From time to time we have longer sittings known as retreats, though they are not about “retreating” but about helping us be more engaged and present at all times.
An intensive Vipassana meditation retreat is a challenging undertaking, which requires effort and self-discipline. A retreat is not just a chance to escape the pressures of daily life, nor time out in which to do one’s own thing.
Rather it is an opportunity to cultivate the Buddha’s Way of liberation through the practice of ethics (sila), meditation (samadhi), and insight (panna). On retreat we can develop an open and concentrated awareness enabling clear seeing into our actions of body, speech and mind. We can learn to strengthen actions that are beneficial to ourselves and those around us, and cultivate actions that bring happiness and harmony to ourselves and our world community.