The three-day meditation retreat, Rules and Guidelines

Ajahn Brahm in Toronto, November 6--8, 2012. The three-day meditation retreat, Rules and Guidelines

All participants are expected to follow the rules and guidelines of the temple AT ALL TIMES during the meditation retreat.

1. Please note that NOBLE SILENCE is to be observed throughout all meditation sessions.

2. NO CELL PHONES are allowed in the meditation hall. If you need to bring one for emergency use please have them completely switched off (not on vibration). Please go outside of the meditation hall if you need to make a call.

3. During the lunch and tea breaks MINDFUL EATING/DRINKING* Practices need to be observed as a part of the training.

4. ALL OTHER ACTIVITIES* including, walking, entering the hall, sitting and getting up from sitting position, use of washrooms, SHOULD BE DONE WITH FULL MINDFULNESS maintained at all times. Complete Silence should be maintained throughout all these activities as much as possible.

*….when walking, the monk discerns, 'I am walking.' When standing, he discerns, 'I am standing.' When sitting, he discerns, 'I am sitting… however his body is disposed, that is how he discerns it…. when eating, drinking, chewing, & savoring... when urinating & defecating... remaining silent, he makes himself fully alert…(EXTRACT)" Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference" (DN 22), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, 15 October 2011, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.22.0.than.html . Retrieved on 28 September 2012.