Long-term Post about Retreat opportunity

Hello!

I'd like to post something for the long haul, an offer of opportunity to retreat, that matches my vow. BTW, looking for other mindfulness practitioners wanting a space to retreat for a meditation focus for a while.

I am in Cape Breton, off the cabot trail. Our small homestead is 11 acres, mixed forest, part of it in the valley, part of it on the side hill. We're a family of 5, kids are 11, 9, 6 now. Debt-free property.

The homestead is lower-tech: no running water (or well) as we use the river to fill containers to use for washing, and drinking water comes from a source on the way to (partner's) work in the summer, a friend's source-fed well in the winter. We do have propane freezer and stove/oven. Use the generator to charge batteries

We've used the humanure composting system the whole time we've been here - 7 years, and for 8 more before then for me, 15 more for my partner. The compost sometimes gets tested by an Eileen Ingham Soil Food Web technician and comes back as highest quality everything.

We've made a root cellar with sandbags, coop, shed, camping platform, more coming - but we still dont have siding on the house. Its holding up just fine, but we'll get to it at some point.

My skills are pressure canning, soap making, herbal medecines. My focuses this year are growing mushrooms
Through grain spawn, herbs and building a solar dehydrator.

Anyways,  here goes the "offer":

I'm practicing Buddhism, the skills to train the mind towards the end of suffering.

Other practitioners could come, pitch a tent on the camping platform, stay for a few weeks or months, the price of "room and board" discussed before hand. We're planning on building another building on top of the root cellar, perhaps some time spent in that direction if its appropriate.

Although Ive done much training, I am not a teacher and not looking for someone needing guidance with the teachings.

Important things:

The 5 lay precepts would need to be adhered to:

- No killing
- No stealing
- no lying
- No sexual wrong-doing, preferably celibate, but definitely during the retreat times
- Intent to reduce toxins ingested (alcohol, drugs, media, conversations, entertainment)

I'm not 100% sober, alcohol & Marijuana consumed, but the idea is to stay in a state where neglect of conduct isnt an issue.

My family doesn't practice at all - they enjoy their entertainments, distractions, fun activities. I want someone else to practice with when everyone else is directed towards a screen.

The idea would be to gather together and sit 20-45min morning and evening, listen to dharma talks, study sutras, do mindful movements (or workouts), cook and eat vegetarian foods together (or you could cook with the meat-eating family if you prefer). In between, there's the basic homestead maintenance and whatever projects we have on hand - only 1 or 2 at a time.

It would start just with the camping option. There is a laundry machine, but it takes 12 buckets to carry and fill it, and knowing its cycle so it doesn't automatically dump everything out.

This area is rich with satisfying hikes and sights, which we could do once in a while, but the idea is to stay in and do intensive attention on mindfulness and meditation.

A caveat to this would be to hop on zoom or similar and practice together, check in and make a sort of relationship first.

I've come back to this space after being on for some years, trying to do land sharing with someone met here, but intentions and personality didn't match very well.

I have a responsibility towards my family for the next 9 years, and then my intention is to explore the monastic life and training. Buddhism is a guide to train ourselves mentally, not really a religion - you could very well be another religion and do the practices of the Buddha too, many do just that.

This is a wide and long road in this direction. Please ask questions and give criticism to help make this post/thread better, I dont mind if I only find someone in 5 or 7 years time, it just needs to be the right kind of person.

When contacting me, please introduce yourself with what your current mindfulness routines/practices are, what teachers/lineage you follow and learn from the most, whatever gives me a good idea of who you are at the core - like routines habits, difficulties in the practice, worldviews and such.

Hi!

Your path is not my religion or my set of beliefs, but your words give me the sense that you are a very clear and coherent person. Clear with others in the way you express your intentions, and coherent because you seem to have given a full meaning to the direction of your life. Reading your post reminded me of one part of my own project. It is partly oriented toward others, but it also has another side: allowing others to accompany you on your own path. I think there is something very human and very honest in that.

I also prefer to look for the good in other people and in the world. To me, that is part of thinking differently from the way society keeps pushing us to see everything.

I wish you peace.