AMMA s Australia Tour 2012 GOLD COAST Retreat Information

Transcription

1 AMMA s Australia Tour 2012 GOLD COAST Retreat Information This April there will be two retreats with Amma in Australia. We invite you to take part in this rare & transforming experience. Melbourne Retreat April Gold Coast Retreat April Everyone in the world should be able to sleep without fear, at least for one night. Everyone should be able to eat to his fill, at least for one day. There should be at least one day when hospitals see no one admitted due to violence. By doing selfless service for at least one day, everyone should help the poor and needy. It is Amma's prayer that at least this small dream be realized. AMMA, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

2 AMMA S DARSHAN Amma s embrace allows [people] to experience true, unconditional love. When Amma holds someone it can help to awaken the dormant spiritual energy within them, which will eventually take them to the ultimate goal of Self-realisation. Today thousands upon thousands attend Amma s programs around the world in order to receive her blessings and wisdom as she shares her inspiration with seekers of every kind. Amma spends her days and nights offering darshan, or spiritual blessings in the form of a hug. Over 31 million people throughout the world have received her darshan. RETREAT DAYS Each morning of the retreat begins at 7:30am with a half hour guided meditation led by one of Amma s senior disciples. In their gentle and relaxed manner, they suggest ways to deepen our meditation practice. Following the meditation and breakfast, Swami Amritaswarupananda gives a class. These classes offer a unique opportunity to learn more about Amma s teachings from someone who has lived in her presence for several decades. The classes are interspersed with wonderful personal anecdotes and stories. On the evening of the second retreat day, Amma leads a meditation. Whenever possible (weather and location permitting), the meditation is held outdoors. Following the meditation, Amma holds a special Question and Answer session. This is an opportunity to ask Amma about our spiritual practices or whatever is on our minds. After the evening meditation described above, Amma serves each of us dinner. A meal received from a Mahatma is considered prasad, which means that it is infused with Amma s grace and blessing. IAM INTEGRATED AMRITA MEDITATION TECHNIQUE SM A course in the IAM - Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique SM will be available during the retreat for those interested. Born out of Amma s resolve for the spiritual enhancement of her children, this meditation technique helps to channel our energies, so that we can tap into the unexplored realms of our own talents. It also helps one to relax both physically and mentally, and to lead a tension-free life. These courses are available as a part of all the retreats, with no additional fee for those who are interested. A refresher will also be offered for those who have already completed the IAM meditation course. Please register to participate in the meditation course or refresher when you register for the retreat if interested. Amma has created an IAM for Youth meditation technique especially for young people. Classes will be offered for two age groups: year olds and 15-18* year olds. The course will last approximately 2½ hours - the schedule will only be available at the IAM Table. Parents must sign a permission form which can be obtained at the IAM Table. For more information, please visit the table in the program hall. Please pre-register and submit the permission form before the class. *18 year olds do not need a permission form and have the option of taking this or the standard adult course. Times for the adult IAM course will be available when you check in for the retreat. Page 2

3 RETREAT SCHEDULE FIRST NIGHT Check-In (late check-in continues throughout the evening) Dinner Orientation Satsang (spiritual talk) and bhajans (devotional singing) followed by darshan 3:00pm- 6.00pm 6:00pm-7.00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm SECOND DAY Gentle morning yoga Guided meditation, breakfast, class with Swami Darshan Lunch Video of morning class Bhajan class Meditation with Amma followed by Q&A Dinner served by Amma Satsang and bhajans followed by darshan (darshan only for those who did not receive it in the morning) 6.15am 7.15am 7:30am-10:00am 10:00am-2:00pm 12:30pm-3:00pm 10 minutes after Amma leaves hall 5:00pm 6:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm THIRD DAY Gentle morning yoga Guided meditation, breakfast, class with Swami Darshan Lunch Video of morning class Atma Puja (ceremony for world peace) Dinner begins Devi Bhava Darshan Snack Shop 6.15am 7.15am 7:30am-10:00am 10:00am-2:00pm 12:30pm-3:00pm 10 minutes after Amma leaves hall 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm Open until late Page 3

4 HOW TO REGISTER FOR A RETREAT THREE EASY REGISTRATION OPTIONS: 1. ONLINE (Visa or MasterCard required) * preferred option Register on-line at 2. FAX ** (Visa or MasterCard required) only available until April 5th. Print out both sides of the registration form at the end of this brochure (pages 10 and 11) and fax your completed form including payment information to: MAIL-IN ** (Visa, MasterCard, cheque or money order required) only available until April 5th. Print out both sides of the registration form at the end of this brochure (pages 10 and 11) and mail your completed form including payment information to: M A Centre Gold Coast Retreat PO Box 104 Suffolk Park, NSW 2481 ** Please make sure your Fax or Mail-In registration arrives to MA Centre by Thursday April 5, (so we receive it before the Easter holidays and starting the tour!) Confirmations Once we receive and process your registration we will send you a confirmation letter preferably by or to the address on your registration form. If you have difficulty registering on-line please contact the MA Centre for help: goldcoastretreat@ Amma s Tour and Worldwide Humanitarian Work Contributions towards Amma s 2012 Australian tour are always appreciated. Funds raised cover the costs associated with the tour including airfares, transport and hall hire for public programmes. It is through your generosity that Amma s visit to Australia is possible. If you would like to make a donation towards the tour, or any of Amma s charitable works your contribution can be included with your registration for the retreat. Page 4

5 GOLD COAST APRIL 22-24, 2012 Outrigger Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast AMMA Australia View Avenue, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, QLD 4217 The Outrigger Hotel, right in the heart of Surfers Paradise, is the location for both the residential retreat and Devi Bhava public program. The hotel is a two minute walk from the white sandy beaches of the Gold Coast, Queensland. Surfers Paradise is a 1 hour drive from Brisbane airport and a 30 minute drive from Coolangatta (Gold Coast ) airport. This retreat is on Sunday April 22, Monday April 23, and Tuesday April 24. RETREAT HOUSING OPTIONS: Please note: onsite hotel accommodation is FULL. There is offsite accommodation still available. OPTION ONE: With Accommodations (FULLY BOOKED!) Accommodation will be provided at the Outrigger Surfers Paradise. Registration Fee includes lodging for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights. WITH ACCOMMODATIONS CATEGORIES: Single: For an additional fee, you will have a private room to yourself. You will be assigned a room with a king or double bed, as available at time of room allocation. Double/Roommate Needed: You will be assigned a roommate of the same sex if you make this selection. Your room will have 2 double beds. Your retreat fee will include the cost for your share of the room. Important considerations for Roommate Needed Category: By choosing the Roommate Needed option, you are requesting us to assign you a roommate of the same gender. You also acknowledge that you understand that you are NOT allowed to invite anyone (including friends and/or family members) to stay in this room. If this agreement is violated, you may be required to vacate the room and you will still be held liable for the full amount of your portion of the room cost. If you would like to have the option to invite friends and/or family members into your room, you must NOT choose the Roommate Needed option. Instead you should choose the Roommate Selected option or the Triple option when registering for this retreat. We will not take roommate requests if you register under this category (choose Roommate Selected if you want that option). Important! Please be aware that some people snore or have habits that may not match yours. If this matters to you, you should consider finding your own roommate to register with (Roommate Selected) or selecting a Single room. We cannot make roommate changes. Similarly, please consider finding your own roommate or select a single room if you know that you may disturb others. Page 5

6 Double/Roommate Selected: You and your roommate must register for the retreat on the same registration form in order for us to put you together. Your room will have 2 double beds. We cannot take two separate payments for this option if you register online. Couples: You and your partner must register for the retreat on the same registration form in order for us to put you together. Your room will have one king bed. We cannot take two separate payments for this option if you register online. Triple group: A group of 3 must register for the retreat on the same registration form in order for us to put you together. Your room will have 2 double beds only and you must be prepared to sleep all three people in these two double beds using only the existing bedding in the room. We cannot take separate payments for this option if you register online. Family : You and all your family members must register for the retreat on the same registration form in order for us to put you together. In order to qualify for a family room there must be a maximum of two adults plus children to make up to a maximum of 4 people in any room. Your room will have 2 double beds and all members of the family must use existing bedding in the room. If there are more than 4 total in your family you will have to book into two separate rooms for the retreat or select the off-site option and find accommodation elsewhere. We cannot take separate payments for this option if you register online. Discounts for triple groups and families: Triple groups must register together on the same form and plan to stay together in one room and use only the existing bedding in the room in order to get the discount. The first two people will be charged the With Accommodation fee and the third person will be charged the Without Accommodation fee. Families must register together on the same form and plan to stay together in one room and use only the existing bedding in the room in order to get the discount. The first two people will be charged the With Accommodation fee and the third and fourth person/s MUST be children and will be charged the Without Accommodation fee. Hotel policy only allows us to have 3 people maximum in a room except for in the case of family rooms when they allow 4 people in the room BUT no more than 2 of these people can be adults. Payments: Online retreat registration only accepts one credit card for the total cost of your registration. Some of you who are registering to share a room with family or friends may want to charge your own credit card for just your portion of the retreat fee. In this case, you may print out the registration form, provide two or more credit card numbers (including expiration dates, names on the cards and required signatures), then fax or mail in the form. Everyone sharing a room must be on the same registration form and we must receive your form by April 5 in order for your registration to be valid. We will not be available to collect mail after this date and your forms will not be processed. Important Reminder: The hotels have informed us that you must use your legal name (not your spiritual name) when booking accommodation. So, when registering with M.A. Centre; please be sure to give your legal name. The hotels require this in order to comply with Fire Code laws and will check that the name on your reservation matches your identification. Page 6

7 Option Two: Without Accommodation AMMA Australia 2012 Make this selection when registering if you have arranged for your own accommodations elsewhere. You can find additional hotel information at: Payment: Full payment must be received in order to process your registration. You may only pay with Visa or Master Card if you are registering online or by fax. You may pay with Visa, Master Card, cheque or money order if you are registering by mail. The cheque or money order must be in AUD dollars and drawn on an Australian bank. There is a $25 fee for returned cheques. Please make all payments to: M.A. Centre Aust Pty Ltd. The early bird discount ends at midnight on April 20 th, so please be sure to register before then to get the reduced rates. No concessional rate, partial or one day retreat participation is available and no refund of any portion of the registration fee is available for late arrivals or early departures We are sorry, but no work exchange is available. Everyone gets to participate in doing Seva (selfless service) as part of his or her retreat experience! We ask you to register as soon as you know that you are coming. Last minute registrations place a great burden on the volunteer registration staff. Please do not contact the retreat venue or their staff directly. All questions and comments must be directed to the M.A.Centre. Cancellations and Changes: If mailing or faxing in your registration please make sure to mail early enough so that it arrives at MA Centre BEFORE April 5th. Cancellations must be made by only and received no later than 48 hours prior to the retreat. goldcoastretreat@ Please note the following: There will be a $35 per person retreat cancellation fee. No refunds will be made if cancelling after the 48-hour deadline. Credit card refunds can only be made to the account charged for the original registration. Transferring between retreats is treated as a cancellation & requires that you pay the $35 fee. The hotel will not refund the accommodations charges after April 14, We will only be able to refund the hotel part of your registration fee if we can re book your room, even if you cancel before the 48-hour deadline. Any remaining balance after these charges will be refunded by the end of May Hotel Cancellation Deadlines: The hotel cancellation deadline for this retreat is April 14 th The hotel portion of your registration may not be refunded if you cancel after this date. Page 7

8 Cancellation what ifs: If you registered as Double-Roommate Selected/Couple but one of you needs to cancel (and one will still attend) before the cancellation deadline? On your cancellation notice let us know if we should assign the one still attending the retreat a random roommate of the same sex to share your room or upgrade you to a single room. Your selection will affect the amount that will be refunded for the cancellation, (a single room costs more than a shared room see Retreat Fees and also Cancellations for more info). If the person attending the retreat chooses to share with a random roommate, we will make every attempt to assign one to you but cannot guarantee this especially as we get closer to the retreat. If we cannot fill the space or it is past the hotel cancellation deadline, it will be considered a single room and the refund will be adjusted accordingly. If you registered as a triple or family and a member/s of your group need to cancel before the cancellation deadline then the accommodation charges will be adjusted accordingly, before a refund is given. YOUTH PROGRAMS On the Gold Coast we will be offering a parent sponsored Children s Program for Amma's 2012 visit. Please check the Information Table in the hall for up-to-date information on this program. PARENT S REMINDER ABOUT ALL YOUNG PEOPLE Please watch your children carefully. If they are not with you in the in the Children s Program, they need to be supervised by an adult at all times. Children of all ages are not allowed to roam the hotel, play in elevators or to be in non-program areas. Also, please respect the quiet time needed during meditation with Amma after the evening bhajans and before the morning darshan. Your cooperation helps to create a spiritually uplifting experience for all of Amma's children, big and small. Transport, Parking and Directions Bus transport from Brisbane to the retreat site is available one way only. Cost $25. If you require this service you must include this with your registration fee and mark the box on the registration form. Pickup will be from outside the Walter Burnett Building (Brisbane Tour venue) at 12 noon on Sunday 22 nd April. UPDATE: Chartered Retreat Bus transport from Brisbane is now fully booked. Pubic bus services are still available. For directions, public transport and parking details for the venue, go to this link: Page 8

9 FEES: Please note- Family and Triple discounts detailed above. EARLY REGISTRATION RETREAT FEES Before midnight 20 April Double Occupancy With Accommodations Without Accommodations (FULLY BOOKED!) Adults $ 525 $ 320 Teens years $ 365 $ 160 Ages 6-12 years $ 335 $ 130 Ages 1 5 years $ 290 $ 85 Age under 1 $ 250 $ 45 Single Occupancy Adult $ 760 STANDARD REGISTRATION RETREAT FEES After midnight 20 April Double Occupancy With Accommodations Without Accommodations (FULLY BOOKED!) Adults $555 $ 350 Teens years $395 $ 190 Ages 6-12 years $365 $ 160 Ages 1 5 years $290 $ 85 Age under 1 $250 $ 45 Single Occupancy Adult $760 Note: In order to receive the reduced early bird rate for the retreat your registration must be received before midnight on April 20th. If you want to register for any extra nights at the hotel before the retreat starts or after it finishes please make bookings with the hotel directly. The Outrigger hotel is offering an MA Centre rate for these nights. Please note that Sunday 22, Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 accommodation is already included in your retreat registration fee if you booked your retreat using any of the on-site accommodation options. The link is: _date= You need to use the Promo Code: MATA to get this rate. Cancellations must be made by and received no later than 48 hours prior to the retreat (by April 20) goldcoastretreat@ Page 9

10 Gold Coast Retreat, April 2012 RETREAT REGISTRATION FORM Office use only Ck #: Rec'd: Conf Sent: Spiritual Name: (Legal Name) First Name: Surname: Phone: ( ) Mobile: Address: State: Post Code: DETAILS FOR THOSE ATTENDING RETREAT : ACCOMMODATION STATUS: (please see retreat brochure for details) COUPLE TRIPLE FAMILY SINGLE ROOM ROOMMATE SELECTED NEED ROOMMATE WITHOUT ACCOMMODATIONS Legal Names (First, Surname) Gender Age 1st With Without *Bus Total Retreat Accom Accom FULL per person 1. M / F Y / N $ FULL $ $ 2. M / F Y / N $ FULL $ $ 3. M / F Y / N $ FULL $ $ 4. M / F Y / N $ FULL $ $ * UPDATE: Bus transport from Brisbane is now fully booked. RETREAT TOTAL $ Donations Tour Orphanage AIMS Hospital Widows Pensions $ (Please tick one). Thank you. Payment: Visa Mastercard Cash Cheque Money Order TOTAL PAID : $ Cardholders Name: Card Number: CVV: Expiry Date: / Signature: Phone contact number for cardholder: PLEASE MAKE ALL CHEQUES AND MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO MA CENTRE AUST PTY LTD IN AUD DOLLARS AND DRAWN ON AN AU BANK. IAM - INTEGRATED AMRITA MEDITATION TECHNIQUE SM COURSE: NAMES: IAM - INTEGRATED AMRITA MEDITATION TECHNIQUE SM REFRESHER: NAMES: SPECIAL ACCOMMODATION NEEDS: _ REGISTER ONLINE AT MAIL COMPLETED REGISTRATION FORM WITH FULL PAYMENT TO: GOLD COAST RETREAT PO BOX 104, SUFFOLK PARK, NSW 2481 OR FAX TO : GOLDCOASTRETREAT@AMMAAUSTRALIA.ORG.AU PHONE ** Please make sure your Mail-In and Fax registration arrives before Thursday April 5, so we receive it before the Easter holidays and leaving for the tour! Page 10

11 SELFLESS SERVICE at the Gold Coast ( please fill in and forward with your registration). Retreat Seva Amma asks everyone to participate in seva to get the full retreat experience. You will be assigned around three hours of seva per retreat. Seva is the Sanskrit word for selfless service, and includes such tasks as chopping vegetables and washing dishes. Please bring closed toed shoes with you for kitchen seva. Specific Seva: If you would like to volunteer for any of these sevas, please provide the names(s) of the person(s) in the allotted space. Extra shift. We always need extra help at the retreat. Please register here if you can offer more than one 3 hour shift. Name(s): First evening. If you know you will arrive by 4pm on the 1st day, we may schedule your shift between 4pm and 8:30pm. Name(s): Retreat site clean up: Help with clean-up Wednesday morning. This is in addition to your regular assigned shift. Name(s): Help us assign the best seva shift for you by carefully filling out below. Please select all that apply for each registrant: 1. Name: SIGN ME UP FOR ANYTHING NO HEAVY LIFTING NO REPETITIVE MOTION SITTING SEVA 2. Name: SIGN ME UP FOR ANYTHING NO HEAVY LIFTING NO REPETITIVE MOTION SITTING SEVA 3. Name: SIGN ME UP FOR ANYTHING NO HEAVY LIFTING NO REPETITIVE MOTION SITTING SEVA 4. Name: SIGN ME UP FOR ANYTHING NO HEAVY LIFTING NO REPETITIVE MOTION SITTING SEVA 5. Name: SIGN ME UP FOR ANYTHING NO HEAVY LIFTING NO REPETITIVE MOTION SITTING SEVA Other Considerations: Time Constraints: Do you have constraints on when you can do Seva? If so, please note below the times you are NOT available. Name(s): Special Needs: Do you have any special needs (bad back, elderly, etc.) which may affect your seva preferences? Name(s): Please note: At this time we are uncertain of the exact number of volunteers we will need. Not everyone who volunteers will receive these seva categories. Page 11