Retreats: Schedules: Quiet Weeks
Quiet Weeks
Quiet Weeks take place in the two week intervals between seven-day Retreats.
During these weeks, specific areas in the house are kept in
silence, while the rest of the house continues to function as
usual.
This provides a quiet, meditative atmosphere in the midst of
everyday life, where each participant will have the option of
remaining in silence, or moving from silence into talking as
they wish.
Quiet Weeks offer the opportunity to design your own
retreat--with options for timed and open sittings, group
dialogues, and individual meetings with people in residence.
These extended sittings, meetings and dialogues allow space
for looking, listening and questioning alone and together in
all simplicity, with no teacher or authority, but out of
interest and curiosity.
In this meditative space we can explore the possibility of
staying here with what is arising moment to moment, not
knowing and yet open, curious and alert, a mind that is ready
to learn.
This continuous gathering of energy provides an opportunity
to deepen into silent presence which is always available in
this moment, here. Silence brings transparency to what is
happening and also allows the possibility of revealing the
truth of what we are--and what appears to obscure that fact.
This alternative, meditative way of living our day-to-day
life enables us to live a more conscious life, in direct touch
with what is happening moment to moment, here and now. A
compassionate life is a natural result of living more from a
simple listening rather than from ideas, images and
conditioning. From simple listening actions arise which carry
warmth and affection, actions which are born of love.
Offerings and specifics:
Please see the Calendar
for dates of Quiet Weeks.
You may attend as many days as you like during the Quiet Weeks period; also, you may combine two retreats with the Quiet Weeks to have a month long retreat. All participants will be guaranteed a private room during Quiet Weeks.
You may come either as a guest or as a volunteer. (Please see
Fees
for Quiet Weeks guest rates). We are able to provide
transportation for people traveling by train, bus or plane
from Rochester to Springwater, except on Sundays and Mondays.
Except for the hour of work each day, all activities are
optional--you may design your retreat as you wish.
There will be opportunities to meet one-on-one with Richard,
Wayne or Sandra; as well as opportunities to meet with others
as you wish.
Each week there will be group dialogues on Tuesday and
Thursday. During most Quiet Week periods, there will be an
All-Day Sitting on Saturday, with a live talk followed by a
dialogue.
There are many trails for walking and exploring, with
beautiful meadows and open vistas, secluded forests, cascading
water, a hillside pond and benches for pausing and sitting.
For more information, please contact reception.