3RD ANNUAL FAMILY SANGHA RETREAT 2004

The Family Sangha Retreat will run from 6:00pm, Friday, June 25 to 1:00pm, Tuesday, June 29, 2004. Check in is from 4:30-6:00PM on Friday. Please plan on arriving and settling in during that time so that we can start the retreat enjoying our first meal all together at 6:00pm. 

Mark Hart, founder and guiding teacher of the Bodhisàra Dharma Community and a father of two school-age children, will lead the retreat. The retreat will include time for formal and family meditation, parent discussion groups, yoga, music and unstructured family time. A children’s program will take place for part of each day so that parents can have dedicated time for meditation. The full retreat schedule will be available at check-in.

RETREAT SITE:  This is the third year that the Family Sangha Retreat will be held at Sirius Community, 77 Baker Road, Shutesbury, MA (near Amherst). The retreat site is located on 90 peaceful acres and includes a spacious and beautiful octagonal meditation hall and a separate building nearby for the kids program. There are many walking paths on the site and several lakes with swimming beaches nearby. See Sirius Community’s website at www.siriuscommunity.org for more details.

ACCOMODATIONS:   Accommodations are in comfortable rooms with shared baths inside the main building, grassy tent sites near the main building or tent platforms in a wooded area a short walk away. The tent areas are fairly close to the main building and campers share the bathrooms inside the main building.  Please note when sending in your registration, that accommodation preferences are on a first come-first served basis. We will do our best to respect your request but indoor space at Sirius is limited. The person coordinating accommodations will contact your family before the retreat begins to discuss options that will work for your family. We humbly request your openness to possibilities as we work to accommodate your accommodation preferences within the constraints of the space available. 

FOOD:  Delicious organic vegetarian meals and snacks are provided from food grown in the Sirius Community’s gardens. If you have special dietary needs please let us know in advance.

COSTS:                                 $280    Adults (Room with shared bath) per person

                                                $220   Adults (tent site) per person

                                                $180   Children 3-12 years old (inside or outside)

                                                $220    Children 13-17 years old (inside or outside)

                                           *No Charge for children under 3

Includes accommodations and all meals and snacks

DANA                                     Our teacher for the Family Sangha Retreat neither asks for nor receives any fixed payment. Participants who appreciate hearing and practicing the dharma and wish to support its continued teaching will have the opportunity to practice Dana by offering voluntary donations at the close of the retreat. The Buddha's teachings are considered priceless and they have traditionally been offered freely and out of a spirit of Dana or generosity. This practice enables the teachings to be accessible and available to all who wish to participate regardless of financial circumstance. Dana invites each individual to develop his/her own capacity to be generous in a context that directly assists his/her own spiritual growth.

PAYMENT:                           April 1, 2004 - Deposit of $90 per child, $120 per adult deadline

June 1 - Deadline for the balance of the retreat fee

CANCELLATION:               Due to the limited number of spaces available for the Family Sangha Retreat, the deadline for refund of deposits (50% only) is June 1, 2004.

TO REGISTER:                   DOWNLOAD THIS FORM AND RETURN TO REGISTRAR WITH YOUR DEPOSIT