RETREAT SCHEDULE 2023
Bookings will be possible, through our website www.piandeiciliegi.it, starting from Sunday January 15th 2023 at 8.00 a.m.
Those who are not yet members of the association, must have completed and sent the application form prior to their booking (see below in the useful information).
Here the retreat calendar: Calendar 2023
April 1 - 10
Gautam Verma
Satipatthana Vipassanā meditation retreat in the Mahasi tradition
The retreat is open to all and is in English with Italian translation. It includes alternating sessions of sitting and walking meditation, regular interviews and Dhamma talks every evening. All participants will be asked to respect the Noble Silence and take the eight or five precepts (see explanations on our website). Arrival is between 2pm and 5pm on the first day, departure is after lunch on the last day.
Gautam Verma is a Vipassanā meditator of Indian origins, and has been practicing for many years under the guidance of distinguished Dhamma teachers, besides doing long periods of solitary retreat. He’s been collaborating with Pian dei Ciliegi as a translator during interviews with English speaking Dhamma teachers. He’s been an assistant of Bhante Bodhidhamma since 2017, from whom he’s been authorized to offer Dhamma teachings. He has also been authorized to teach by the Ven. Vivekananda, Hannes Huber and Beate Gloeckner
Retreat fee: 315 euro
April 10 - 18
Andrea Huber
Satipatthana Vipassanā meditation retreat in the Mahasi tradition
The retreat is open to all, is in English with Italian translation and includes alternating sessions of sitting and walking meditation, regular individual talks and Dhamma talks every evening. All participants will be asked to respect the Noble Silence and to take the eight or five precepts (see explanations on the website). Arrival is between 2pm and 5pm on the first day, and departure is after lunch on the last day.
Andrea Huber is an MBSR trainer who lives and works in Austria. She has trained at the Institut of Mindfulness and Stress Reduction of Dr. Linda Lehrhaupt, in Bedburg, Germany. She is an experienced Vipassana meditator in the Mahasi tradition, having trained for long periods under the guidance of Sayadaw U Pandita e Sayadaw U Vivekananda..
Retreat fee: 280 euro
April 18 – 30
Hannes Huber
Satipatthana Vipassanā meditation retreat in the Mahasi tradition
The retreat is open to all, in English with Italian translation, and includes alternating sessions of sitting and walking meditation, regular individual talks and Dhamma talks every evening. All participants will be asked to respect the Noble Silence and to take the eight or five precepts (see explanations on the website). Arrival is between 2pm and 5pm on the first day; departure is after lunch on the last day.
Hannes Huber, is an experienced teacher who has practiced Vipassanā Meditation since 1985. His teachers include Godwin Samararatne from Sri Lanka, and Sayadaw U Pandita from Burma, who authorized him to give teachings. He has a training in Psychosynthesis with Sascha Dönges, Switzerland. He teaches Vipassanā Meditation in Austria and other European countries, and is an MBSR trainer.
Retreat fee: 420 euro
May 10 - 19 and 19 - 28
Ven. Viraῆani
First period Mettā Meditation retreat
Second period Satipatthana Vipassana Meditation retreat
Loving Kindness (Mettā) and Insight Meditation (Vipassanā) support each other. The welcoming and gentle attitude that is cultivated with the Metta allows, in the meditation of awareness, to penetrate the deeper truths of the phenomena as they are. Together they help free the heart from attachment and pain. In this retreat Ven. Virañani will share the traditional Burmese teachings of Mettā with the participants as a basis for building the practice of Vipassana in an accessible and immediately practicable way in everyday life.
15 places will be reserved for people who sign up for the entire period, from May 10 to 28
Arrival is between 2pm and 5pm on the first day, and departure is after lunch on the last day.
Ven. Vīrañāṇi began to practice meditation in 1979. In 2003, after several years spent working at the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts, USA, and training in in the Thai Forest tradition, she began a four-year period devoted to intensive practice in the Burmese lineage of Mahasi Sayadaw. She took permanent ordination in Burma with Sayadaw U Pandita on New Year 2006, and now resides at the Chanmyay Myaing Meditation Centre North of Yangon. She teaches loving kindness and vipassanā meditation retreats in Burma, Europe, and Australia. In 2008 she co-founded Metta In Action, a charity devoted to offering Burmese people in need the means and skills to help themselves. She is passionate about the Dhamma, about nature, and about using both to help others rediscover the intrinsic goodness in all beings.
Retreat fee : 315 euros (first period), 315 euros (second period), 630 euros (whole retreat)
June 9 -18
Massimo Bonomelli / Jan Wurstemberger
Satipatthana Vipassanā meditation retreat
The retreat, open to all, includes alternating sessions of sitting and walking meditation, regular talks with the teacher and evening Dhamma talks. During the retreat the Noble Silence will be respected and participants will be asked to take the five or eight precepts (for more information see the website). The retreat will be both in Italian and English, with translation. Arrival is between 2pm and 5pm on the first day; the deadline is after lunch on the last day.
Massimo Bonomelli has deepened his Vipassanā practice under the guidance of Bhante Sujiva, for whom he is also assistant and translator, and his Sámatha practice with Alan Wallace. He is a yoga teacher and counsellor and leads mindfulness and meditation groups in various parts of Italy.
Jean-Marie ("Jan") de Wurstemberger's beginnings as a Buddhist student lie in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, in the mid-nineteen-nineties. His teachers at the time included Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the Dalai Lama. In a conversation Lama Zopa one day advised him to "above all, just sit". Soon after, the unexpected encounter with the Theravada monk and experienced meditation teacher Bhante Sujiva was to give this advice an very specific and incisive form: Vipassana. Since then, Jan has been practising insight-meditation under Bhante Sujiva’s guidance for over 20 years. In German speaking countries, Jan is also active as Bhante's translator in retreats and was co-translator of Bhante’s standard work on insight meditation: "Tree of Wisdom River of no Return". In his professional life, Jan works in Switzerland as a teacher, counsellor and systemic coach of teenagers, their families and of young independent adults.
Retreat fee: 315 euro
June 23 – July 1st
Hannes Huber
Satipatthana Vipassanā meditation retreat in the Mahasi tradition
The retreat is open to all, in English with Italian translation, and includes alternating sessions of sitting and walking meditation, regular individual talks and Dhamma talks every evening. All participants will be asked to respect the Noble Silence and to take the eight or five precepts (see explanations on the website). Arrival is between 2pm and 5pm on the first day; departure is after lunch on the last day.
Hannes Huber, is an experienced teacher who has practiced Vipassanā Meditation since 1985. His teachers include Godwin Samararatne from Sri Lanka, and Sayadaw U Pandita from Burma, who authorized him to give teachings. He has a training in Psychosynthesis with Sascha Dönges, Switzerland. He teaches Vipassanā Meditation in Austria and other European countries, and is an MBSR trainer.
Retreat fee: 280 euro
July 3 -9
Sayadaw U Uttarañāṇa
Metta retreat
“Mettā bhāvanā”, the development of loving-kindness wishing happiness and well-being to ourselves and others, is one of the most important teachings of the Buddha. We begin by radiating it towards ourselves and then towards the people in our immediate surroundings, gradually widening the circle to encompass all beings everywhere in the universe. The more we practice, the happier and calmer we feel; life becomes more harmonious and peaceful. All participants will be asked to respect the Noble Silence and to take the eight or five precepts (see explanations on the website). Arrival is between 2pm and 5pm on the first day; departure is after lunch on the last day.
Sayadaw U Uttarañāṇa (U Ottaranyana) was born in Myanmar in 1949. He passed the higher examination in scriptural studies and was awarded several prestigious titles. From 1984 to 1986, he resided at the main Mahasi Meditation Center in Yangon as a practitioner and then as a meditation instructor. In 1992 he was awarded the academic title of Mahāganthavācakapaṇḍita for his religious and academic activities and in 2002, that of Aggamahāganthavācakapaṇḍita, and in 2011 that of Aggamaha Pandita from the Myanmar government. . He is currently the abbot of the Birmingham Buddhist Vihāra, where he teaches Majjhimanikāya, Pali grammar, Abhidhamma and vipassanā meditation.
Retreat fee: 210 euro
August 3 -13
Massimo Bonomelli / Jan Wurstemberger
Satipatthana Vipassanā meditation retreat
The retreat, open to all, includes alternating sessions of sitting and walking meditation, regular interviews with the teacher and evening Dhamma talks. During the retreat the Noble Silence will be respected and participants will be asked to take the five or eight precepts (for more information see the website). The retreat will be both in Italian and English, with translation. Arrival is between 2pm and 5pm on the first day; the deadline is after lunch on the last day.
For the teacher’s bio please read above
Retreat fee: 350 euro
August 13-23
Piero Urban
Satipatthana Vipassanā meditation retreat
The retreat, open to all, includes alternating sessions of sitting and walking meditation, regular interviews with the teacher and evening Dhamma talks. During the retreat the Noble Silence will be respected and participants will be asked to take the five or eight precepts (for more information see the website). The retreat will be both in Italian and English, with translation.
Arrival is between 2pm and 5pm on the first day; the deadline is after lunch on the last day.
Piero Urban graduated from the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy of the University of Bologna with a thesis on "Yoga and sound: observations on states of consciousness". He has been active as a Yoga teacher for 25 years, and has been a consultant for the Municipality of Turin, in the context of social and health assistance activities for the disabled over 14 years of age. He has been practicing Vipassanā meditation since 1993, and trained under the guidance of teachers from Eastern and Western backgrounds, monks and lay people. For over 20 years Ven. Bhante Sujiva has been his reference teacher, deepening the practice with him during long intensive retreats of Vipassanā and Mettā. He is his interpreter in conducting retreats and has received authorization from him to teach. He has been a teacher in ethical-professional training courses and at the Hospice F.A.R.O. of Turin.
October 7 -15
Gautam Verma
Satipatthana Vipassanā meditation retreat in the Mahasi tradition
The retreat is open to all and is in English with Italian translation. It includes alternating sessions of sitting and walking meditation, regular interviews and Dhamma talks every evening. All participants will be asked to respect the Noble Silence and take the eight or five precepts (see explanations on our website). Arrival is between 2pm and 5pm on the first day, departure is after lunch on the last day.
For the bio of the teacher please read above
Retreat fee: 280 euro
SOME USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT OUR RETREATS
- To join a retreat you must be a member of the association “Pian dei Ciliegi” (by applying through the website, after logging in) and pay the yearly membership fee (25 euros).
- The participation fee for the retreats is 35 euros per day for room and board; the fee should be considered as a free contribution by members to support the Association, and covers the expenses of the organization and management of the Centre. It’s possible to ask for sponsorships, or give a contribution based on one’s financial possibilities, but this should be agreed upon with the manager, prior to the retreat.
- There is no reimbursement of the fee in case of cancellation or anticipated departure once the retreat has started.
- The Dhamma teachings are offered free of charge, but we encourage participants to show gratitude with a donation to the teacher.
- Before arriving at the center, please make sure you have carefully read our Rules&Regulations sheet and internal Covid19 protocol (on the home page of our website)
- You can find more information about our retreats and how to reach the centre on our website piandeiciliegi.it
- From our website you can also download audio files of meditation instructions, guided meditations and Dhamma talks from our past retreats.
- You can listen to Dhamma talks also from our YouTube channels “Centro di Meditazione Pian dei Ciliegi” and “PDC Meditazione Online”
What to bring
- Comfortable and warm clothing, enough for the duration of the retreat (for long retreats you can use the washing machine for 5 euros)
- Sheets for a single bed or sleeping bag (for long retreats we can provide them for 5 euros)
- Towels and personal toiletries
- A torch
- House shoes.
- Notebook and pen
- Medicine if needed
- Personal meditation cushions or benches (however these are also available at the centre)