PDF file for the program 2023

Instructor

We are pleased that you are coming back to EIAB and we warmly welcome you!

Due to Corona Protection Ordinance of the State of North-Rhine-Westphalia there are several things to consider.
Guests with symptoms of respiratory illness or infection are not allowed to enter the EIAB for the known reasons.
Guests are accommodated in single rooms in different categories. People living together in a household or couples can also be accommodated in one room.

After entering EIAB please disinfect or wash your hands. There is also a mask requirement in the corridors and stairways of the building. Please bring your own mask / mouth-nose-cover (MNB) with you. In courses, at the table and in the rooms you needn’t wear this. Please note the corresponding regulations.

For course participants and overnight guests, there is a fixed order of table and seat allocation in the dining room for the duration of their stay. This must be observed. To collect personal data, the registration form is available at each individual place during the first meal. After filling it is to be placed in the boxes provided at the exit of dining room.

Bed linen, towels etc are ready for you in the room. Before departure these must be placed in the containers provided in the corridors.

The rooms are to be cleaned during the stay and also before departure. This is part of „working meditation“ in a Buddhist monastery. Please vacuum or wipe the floor and also clean the bed frame, table, chair and other contact surfaces with a cloth soaked in all-purpose cleaner. Please note our cloth management. Put it in the laundry after use. Please ventilate regularly.

The toilet and shower rooms are to be entered with MNB. The necessary distance control (>1,5m) must be observed. This particularly affects urinals and sinks. Marked or blocked areas are not to be used.
Liquid soap, disposable towels and disinfectants are provided. Wahs hands and disinfect them after each use of sanitary facilities.

Showers: the use of shared showers and washrooms is possible. Please ensure adequate ventilation.
The sanitary facilities are cleaned regularly as part of working meditation or by other personnel. The existing cleaning and disinfection plan must be followed.

MNB must be worn on the way to seminar room and therefore always be with you. Hand must be disinfected and MNB worn before entering the seminar room. Each participant receives one or two personal blankets at the beginning of the course. He or she choose the places by him/herself or it is assigned. This is for the duration of the course. MNB needn’t be worn on the place.
Basically the distance of 1,5m must be observed. If this is not possible MNB has to be worn. This is important while leaving or re-entering rooms or contacting other people.

Meditation mats and meditation cushions are provided clean and should therefore not be changed during the course. You can also bring your own utensils. At the end of the course / event, the mats and pillows remain in the room. If chairs are used they must be covered with a blanket before using it because the upholstery is difficult to clean or disinfect.

For your own safety it is important that rooms are regularly ventilated, best is to have permanent ventilation. If not possible, ventilate 10 min every hour.

We hope that we can spend a pleasant and healthy time together.

Dear Beloved Community,
We will review and update this decision over the coming weeks as the situation evolves.
We will continue to take registrations for the time beginning April 15. However, we advise against booking flights and travel until nearer the time, when we have more information about the situation. It is uncertain how this virus outbreak will develop and what theGerman government and the international health institutions will recommend. We will do our best to inform everyone as soon as possible.

Concerning your payments:
Full refunds will be given to all those who have already registered and paid.
However, this is a difficult financial situation for the EIAB and therefore we would like to ask you if you could think of one of the two other options:
- to use the money you have paid already for a future course at the eiab
- to donate this money or part of it to the EIAB.

Looking Deeply
We recognise that, as a spiritual community and a place of refuge, we have a social responsibility to protect the wellbeing, safety, and happiness of our visiting guests and our monastic community. We also wish to support the spirit of recommendations currently being proposed by the German Government, namely to avoid unnecessary travel and large gatherings.
In the EIAB we create rare conditions for communal togetherness, including shared meals and shared accommodation—living together as a spiritual community. These are precious experiences that allow us all to feel part of the human family, and to build connections, trust, and closeness. Unfortunately, in the current situation, this communal aspect of the EIAB makes us unusually vulnerable to the transmission of this virus. During the course of 2019 we received over 3.521 guests at our courses and retreats – counting only those who stayed overnight and not including all those who came for Days of Mindfulness and special events.

Non-local Collective Practice
As a community we are taking this opportunity to pause and reflect on the state of our planet and the reality of our interbeing. Over the next weeks, our monastic sangha will be continuing to live simply, reducing unnecessary travel, and continuing our studies, training, and practice, as well as our mindful work to prepare the EIAB for re-opening in Mid-April. Although presently conditions are not sufficient for us to welcome you here to practice with us now, we hope that you will have a chance to make the most of the situation to take time to pause, slow down, and simplify your lives, taking opportunities to rest, spend time in nature, and take care of yourselves and your loved ones.

Always Connected
Aware of the importance of supporting and nourishing our collective practice in these challenging times, we are exploring online ways to continue to share our teachings with all of you.
We send our thoughts and prayers to those around the world facing suffering and difficulty in these moments, and look forward to the chance to welcome you back in the EIAB in the near future. May all of us as a species use this opportunity to wake up to our shared humanity, our shared vulnerability, and to nourish our compassion and tolerance, and not our fear and discrimination.

A lotus for you,

The Monks and Nuns of the EIAB