Further Information for Bodh Gaya retreats

The village of Bodh Gaya is 13 km from Gaya, which is on the main railway line between New Delhi and Calcutta. Please check Indian guidebooks for Travel information.

Facilities in the monastery are simple. Accommodation is in dormitories. We recommend arriving in Bodhgaya a few days early to acclimatize and staying a few days afterwards.

The retreats are held in silence except for personal meetings with the teachers, small group meetings and inquiry sessions in the meditation hall. Retreatants stay within the grounds of the monastery for the full duration of each retreat. The retreats include teachings on awakening, comprehensive instructions on Insight Meditation, (Vipassana) question and answer periods and guided meditations. Dates & Booking

The weather is generally sunny in Bodhgaya but night temperatures can drop to just a few degrees above freezing, bring a warm sleeping bag. Bedding, ie blankets and sheets are not provided.

Pre-retreat: Volunteers are needed to help set up the retreat January 1-9. This is a wonderful time to meet people, take part in daily meditation, and to help prepare the retreats. Managers arrive in Bodhgaya in late November to start preparing for the retreats. There is plenty of accommodation available in Bodh Gaya before and after the retreats.

Our school: Since the 1980s, retreatants have built and have been supporting an inter-faith school in Bodh Gaya. There are now 450 poor children from Bodh Gaya attending the school and receiving free education. Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Muslims co-operate together to run the school. On the afternoon of February 4, the school puts on a cultural event of dance and music for Western visitors and local people. For more info about the Pragya Vihar school, see:  http://thomasriddle.net/pv