Sorry about that guys. I'm new on this site. I hope this is useful info...
--
I recently completed a retreat (Feb 2015) at the Panditarama Lumbini Vipassana Meditation Centre in Lumbini, Nepal, and want to share some details in case it helps you make a decision whether to go there to practise. Vasanth has also written an excellent and detailed review here, so I'll try to offer something a bit different. (http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/dharma-wiki/-/wiki/Main/Lumbini+Panditarama+Meditation+Centre)
Overall it's an excellent place to practice. The centre is in what's called the Lumbini Garden, a large area of land set aside for monasteries and meditation centres, right by the reputed site of the Buddha's birth. So throughout the stay, there's a sense of being close to a revered and sacred place, and all the neighbouring monasteries, being from many different cultures and traditions, fill the air with a wild mixture of gongs and bells and chants at various times of the day. It's also a quite remote place, requiring an 8-hour bumpy bus ride from Kathmandu (I didn't try the recommended route from India). So when you arrive, there's a sense of pilgrimage to a unique and holy sanctuary. Perhaps that was just me, but I'm sure a centre in a city would have a very different atmosphere.
The structures and grounds are a little tired as the climate is harsh and they run exclusively on donations, so the building materials age fast. But everything is solid and reliable enough. They had a range of accommodations, scaling up your privacy level depending on how long you commit to. So under 2 weeks, you stay in a dorm room in the main building where the offices, dining hall and meditation hall are. If you stay longer, you get a 3-bed room to yourself in blocks out in the gardens, provided there aren't too many people there. And if you stay 30 days or more, you get a secluded cabin (Kuti) by a lotus pond far from the main building. All subject to availability and who gets in first.
Electricity is quite an issue for the centre, as the local town supply cuts off frequently and randomly. There is an inverter which takes over and provides dim lighting in some areas, but everything else goes off, including fans and any appliances you've got plugged in. In a way, it added to my practice experience as it was all part of withdrawing from modern conveniences and luxuries. And besides, you get used to such things as showering and brushing your teeth in the dark.The food is great, there wasn't a meal in 22 days that I didn't enjoy. Not that you go to a retreat to indulge in culinary pleasures, but the food was good, and nutritious and diverse and filling. Plenty to keep you going to face the rigorous meditation schedule. All vegan or lacto-ovo vegetarian.
The schedule is similar to other centres. Gong at 4am, then alternating walking and sitting, mostly in 1-hour blocks, breaking for 2 meals, then a dharma talk in the evening, then flexible bedtime between 8 and 10pm. I didn't get the feeling we were being watched and held to a strict schedule, and that it was up to us to put in what we could. Some people, for example, seemed to spend all their waking hours in the meditation hall, others seemed to spend more time walking in the grounds, and some people I saw only every few days, so perhaps they meditated in the Kutis.
The practice is Mahasi Sayadaw style from Burma. I'll let you look that up elsewhere on this site, but it's basically noting all physical and mental objects from waking til sleeping. While in sitting meditation, it's all about watching the rising and falling of the abdomen, only leaving that to note any predominant objects that arise, and returning to the abdomen as soon as they subside. Then in walking, noting every stage of each step, and any other predominant objects that arise. As the days wear on, what keeps you focused on this practice is the detailed interviews with the teachers as they really press for precise recall of your noting experiences, and write down everything you say so they can trace your progress (and I got the sense they wanted to ensure the centre wasn't sheltering people who weren't dedicated to working hard).
If you are determined, you can really get a lot out of the time you spend there, as the environment, the teachers and the other retreatants are all focused on and support you in serious practice.
I'm trying not to repeat too much of what Vasanth covered, but there are 8 precepts.
The teachers are awesome - Sayalay Bhadamanika is Burmese, and has the softest and most understanding manner, showing great sympathy when you are struggling, and warm encouragement when you're showing improvement. I always came away from interviews with her feeling energised for the challenges ahead. Sayadaw Vivekananda, who I'm guessing is Israeli by birth, is a firm but fair and friendly teacher, admonishing where required, and giving praise and encouragement when earned. I used to get a bit nervous prior to his interviews if I didn't feel I had much progress to report. But this also added a pressure that helped keep me focused. He's quite the scholar and enjoys discussions on Buddhist doctrines, ethics, philosophy, etc, outside of the interviews, and in many different languages. The Sayadaw gave live dharma talks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, and on the other evenings, a recorded dharma talk from past years was played. The main difference was that after the live talks, we could ask questions, and sometimes these Q&A sessions were extensive. His topics were typically based on a sutra, from which he then drew interpretations and lessons for the kind of practice we were doing.
Some practical considerations. I visited in February, when the weather transitioned from a quite cold winter experience into a warm, mostly dry, and mosquito-infested experience. I was glad to leave when I did as the mosquitoes really began to take over the place, and me being from country Australia, I thought I was pretty comfortable with the whining beasts. The centre unfortunately sits beside a stretch of swampland, so as soon as the temperature hits the 20s Celsius in late February, the mosquitoes bust out in clouds. I was told the place closes for much of summer as it's too hot and wet during the monsoon rains, and the teachers take that opportunity to do retreats in various western countries. So I'm guessing they're closed April-August or September. And besides, you really would not want to be there during that time. Lumbini is at a low altitude in the south of Nepal, nowhere near the mountains you might picture cover Nepal. So you're getting an Indian summer down there. But I also heard the winters can be extreme. The ideal months are Sept-Nov, and Feb-Mar. Add to that Dec and Jan if you're comfortable with cold. The place gets full at those times. I was told they'd be restricting numbers this year during the popular months, because last year they ended up overrun. I mention all of this because choosing the time of year, and booking in early with them, seems pretty important over there.
Check out their website at www.panditarama-lumbini.info for further details, and send them an email if you have any questions. And of course feel free to contact me if you have any questions as I really enjoyed the place and would be happy to address any specific questions.
A final note on Dana. I don't know what the norm is elsewhere, but this place runs exclusively on donations with no pressure to pay anything at all. A small amount elsewhere goes a very long way in a village in Nepal. US$5/day covers your basic daily expenses at the centre minus maintenance costs, and yet if you stayed anywhere else in the country, you'd easily spend a minimum $20-30 per day. Sorry if it wasn't necessary to point this out!
Some photos attached.
All the best with your retreats!
How about yourself? I've had a great retreat at Panditarama Lumbini. I relocated to Ratna Vipassana Vihar in Kathmandu after they closed for the spring-summer. I was in Kathmandu till about one week after the quake. I got back home a few days ago. I'll draft a short write-up about Panditarama Lumbini soon to compliment yours.
