As some of you know, we are changing our procedures for membership to the association and for retreat bookings, to make things easier and more functional. This operation is more complicated than we expected for those of you who are already members because, even if you have been accepted by the Board, you will have to apply again through the new system.
You will not be new members but, in order to sign up on-line with the new procedures, you have to “renew” your membership, so the system will recognize you as members of Pian dei Ciliegi and let you book a retreat on-line.
To apply for membership, whether you’re already a member or you’re applying for the first time, it’s necessary to:
1. Register at our website, if you haven’t done so already
2. Log into our website with your username and password
3. In the Home page, (on your right) you will find a User Menu, with the option Apply for Membership
4. At this point please follow the procedure as required, it will take only a few minutes. 

As for four 2017 retreat bookings, we will start accepting applications from January 9^th 2017 and, except for a few special cases (agreed upon), they will have to be done on-line through our website, following the procedure that we will communicate shortly.  The membership fee (15 euros)  can be paid on arrival at the Centre (cash or check) or Bank transfer.

In any case, to join a retreat in Pian dei Ciliegi, it is necessary to register at our website and apply for membership, and these preliminary operations can be done as of now.

PLEASE NOTE: if you have difficulties, please click here.

Cancellation and refund

If a member cancels his/her participation to a retreat by Feb. 9th, the association will refund 95% of the amount that has been paid. If one cancels at least 30 days prior to the beginning of a retreat he/she will be granted a refund of 80% of the amount paid. If one cancels in the period that goes from 30 days to 48 hours prior to the retreat he/she will be granted a refund of 50% of the amount paid. If you cancel within the 48 hours before the beginning of a retreat, there willl be no refund. If the retreat fee is not more than 100 euros there will be no refund. However one can still apply for a refund in the case of serious reasons for cancelling, but this is left to the complete discretion of the manager and/or secretary. If the minimum number of 12 participants is not reached, the retreat will be cancelled, and the entire amount paid refunded.

Retreat bookings will begin in January 2017. It will be possible to sign up directly from our website.

Please check the procedure in Sign up for a retreat

At one of its recent meetings, the Board at Pian dei Ciliegi has decided to establish a fund that will permit its more motivated yogis to participate in extended retreats here at Pian dei Ciliegi itself, or at other related centers such as the Panditarama Lumbini International Vipassana Meditation Center, the Panditarama Shwe Taung Gon Sasana Yeiktha in Yangon, the Santisukkarama Centre in Malaysia, the Centres that followthe tradition of di U-Janaka).
It is the feeling of the Board that the fund be comprised of donations made by meditators or supporters, in such a way as to allow them to develop the virtue of Dana (generosity) which, alongside Sila (moral conduct) and Nekkhamma (renunciation), is a fundamental aspect of the practice, and which we will never tire of underlining.

Dana, or Generosity is one of the cornerstones of Buddhist teaching and of the practice of Vipassana meditation. Along with Sila, Morality, it is both a pre-requisite and grounds for training, in so far as we develop these during our practice. Without the support of these two factors it is not possible to develop right concentration, and hence the wisdom that leads to liberation; they go hand in hand with each other, and as we grow in wisdom and in our understanding of the Dhamma, so too does the wish to develop these qualities grow spontaneously in us. As with Metta and the other Brahma-Viharas, they are innate to human beings who have exercised right effort in the cultivation of mind, rather than abandoning themselves to their more basic instincts related to the mental defilements.

Let's go on a tour around the center

photos by Roby Morleo