1.) Treat all beings kindly.
Refrain from killing, except to defend yourself (e.g. from a venomous insect).
2.) Only take what is yours.
Refrain from taking something that isn’t clearly yours, and ask if you’re not sure.
3.) Celibacy.
Refrain from any sexual activity with another person.
4.) Sobriety
Complete abstinence from mind-altering substances, unless they are prescribed by a doctor and/or would cause withdrawals if you abstained. Marijuana is generally not permitted; please let the teachers know if abstaining from this isn’t medically feasible for you. It is also prohibited to bring any illegal substances to the retreat, regardless of whether you use them. This rule doesn’t apply to caffeine.
5.) Noble silence.
During periods of noble silence, refrain from speaking except with the teachers or when truly necessary (e.g. if you need to know about food allergens, you’re working on a retreat task with someone, etc.)
6.) TECHNOLOGICAL SILENCE
Use of cell phones, computers, tablets, etc. is not permitted for any reason except as an alarm, clock or flashlight, and we’d encourage you to bring an alarm (that makes a nice sound) and flashlight (most retreat centers can lend you a flashlight) so you can completely refrain from device usage. This rule applies even if you’ve walked away from the retreat area. You are welcome to leave your phone with the teachers, and teachers may request that students do this who violate this precept. If there is a reason you might need to use your phone or laptop, please coordinate this with the teachers in advance.
7.) No reading or writing
Refrain from reading and writing. The one exception is if you are reading a book that is a manual for meditation (not a general dharma book), and if you are only reading the section of the manual immediately relevant to your technique at the moment.
8.) Stay in quiet areas.
Do not use money, and do not enter places where it would be possible to do this (e.g. shops and cafes).
9.)Stay until the end of the retreat.
Do not leave the retreat earlier than the agreed-upon end-time, except in the case of an emergency. While we obviously respect your freedom of movement, we ask that anyone considering leaving early discuss this with the teachers first. Leaving early may result in prohibition of attending future retreats.
10.) Attend interviews and group sits.
While much time on the retreat is yours, certain daily group sits, and scheduled meetings with the teachers, are a required commitment for attending retreats. We also require that you sit up (lying down in the dharma hall is prohibited during sitting periods) and remain (reasonably) still and quiet during the group sits.
11.) No ascetic practices.
Ascetic practices, such as fasting or intentional sleep deprivation, are generally not permitted. If you’re really into doing these, please ask the teachers for permission before the retreat begins.