Non-Center Course at Occidental, CA in December
This page gives a brief overview of the facilities of the non-center 10-day course at a rented retreat center in Occidental, CA this December.
Please note that this course does not have comparable facilities to the established centers in our tradition, such as:
Covid-19 Protocols
Last year, approximately 40 of the course participants got Covid during the course and had to leave early.
Health Waiver Form
Upon your arrival on Day 0, you will be required to read and sign this Health Waiver form before starting the course.
Please do not send us the signed document ahead of time.
Weather
Course capacity
About 270 students and servers will be sitting in close proximity together during the required group sessions in the meditation hall, and in the dining hall during mealtimes. This increases the probability of exposure to colds, Covid and other infectious diseases. Please reconsider and avoid attending if you are immunocompromised.
Please see the images below for a visual idea of the conditions:
The Meditation Hall and men’s and women’s dining halls are all in one huge common multipurpose room. The kitchen is in a separate room off this huge room, in the same building, directly leading into the dining areas. The dining areas and meditation areas are separated by partitions and curtains and do not stop sound as the volunteers work to set up meals. Although the volunteers take precautions to keep noise to a minimum, some noise is inevitable due to the setup of the multipurpose room. Some students have expressed that they find the conditions somewhat cramped in the Meditation Hall and dining halls. Others don’t seem to mind. If you are someone who feels uncomfortable in close situations, we recommend that you reconsider attending a course at this site.
The Hall from outside:
Some images of the seating and dining areas are shown below:
Accommodation
- !!Single rooms are not available at this course!!
As this is an off-center course, housing options are limited. Everyone has to share a cabin with 11 other people. (Please apply to an established center in our tradition if you require single room accommodation or if you would not be comfortable in a 12-person cabin sleeping in a bunk bed.) Each of the cabins has six pairs of bunk beds as shown in the image below. The bathrooms and toilet block are not attached to the cabins and require that you walk outside to reach them.
Language restrictions
Course instructions are provided in English only, other languages are not available.
Interpreters or phones along with hearing enhanced aids (which are available at established centers) are also not available.
Local Contacts requirements
You will be asked to provide the name and phone number of a local emergency contact within 4 hours driving distance of Occidental, CA. Students applying from other states and countries should take note of this requirement.
Long walks to accommodation
The 12-person rooms are located on the slope of a hill, at a considerable walking distance from the Meditation Hall and dining halls. Heavy rains and winds can make this a bit of a challenge, so please come prepared accordingly with rain gear and appropriate footwear.
