Dates for the ordination retreats in 2020 are:
Three month retreat: 20th April – 13th July
You can find travel information and practical info (what to bring, what we provide, etc) using the menu tabs at the top of the page.
Clothes for your ordination retreat
For ordination retreats everyone wears clothes in shades of plain, unpatterned blue. This helps us go beyond personal preferences and brings a harmonious aesthetic quality. Everyone, everyday will be in clothes of these shades of blue. Coats, anoraks, boots, slippers, undies, sleepwear, trousers or shorts for going out walking are the only items that do not need to be blue.
Some retreatants very much enjoy wearing robes on their ordination retreat (for part or most of the time). If you think you might be one of them, see the instructions below on how to make and wear robes. There are also some sets of robes that previous retreatants have left behind which you can borrow.
Robes:
Inner robe i.e. the one you wrap round your waist:
Length: the circumference of your hips multiplied by 2.5.
Width: measure from a bit above the waist to a bit above the ankles.
Add 10 cm hem allowance all round.
Upper robe: 265 cm length, 136 cm width plus 10 cm all round hem allowance.
Belt: length 3.5 times your waist, width 8 cm
To wrap around: Wrap inner robe around you so that you have two edges held at arms length in front of you.
With other hand pinch the fabric close to your waist then fold the remaining fabric to your left then over to your right. Hold it all in place with the belt, the middle of which you hold to the middle of the fold, in front then round the back, back to the front then knot.
Upper robe: If desired place a curtain weight in one of the 4 angles of the hem.
Place the robe evenly over your shoulders with weight hanging on your right, upper angle. Move your right arm over robe keeping it tucked under armpit. Hold your left arm slightly up and drape other side of robe over evenly. With right hand throw angle with weight over your left shoulder. The weight is now somewhere under your left shoulder blade. Collect the material around your left forearm and fold it over your shoulder to free your arm.
These notes received from Varadakini, who got the instructions from Ratnasuri, who got them from Bhante!