Retreats: Schedules: Quiet Weeks

Quiet Weeks

Throughout 2011, Springwater Center will host five meditative periods called Quiet Weeks, which will 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.

This offers 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:

During 2011, Springwater Center will host five Quiet Week periods. Each period will last for two weeks, and will take place in the intervals betweeen 7 Day Retreats. Please see the Calendar for details.

You may attend as many days as you like during the two week period; also, you may combine two retreats with the Quiet Weeks to have a month long retreat.

All activities are optional--you may design your retreat as you wish.

You may come either as a guest or as a volunteer. We are able to provide transportaion for people traveling by train, bus or plane from Rochester to Springwater, except on Sundays and Mondays.

Guests are asked to donate one hour of work each day during the staff work week, from Tuesday through Saturday. Volunteers participate in the same work schedule as staff, in exchange for food and lodging (8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Tuesday through Saturday).

All participants will be guaranteed a private room during Quiet Weeks.

There is a daily schedule which you may use as you wish, with open sitting periods and timed sittings on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 pm.

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 two group dialogues at the Center.

During most of the 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 us.