Welcome to Karuna Meditation Center
Karuna Meditation Center is Thailand's premiere meditation center offering crystal-clear meditation instruction and guidance in English. The center is located in Phuket and enjoys a serene and peaceful setting on a lush, tropical island. You'll find the facility is nestled on a hill near the gorgeous Andaman Sea, well out of the tsunami zone, yet very accessible to area beaches.KMC strives to provide a high-quality, yet inexpensive meditation environment and first rate facilities, including: a contemplative forest walking area, an outdoor yoga sala (pavilion), swimming pool, Thai décor, spacious rooms, aircon throughout the center, vegetarian meals and several outdoor dining areas. Area beaches are a short taxi ride away. All of these serve to enhance your retreat experience while remaining conducive to your cultivation of focused awareness.
Karuna Meditation Center is a place for earnest and joyful practice of the core liberation teachings of the Buddha. The retreat center operates on the principal of noble silence, which is conducive to calming & settling the mind to foster the development of insight. Dharma talks, yoga instruction, and bi-weekly meditation interviews are times for intentional speech - the balance of the time is quiet and reflective.
All of the teachers at the center are accomplished Western practitioners with substantial experience in deep meditation retreat. KMC's teachers provide a range of assistance from beginning instruction to advanced guidance and focus on the core practices of Buddhism: mindfulness, awakening and methods leading directly to realization.
The principal meditation focus is mindfulness of breathing, of feeling tones and of mind. These are in concert with loving kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity practices. As you focus on the heart of the Buddha's teaching, you may find your practice becomes more deep, more rich and that you have a greater understanding of the practice. That is one of the functions of serious quiet retreat – to allow an expansion of experiential understanding.
The retreat is on-going and has a purposeful & intentional focus which shifts each month. Every meditation session begins with development of Shamata – the practice of calm abiding. The second part of the meditation session uses the calm mind as a base for vipasanna or insight and the development of wisdom.
These bases include mindfulness of body, mindfulness of feeling tones or vedana, and mindfulness of mind. Each base is the subject of an entire month's teaching & practice and this facilitates a deeper experiential understanding and awakening. Teachings are given on both the calming aspects of meditation practice and the investigative elements involved with each of these bases of mindfulness.
Practitioners may enter the retreat at any time, with any level of experience, or from any meditation background as the center is non-sectarian – all are welcome. Yoga is held once each day for 1½ hours and is optional, though encouraged. No prior meditation or yoga experience is assumed or required.
The center is in the heart of Buddhist Asia, yet is only minutes from world-class beaches, dining, and shopping. Several modern western medical facilities provide the opportunity to receive first-rate health care at a very reasonable price. Thai or Swedish oil massage is inexpensive and also readily available nearby. You'll discover everything you need is easily available and very close.
Long-term, discounted residential meditation opportunities exist for those who are seriously committed to their spiritual path. KMC also has a partnership with a local school, whereby the costs of retreat may be supplemented through service programs such as teaching English through TEFL Phuket.
Please feel free to contact us with any question you may have, reserve your retreat time, or register now.
