Sravasti Abbey - Daily Schedule

Daily Schedule

The Abbey’s daily schedule begins at 5:00 a.m. when both monastic and lay students perform preparatory practices and tasks such as water bowl offerings, and so on. Morning meditation practice begins at 5:30 and lasts an hour and a half. Ven. Chodron then gives a short morning teaching as a motivation for the day, followed by breakfast in silence. For an hour and a half after that, there is either another teaching or personal Dharma study time. From 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. residents “offer service” performing tasks that contribute to a harmonious community life within a practice of generosity. This is followed by the traditional food offering and eating lunch in silence. An informal Dharma discussion often follows lunch. There is another period of offering service in the afternoon, followed by a short, informal, and optional meal at 6:00 p.m. Evening practice begins at 7:00 pm and lasts an hour and a half. Subsequently, people read or meditate in their rooms.

Besides the daily schedule, the abbey hosts programs on an annual basis, including an annual three-month winter retreat, which is done in silence with a weekly teaching and Q&A session. Exploring Monastic Life (EML) is another annual program dedicated to cultivating a monastic mind for those aspiring to ordain as monastics. In 2006, the abbey launched the first annual week-long Young Adult Retreat in order to bring Buddhist solutions to situations facing today’s youth. The abbey also has monthly Sharing the Dharma Days for visitors, weekly tele-teachings (on the phone), several other retreats and activities throughout the year, as well as talks in the surrounding towns. Programs are open to monastics and the general public.