Once your retreat begins, you will be asked to honor what is known as ‘noble silence’ – a quieting of the body and voice that helps cultivate a calm and peaceful retreat environment. This powerful tool greatly enhances the deepening of concentration and awareness. Noble silence also fosters a sense of safety and spiritual refuge, even in a course filled with up to 30 participants. Furthermore, we maintain silence out of respect for the Sisters who graciously share their home with us every year.

     Since walls are thin and everyone lives together in close community, your willingness to embrace the silence and simplicity helps everyone – it not only acts as a support for your own practice but is also a direct way of supporting your fellow retreatants.

     Our teachers request that you not engage in other forms of communication while on retreat. Please turn off your cell phones (you can hand them in for safe keeping) for the duration of your stay and leave behind your laptops, iPods, iPads and other communication devices so that you can commit to your retreat wholeheartedly and reap the benefits of that commitment. Noble silence includes not reading, writing, keeping a journal, receiving mail, or otherwise keeping busy and distracted. By leaving at home the many activities and communications that worldly life entails, you offer yourself the gift of stillness.

     Please give our office number to a family member or close friend to use in case of emergency so you do not have to check your cell phone. If you have fragile or dependent family members that you need to stay in contact with, please notify our office so arrangements can be made.

     Silence is broken at the end of retreat, in time to allow you to talk and share your experience with other participants.

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     With gratitude, from: https://www.dharma.org/retreats/faqs/