Newsletter July

Dear Members,

The retreat led by Venerable Sayalay Daw Bhaddamanika is coming to the end, and we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Venerable for her teachings.

Please be advised of a change regarding the upcoming retreat originally scheduled with Luisa Lazzarotto. Due to a situation that cannot be resolved in the short term, the teacher will not be able to lead the retreat, which will instead be led by her assistant, Luca Baffigi.

Luca has extensive experience both as a Dhamma practitioner and as a therapist and gets the full confidence of the Board of Directors and the Center’s spiritual leader. His reference teacher is Bhante Sujiva, from whom he received authorization in 2023 to begin his teacher training.

Please note that we are still accepting registrations in order to confirm the annual retreat dedicated to young people. 

From July 12 to 16, the Pian dei Ciliegi Meditation Center is offering a few days dedicated to boys and girls aged 15 to 19.

A simple and welcoming experience, nestled in the natural beauty of the Piacenza hills, to cultivate listening, calm, mindfulness, and kindness through meditation, yoga, nature walks, creative activities, and moments of sharing.

There are still places available for several retreats. We invite you to register online at https://www.piandeiciliegi.it/en/in-person-retreats/.

If you have any questions or concerns, please note that the office can be reached not only at info@piandeiciliegi.it, but also by phone at +39 0523 878948 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. At other times, please schedule an appointment.

Please note that we will not be available by phone from July 14 through July 30. Service resumes on August 4.

Fundraiser: Help Us Purchase the Pian dei Ciliegi Building

As many of you know, we have decided to purchase the center’s main building, the one that houses the meditation hall, the dining room, and the bedrooms.

So far, we have been able to carry out all our activities thanks to the generosity of those who have hosted us at the facility, but we are now facing a decisive step for the future of the Center.

Purchasing the main building will allow us to achieve greater stability and continuity for our projects.

For this reason, we have launched a fundraising campaign, and we ask those who are able to support us in this important step.

• Here is the link to donate: https://4fund.com/it/pgg4wx.

Two online meditation sessions:

• Online meeting with Ayya Viranani on Saturday, July 4, and August 1, from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. The sessions will include a guided meditation and a short Dhamma talk. The meetings will be in English with Italian translation.  In order to partecipate please send an email to piandeiciliegi.ritiri@gmail.com.

With Metta

The Pian dei Ciliegi staff