VIPASSANA Meditation Retreat

Simple single rooms with separate toilets/showers are available. Meals are simple but sufficient. Life at Stift Altenburg monastery is limited to the essentials, allowing you to truly relax. Towels and bed linen are provided in the rooms for your stay, and the room is cleaned at the beginning and end of your stay.

Meals during the retreat are served twice a day (breakfast and lunch) in accordance with traditional Vipassana retreat procedures. Vegetarian dishes made from organic ingredients are served, and fish/meat and a third meal per day are also available on request. Please note that retreat meals are served according to Buddhist tradition, i.e., no solid food is eaten after 2 p.m. If you have metabolic problems or are prone to low blood sugar, please let us know in advance so that we can organize a third meal for you.

The Vipassana retreat is practiced according to Buddhist tradition, alternating between formal and informal practice. Each hour consists of 50 minutes of meditative practice and a 10-minute break. Formal practice is done sitting, standing, or walking, while informal sessions also include moving, dynamic forms of meditation (such as Qi Gong). In this way, sitting in silence is kept "alive" by more active forms of meditation. The day begins with the first meditation session at 8 a.m., and the last meditation ends at 9 p.m. After the lunch break (1-2 p.m.), there is an opportunity to practice walking meditation outdoors for 1 hour. The entire Vipassana retreat is spent in silence, with one opportunity per day to reflect on the practice with an experienced meditation teacher. The basic price of €260 covers the costs of accommodation and meals. The retreat is held in accordance with Buddhist tradition according to the DANA principle (free giving).

The Vipassana retreat takes place in the beautiful Benedictine monastery of Stift Altenburg in Lower Austria. Arrival by car: From Vienna via the A22/E49 (B4, then B2) to Horn, then towards Zwettl (B 38) 6 km to Altenburg.

By public transport: Take the Franz-Josefs-Bahn from Vienna to Horn, then take the bus or taxi from Horn to Altenburg. Take the Franz-Josefs-Bahn from Vienna to Hadersdorf, then take the Kamptalbahn to Rosenburg, and from Rosenburg take a taxi or bus to Altenburg.

From St. Pölten to Horn by train (direct or with a change in Hadersdorf), from Horn by bus to Altenburg. Bus connections can be found by calling 05 1717 (Postbus customer service). Plan your route using the ÖBB timetable.