The Art of Mindful Cooking (13/11/26)

The Art of Mindful Cooking for Members with Plum Village Monastics at Mountain Spring Monastery, NSW, Australia

    When - Arrival, registration and check in starts at 3:30pm Friday and finishes at 3:00pm Sunday (3 Day Retreat)

    Location - Mountain Spring Monastery, (Sisters Hamlet) 2651 or (Brothers Hamlet) 2675 Bells Line of Rd, Bilpin NSW 2758

Special notes about the retreat:

*The retreat will begin on Friday evening with dinner at 6:00pm, along with Introduction talk at 7:30pm. Please plan on arriving in time for the Introduction talk.  The retreat concludes at 3:00pm on Sunday (3 Day Retreat).

Dear friends,

Have you ever wondered what makes the food at the monastery so nourishing? Many friends tell us they not only enjoy its delicious flavours but also experience a sense of peace and care in every meal. Our food is simple, healthy, and lovingly prepared with mindfulness.

Whether you have visited the monastery before or are joining us for the first time, we warmly invite you to this mindful cooking retreat. Together, we will discover how to prepare simple, delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes that nourish both body and mind. The recipes are easy to recreate at home, allowing you to bring the spirit of mindful cooking into your daily life.

The sisters will offer two cooking demonstrations, sharing practical techniques as well as the mindfulness and love that are at the heart of monastery cooking. Alongside the cooking sessions, we will enjoy sitting meditation, walking meditation, silent meals, Dharma sharing, and other practices that help us slow down, reconnect with ourselves, and cultivate inner peace.

This retreat is more than learning new recipes. It is an opportunity to experience cooking as a mindfulness practice—to prepare food with presence, gratitude, and compassion, and to nourish ourselves and those we love. We hope you will join us for a weekend of learning, practice, and joyful community.

*This retreat is for everyone aged 18 years and above and will be conducted in both Vietnamese and English.

*This event is for current Members of Mountain Spring Monastery. If you would like to become a member please click here to join.

Suggested program:

Friday

3:30p Arrival, registration and check in

6:00p Dinner in silence

7:30p Introduction talk

9:00p Noble silence

Saturday

5:30a Wake-up

6:00a Guided Sitting meditation and sutra reading

7:00a Exercises

7:30a Silent Breakfast

9:00a Walking Meditation

10:00a Cooking presentation, session # 1

12:30p Lunch with 5 contemplations reading

2:00p Deep total relaxation

3:00p Cooking presentation, session # 2

6:00p Dinner in silence

7:30p Sitting meditation and sutra chanting

9:00p Noble Silence

Sunday

5:30a Wake-up

6:00a Sitting meditation

7:30a Breakfast

9:00a Guided sitting meditation

10:00a Walking meditation

11:00a Dharma talk

12:30p Silent lunch

2:00p Dharma sharing

3:00p End of retreat

Mountain Spring is a monastic practice centre and during your time with us we ask that you help to nurture the peaceful and solid energy of this place by:

·  Observing the five mindfulness trainings of protecting life, not taking what does not belong to you, refraining from sexual activity, mindful and compassionate speech, and refraining from intoxicants (alcohol, drugs for example) whilst on the property.

· During this retreat we will enjoy sitting and walking meditation, sutra readings, discussions, mindful meals, periods of silence, etc.

·  The daily schedule is posted on the whiteboard in the public areas. We ask that you do your best to be on time for and participate in all activities in the hamlet you are staying while you are with us. If you are feeling ill, or are tired, please let the guest master know.

·  The chance to be on retreat for is very precious. In order to fully be here and benefit from the mindful energy here we ask that you minimise your use of electronic devices as much as possible, and not engage in unnecessary conversations about topics that may be uncomfortable or distressing for some (such as politics) etc.

·  Mountain Spring Monastery is a completely non-smoking environment (including e-cigarette).

·  For everyone’s comfort, the dress code at Mountain Spring is smart casual. You will find it helpful to bring clothes that are loose fitting and cover your knees and elbows so that you can easefully sit in meditation. The weather is quite changeable and you will find it helpful to bring a few layers.

·  Food is served at mealtimes and we ask that you refrain from taking food outside of those times. Tea, coffee, fruit etc are available for you if you feel hungry outside of those times. All meals and food at Mountain Spring are vegetarian and we ask that you only bring or consume vegetarian food whilst spending time with us.

·  Please do not enter monastic areas without permission.

·  There is a period of noble silence that begins after the evening practice activity and continues until after breakfast the next morning. We ask that everyone do their best to avoid unnecessary conversations during that period, so that a deep atmosphere of rest can be enjoyed by all.

Click on the following topics to get all the details:

Sliding-Scale Contributions & Scholarship (Further Reductions)

Cancellation Policy

Accommodation

What To Bring

Getting Here

Privacy Policy

Terms & Conditions

*Donations are warmly welcomed to support basic operational and monastic living costs and to support this monastery for future generations here in Australia.

For further inquiries and concerns please use the contact us form