Current retreat opportunities at the centre are as follows:
1. If a long-term retreater - one who has built the retreat
house in which they perform retreat - is unable to stay in
retreat for some reason, it becomes available for use at a
modest fee. This opportunity is not common, but possible.
4. Group retreats are sometimes held during the year, with
visiting teachers like Ven. Thubten Dondrup
or Ven. Robina Courtin.
Each October over the SA Labour Day long weekend, a
five day retreat is held. Generally this is restricted to
a maximum
of twenty five participants. The retreat is organised by
Buddha
House - the FPMT centre in Adelaide, with qualified Tibetan
Teachers and experienced Western Sangha to facilitate the
retreat and lead meditations.
some rules
Retreat at De-Tong Ling naturally involves strictly obeying
the main precepts, and reducing normal worldly activities
to a minimum. Not engaging in killing, stealing, lying, taking
intoxicants or drugs of any kind, or sexual activity is mandatory.
Reading magazines or novels, listening to the radio, writing
copious letters, or other activities of this kind are clearly
not in the spirit of a genuine retreat from normal worldly
behaviour.
Those wishing to undertake an isolated retreat of any length
over a week should have prior isolated retreat experience,
or a clear recommendation from a qualified spiritual teacher.
It is also desirable to include a period of orientation before
beginning retreat, and of re-orientation at the conclusion
of the retreat.
A lay area is available and set aside for non-retreat activity;
it is requested of retreaters that they confine non-retreat
activity to this area.
Contact us you are interested in undertaking a retreat
at De-Tong Ling.
building a retreat house
The opportunity is available now for FPMT students to build
a retreat house at De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre. Approval will
need to be obtained from Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Once approval has been obtained the rest is easy. The trail
has been blazed, the groundwork is done. Official approvals
have been obtained, building plans are already drafted, and
a prototype has been built, with all its attendant mistakes
and triumphs.
The estimated cost: MATERIALS ONLY - is approximately A$30,000 to A$35,000
(or $US15,000 to $17,500 at current exchange rates).
Building plans can be modified to some degree, although the
basic provisions set down in the development proposal would
still need to be followed. Various ways of funding the retreat
houses are possible; either on an individual basis, or individuals
could collaborate, sharing the costs and the retreat time
available. Conditions, based on agreements developed in similar
situations in other FPMT centres, would naturally apply.
Contact De-Tong Ling Director,
Kimball Cuddihy if you would like
to explore this opportunity further.
De-Tong
Ling Retreat Centre 
