In NBEF practice, we encourage and expect advanced students to participate in meditation retreats. Leaving home and stepping away from ordinary routines to practice in a quiet, dedicated setting creates conditions for sustained attention and deeper jhāna and insight.
During the Buddha’s time, he and his monastic disciples observed an annual three-month retreat during the rainy season.
I have practiced on retreat at the Dhamma Ārama in Jeju, the Chill Room in Kansas, and in Los Angeles, with most of my retreat time spent at the Dhamma Ārama. Since 2017, I have devoted two to three months each year to retreat, with a couple of exceptions when family health concerns required me to remain in the United States and conduct a solo retreat at home.
Most of our advanced students have spent time at the Dhamma Ārama before reaching important stages of the path. At the Dhamma Ārama, I experienced jhāna and directly observed the arising and passing away of the Three Poisons, through which I gained experiential wisdom of impermanence, suffering, and non-self. I also experienced supernatural phenomena there.
Daily practice is essential. It establishes the foundation that we bring to a retreat and helps us continue developing afterward. However, in my experience, reaching important stages of the path has been more difficult amid the responsibilities and interruptions of home life, and much easier during retreat. Stepping away from those demands allows practice to become more sustained, giving concentration and insight greater opportunity to deepen. I strongly encourage advanced practitioners to make retreat a regular part of their lives, once or twice a year when circumstances permit. The time you set aside can provide a valuable opportunity to deepen your practice and advance along the path toward liberation and Nibbāna.
Nancy Acord