Touching peace in challenging times - Retreat

RETREAT WITH DHARMATEACHER BETTINA ROMHARDT FROM BERLIN. LANGUAGE ENGLISH

How can we take care of ourselves and the world? 
At any moment we can contribute to escalation or de-escalation. The practice of peace begins by returning to ourselves and restore peace inside. Peace begins within. 
Listening to the news these days we find ourselves surrounded by crisis, wars, polarization, instability….

When we look for peace, peace seems to be far away.

It is challenging not to be carried away by fear, anger, or hopelessness.  How can we answer to this situation ? How can we take care of ourselves and the world? 
At any moment we can contribute to escalation or de-escalation. The practice of peace begins by returning to ourselves and restore peace inside. Peace begins within.

“If you honestly desire to live in peace
then you must be at peace right now,
otherwise there’s only hope that there will be peace
at some point in the future.” 
Thich Nhat Hanh

In the midst of the Vietnam war Thich Nhat Hanh had started to offer teachings, exercises and meditations to touch peace and to live in peace with our family, friends and in our communities. 
He had taught us many ways to touch and nourish peace in the present moment in our bodies and minds. Practicing meditation by stopping and calming the mind (Shamatha), by abiding in peaceful awareness what is happening in body and mind, we can see the roots of violence and war and the roots of peace, as well in the world as in ourselves, in the way we think, speak and act.

Touching peace within we give peace a chance.

Also in daily life, we can direct ourselves towards peace by taking good care of anger, fear, discrimination when they arise, and by balancing our mind by nourishing wholesome some states of mind like loving kindness, joy, compassion, understanding…

This makes it easier to access the peace that is always within us .

This weekend we will look deeply into our mind and explore various ways to touch, restore and nourish peace.

Teacher: This weekend will be guided by Bettina Romhardt, dharma teacher from Berlin. Language: English.

Bettina became a disciple of Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh in 1993 and lived in his monastic community Plum Village in France for 5 years. Bettina is a member of the Order of Interbeing and was appointed as a Dharma teacher by Thich Nhat Hanh in 2004. She lives with her son in Berlin.

For whom: Basically, anyone is welcome who has experience with the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village, e.g. by participating in a sangha or a retreat.

Date/Time: The weekend starts Friday, May 30, at 6 p.m. with a light meal. The program ends Sunday, June 1, at 4 pm. After joint clean-up and clean-up, we will be finished no later than 5 p.m.

Location: The weekend will take place at Bosoord Conference Center in Loenen (near Apeldoorn). Read more about the facilities at Bosoord. 

Carpool: Through the registration form you can indicate if you can take someone with you. One week before the meeting we will send a carpool list of ride providers to all participants.

Cost: Prices will be published in the beginning of 2025. The participation fee for those who can afford it is €. They contribute for others. For those who can spend a little less: €. For students, young people and those with similar financial situations, the price is €. Renting a linen package (sheets plus towels) costs an extra €6.50. Some single rooms are available. You can indicate your preference for this on the registration form when booking a double room. The surcharge for this is € 45. We allocate the single rooms approximately 3 weeks in advance. The teacher's fee is largely included in the price. 

Support: It is possible to apply for financial support for this retreat from the Dharma Support Fund of Foundation Leven in Aandacht. Please ask more information about this via liaprogramma@aandacht.net.

Sign up: Registration starts March 3 on this website. Look for the button INSCHRIJVEN.  
Cancellation: The following cancellation policy applies: up to 4 weeks before the start 90% refund of the registration fee; up to 2 weeks 75%; after that no refund.

Contact: liaprogramma@aandacht.net