Hours
Summer Retreat '06 will take place from 7 PM Friday, June 16 until early Sunday afternoon, June 18. The full schedule can be found here.

Suggested Donation

Non-members: $115; $50/day

Members*: $100; $45/day

College students and children under 18: $50; $20/day

Your donation provides you with breakfast and lunch on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday.

Registration
Registration is required at all PBC retreats. Preregistration is strongly requested so we may plan for meals, and is available until Sunday, June 12. To preregister by check or credit card, click here. Upon arrival, please check in first at the registration table at the Sangha House and register before teachings begin.

Those who miss preregisteration can nonetheless attend the retreat, and those who wish to pay by credit card may do so until midnight, June 15. To do so, click here. If you do not pay by credit card, you may pay by check at the retreat.

If you have not preregistered, please register at the registration table at the retreat.

*Member Discount
Membership gives you a discount at all PBC retreats worldwide. For these purposes, membership means officially joining PBC and paying membership dues. You are welcome to become a member at this time, if you wish. To support our teachers in this very important manner, please see this page for details.

Work Scholarship 
A limited number of work scholarships are available with advance arrangement. Work scholarship students are requested to come to the workday and stay after retreat until clean-up is complete. You will also have a job assignment during retreat. If you would like to request a work scholarship, contact Debbie Thomas at (615) 883-8151 or dltariki@comcast.net. Please check in with Debbie upon arrival.

Volunteering 
At our teachers’ retreat center, Padma Samye Ling, all attendees participate daily in community work, whether in the kitchen, temple, grounds or dormitory. This helps the retreat run smoothly without too much work on any one person. For students themselves, it is also kriya yoga and generates merit that helps one better realize the teachings.

We invite you to adopt this practice – not only to better accomplish the retreat, but also to demonstrate that our community can support longer and more frequent retreats in the future. We appreciate your participation and joyful effort.

Facility 
Padma Gochen Ling is consecrated land, crowned with a temple. Our new Sangha House contains a dharma bookstore, kitchen and dining hall. Rustic camping conditions: private outdoor showers with running water and outhouses. Sorry, no hook-ups are available. No tobacco, pets or intoxicants of any kind on the grounds.

What You Should Bring

• Cushion for sitting on a hardwood floor. (Limited chairs available.)

• Bottled water (also available for purchase).

• Lawnchair or blanket for sitting on the ground for fire puja.

• Flashlight, insect repellent.

• Flower offerings for the shrine are welcome.

• Snacks and a cooler with ice if desired.

• Food for Friday & Saturday evening meals. Please take home any food you do not consume; we are not able to use or store leftovers after retreat.

Clothing 
This is a rural retreat, so casual, comfortable clothes are recommended. Nights can be cool, days can be hot.

Rain gear and hand fan recommended. Please help us maintain a meditative atmosphere by wearing modest clothing. If wearing shorts, please bring a cloth to cover legs while sitting in the shrineroom. For the comfort of others, please refrain from strong fragrances.

Note:  Shrineroom protocol information is available here.

Refuge
Refuge will be offered on Sunday immediately after the teaching. Taking refuge is the act of officially setting foot on the path. During the ceremony, one receives the oral transmission of refuge vows and lineage blessings which stretch back over 2500 years directly to Buddha.

One also receives a dharma name on a beautufl certificate inscribed by our teachers in Tibetan, and may request a beginning meditation practice from our teachers.

Refuge is open to all. If you would like to take refuge, please go to the bookstore soon after your arrival and sign up. More information.

Retreat/Practice Texts
The retreat text will be available for purchase at the bookstore:

Medicine Buddha by Raga Asye, $9

For all retreats with the Khenpos across the U.S., the following additional texts are recommended for your sadhana library (also available at our bookstore):

• Buddha Sadhana, $8 – Used for morning and evening practice for retreats. 

• Mountain of Burnt Offerings, $5 – Fire puja  (Sat. afternoon).

• Offering Prayers to the Dharma Protectors, $8 – Dharmapala practice (Sat. afternoon).

• A Small Treasury of Prayers of Supplication and Dedication, $9 – Opening and closing prayers for every practice.

Contacts

Registration & Work Study: Debbie Thomas, dltariki@comcast.net, (615) 883-8151

Retreat Information:  Cathy Crooks, ccrooks@mtsu.edu, (615) 895-3350

PBC-TN Coordinator: Dolly Carlisle, coordinator@pbc-tn.org, (615) 385-4438

Padma Gochen Ling (the retreat center): (931) 445-3909

PBC International: See our teachers’ website for their full schedule of teachings at Padma Samye Ling, our monastery and retreat center in upstate New York, including week-long Dzogchen retreats in July. www.padmasambhava.org.

Lodging

You are welcome to camp or bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor of the shrineroom. Or you may stay at nearby lodging: