4-Day Loving-Kindness (Metta) Meditation Retreat in Beautiful Batavia, NY

This 4-day Loving-Kindness (Metta) Meditation Retreat, sponsored by Spring Rain Sangha, takes place from June 24 - June 28, in Batavia, NY, at the Chapin Mill Retreat Centre. This retreat introduce practices that help us become more loving individuals. By gently re-orienting the heart and mind to focus on the positive energies of loving-kindness and well-being, the practice of metta helps to gradually open our hearts to unconditional love for all beings, including ourselves. A sustained practice in metta meditation also helps to dissolve the idea of a separate self that keeps us feeling alienated from one another. Metta helps us cultivate equanimity in the face of life's inevitable difficulties.

Set amid the natural splendours of a secluded 135-acre country property, the Chapin Mill Retreat Centre offers the ideal environment for calming the busy mind.

A spring-fed mill pond, lovely flower gardens, an expansive open meadow for walking, and forested hiking trails provide a tranquil setting for outdoor walking meditation. The idyllic country grounds are also home to many species of wetland birds, including herons, red-wing blackbirds, and king birds.

The impressively modern amenities of the indoor retreat facility include a spacious and well ventilated meditation hall that holds up to 64 people on raised platforms; carpeted bedrooms that sleep more than 50 people; an airy exercise room with a sprung wooden floor that can be heated in chillier weather; a large, bright dining-room with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside; and a commercial kitchen -- all under one roof!

Throughout the day, retreatants will alternate between periods of seated metta meditation and either indoor or outdoor walking meditation. These 4 days of contemplative silence and inner stillness will also include healthy vegetarian meals, a work period, leisurely rest periods, a relaxing yoga class, and an evening Dhamma talk based on the early teachings of the Buddha. Beginners and experienced meditators are welcome!

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Please register in advance at www.SpringRainSangha.com. Application and orientation forms can be found in the "Retreats" section of the website.

The retreat will be led by Philip V. Starkman, Jim Bedard and Randy Baker of Toronto's Spring Rain Sangha. All 3 teachers have over 3 decades of extensive training in various forms of Buddhist meditation.