Terms & Conditions

01These terms

These terms govern your booking of, and participation in, a residential meditation retreat at Rideekanda Forest Monastery, Udasgiriya, Yatawatta, Matale, Sri Lanka. In them, “the monastery”, “we” and “us” mean Rideekanda Forest Monastery; “you” means the person named on the booking.

By completing a booking — whether through our WeTravel page or directly with us — you confirm that you have read these terms, that the information you have given us is true, and that you agree to be bound by them.

Where a specific retreat listing states something different from these terms, the listing for the retreat you booked takes precedence.

02Booking through WeTravel

Places are booked and paid for through our listings on WeTravel, an independent booking and payment platform. WeTravel handles the payment; it is not the organiser of the retreat and it does not run the monastery. Your use of that platform is also subject to WeTravel's own terms of service and privacy policy, which you accept when you book there.

WeTravel charges its own service fee in addition to the amounts we charge. That fee is paid to WeTravel, not to the monastery, and is shown to you before you confirm.

A booking is confirmed once the deposit has been received. Retreats are deliberately small — ordinarily one to fifteen participants — so places are limited and are allocated in the order bookings are completed.

You must answer the application questions honestly and completely, particularly those about your health. We may decline or cancel a booking where the answers given were not accurate, or where we judge in good faith that a retreat is not suitable for the applicant.

03Fees and rates

The teaching itself is not sold. It is offered on a dāna (donation) basis, in keeping with the Forest Tradition. Any offering you choose to make is voluntary, is made at the end of the retreat if you wish to make one, and supports the teacher and the monastic community. Nothing in these terms obliges you to give.

What you pay when booking covers accommodation and meals only, at the following rates, per person, per day:

All amounts are in United States dollars. Rates are those published on the listing for the retreat you book; where a listing shows a different rate, the listing applies. WeTravel's service fee is additional (clause 2).

04Deposit and payment

A booking deposit of USD 20 secures your place and covers materials and administrative placement. The deposit is non-refundable in all circumstances except where the monastery cancels the retreat (clause 5.2).

The balance may be paid in advance through WeTravel or on arrival at the monastery. Where you have paid in full in advance, the refund rules in clause 5 apply to the balance.

05Cancellation and refunds

5.1  If you cancel

Send a written cancellation request through the WeTravel platform or by email to rideekanda@gmail.com before the retreat start date. On receiving it we will refund the balance you have paid — that is, everything except the USD 20 deposit and WeTravel's service fees, which we do not receive and cannot return.

Refunds are made to the method used for payment. WeTravel's own processing times apply.

If you leave part-way through a retreat, or do not arrive, the fee for the retreat is not refunded. Please talk to us if your circumstances are exceptional; we would rather hear from you than not.

5.2  If we cancel

If the monastery cancels a retreat because of unforeseen circumstances, you receive a 100% refund of all monies paid to us, including the deposit. We are not otherwise liable for costs you may have incurred, such as flights or other travel arrangements — see clause 11.

06What is included

Your stay includes:

• Breakfast and lunch each day, and a light dinner — usually soup or porridge
• Vegetarian and vegan meals
• Tea and coffee stations, available at any time
• Fresh mountain spring water
• Bedding and linen
• Laundry
• Meditation mats, pillows and chairs — you need not bring your own
• Wi-Fi, for essential needs

Please bring your own toiletries — soap, shampoo, toothpaste and the like. Travel to and from the monastery is not included.

07Arrival and departure

We strongly recommend arriving in the morning or early afternoon. The final stretch of road is rough and unsuitable for cars, and arriving in daylight gives you time to settle before the evening programme begins. Route guidance, in English and Sinhala, is on our Retreat Documents page.

The daily programme runs from waking at 5.30 in the morning to night rest at 10.00 at night; the full timetable is on the Daily Routine page.

On leaving, please return your accommodation in the same or better condition than you found it.

08Health and suitability

A seven-day retreat asks a great deal of the mind and the body. Please read this clause carefully and answer our application questions honestly — it exists to keep you safe, not to exclude you.

8.1  Mental health

If you live with PTSD or severe trauma, a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, severe clinical depression, a dissociative disorder, or active substance addiction, the deep introspection of a seven-day retreat may be overwhelming or potentially harmful.

We ask you to be honest about your health history. If you would rather discuss it privately than write it on a form, please telephone us instead — see clause 16.

8.2  Physical health

The monastery stands in steep, mountainous country, and reaching the meditation hall, the dining hall and the accommodation means climbing and descending steps several times a day. If you have a recent injury, chronic knee or back pain, a heart condition, or any difficulty climbing stairs, this may not be a suitable place for you.

8.3  Your acknowledgement

By completing a booking, I acknowledge that Rideekanda Forest Monastery does not take responsibility for any health issues — physical or mental — that may arise during my stay at the retreat.

Nothing here excludes any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

09Conduct at the monastery

This is a working monastery, not a hotel. The following are conditions of your stay.

9.1  Dress

White or light-coloured clothing that covers the body is required. Revealing, tight-fitting or brightly coloured clothing is not permitted.

9.2  Silence

Maintaining silence is a fundamental aspect of the retreat. Silence must be strictly observed during designated quiet hours and meditation sessions.

9.3  What is not permitted

• Smoking, alcohol, and drugs other than those prescribed to you
• Singing, musical instruments and other disruptive entertainment
• Littering, harming the plants or animals of the forest, or feeding wildlife
• Pets, anywhere on the premises

9.4  Devices

Electronic devices are strongly discouraged. Telephone calls and loud conversation are not permitted during meditation hours.

9.5  If these are not observed

Where a participant's conduct disturbs the retreat or the monastic community, we may ask them to leave. In that event no refund is given.

10Accommodation and the premises

Rooms are allocated by the monastery. We may move you to comparable accommodation where we need to.

Please treat the buildings, the forest and the equipment with care. You are responsible for loss or damage you cause beyond ordinary wear.

Bring only what you need. The monastery does not accept responsibility for money or valuables you bring with you.

11Travel, visas and insurance

You are responsible for your own travel to and from Sri Lanka and to the monastery, and for holding a valid passport and any visa or entry permission Sri Lanka requires of you. We cannot advise on immigration matters.

We strongly recommend travel insurance covering medical treatment, repatriation and cancellation. The monastery does not provide insurance of any kind, and does not reimburse travel costs if a retreat is cancelled or if you are unable to attend.

There is no resident doctor. In a medical emergency we will help you reach care in Matale, but the cost of any treatment is yours.

12Photography

We occasionally photograph retreats and publish a small number of images on this website and on the monastery's social media pages. If you would prefer not to appear in them, tell any of the resident monks or write to us at any time — before, during or after your stay — and we will keep you out of them, or remove an image already published.

Please do not photograph other participants without their agreement, and respect the silence when doing so.

13Changes to the programme

The daily routine described on this site is the usual shape of a retreat day, and may vary with the nature of each programme, the weather, observance days, or the needs of the group. The teacher may adjust the sequence of practice as the retreat unfolds. Such variations are part of the retreat and are not grounds for a refund.

We may amend these terms. The version published here at the time you book is the one that applies to your booking, and the date it was last changed is shown at the top of this page.

14Responsibility

You take part in the retreat, and use the monastery's grounds and facilities, at your own risk, and you are responsible for your own wellbeing throughout your stay (clause 8).

We are not responsible for events outside our reasonable control — among them severe weather, landslides, flooding, loss of power or water, illness, civil disturbance, or government restriction. Where such an event forces us to cancel a retreat, clause 5.2 applies.

Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or any other liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

15Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of Sri Lanka, and the courts of Sri Lanka have jurisdiction over any dispute arising from them.

If any part of these terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest continues to apply.

We would far rather resolve a difficulty by talking. Please write to us first.

16Contact