness, and the society cannot find someone who can take your place.

IMPORTANT: We have a limited number of places for students, with a NOK 1,000 student discount, on presentation of valid documentation for full-time study.

IMPORTANT: According to Norwegian law, you have a 14-day cancellation period for services purchased over the internet. This then applies 14 days after registration, or until the service is delivered – i.e. the retreat begins.

Feel free to bring a friend, but remember that this is a quiet retreat, where the focus is on our inner world, and to a less extent the social.
FOR PARTICIPANTS FROM ABROAD: Please pay the participation fee in currency NOK 6700 to our account with IBAN NO7815066185106 (BIC DNBANOKKXXX)

Literature

Ajahn Nitho recommends a little book about meditation called Kindfulness, it is an expanded and improved version of the free booklet Basic method of meditation, published by Wisdom Publications, Boston, USA. It provides a simple, short and effective introduction to meditation. The book is in English language, but the free booklet is available in both English and Norwegian.

Recommended video: The Power of Meditation – BBC documentary.

Silence and the 8 training rules

During the retreat we practice silence. This means that we avoid talking to each other or using any form of non-verbal communication. The exceptions are if the instructor open for questions at the end of the day. We practice silence to minimize distractions and facilitate a calm mind that can focus inward. Silence helps and supports meditation.

During a retreat, especially for longer retreats, in order for the mind to have optimal conditions to develop towards freedom, lightness, energy, harmony 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
• practice abstaining from intoxicating drinks and drugs, 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