| Name | People Interactions | Electronics | Entertainment | Retreat Schedule | Teacher Interactions | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
In-Person Retreat | Noble silence unless speaking with teachers for practice discussions | Strictly no phones allowed | No access | Full day of alternating between sitting and walking meditation (~45 min each) with dhamma talks and chanting. | Private practice discussions with teachers | Vegetarian meals provided on-site |
Virtual Retreat | Some noble silence, inform people living with you that you will be in a retreat. OK to conduct basic life chores and attend to family needs, but avoid unnecessary speaking | Ideally no phones, but ok to keep on for family needs | All reading and music discouraged | Same as in-person, but by Zoom | Private and group practice discussion with teachers by Zoom | Advised to mealprep/order delivery of vegetarian food |
Virtual Retreat Auditing | Same as virtual, with allowance to skip sitting/meditation sessions as needed | Same as virtual | Same as virtual with allowance for work-necessary reading | Attend sessions as one's schedule allows | Group practice discussion with teachers by Zoom | Advised to mealprep/order delivery of vegetarian food |
What I Actually Did | I had the apartment to myself this week, so it was easy to be quiet at home. I tried to not initiate conversations with people online but still ended up chatting with a few friends π | Muted all social media, deleted some apps altogether (LinkedIn, Twitter.) | Deleted YouTube, music, podcasting, book apps | 1-2 sitting sessions for 4 days, a few dhamma talks and chanting sessions | Attended 1 group practice discussion and asked a question or two | Got delicious Indian vegetarian food delivered π |