Arctic Circle, Midnight Sun, Great Perfection
Buddhist Wilderness Retreat in Lapland

Ylläs, Finland
Saturday 8 August - Saturday 16 August 2009

575 € per person
Includes free stopover nights (see Special Offer below)
Costs for children on application
Contact Maria Tarvas mariatarvas@gmail.com

Programme
Ngala Rig’dzin Dorje and Tsal’gyür Wangmo will offer a varied programme from the Dzogchen Buddhist tradition. Dzogchen revels in the great outdoors. The homeland of Dzogchen ranges from the high valleys of the Himalayas to the jungles of Bengal; from Montana to Toscana; on mountains of Finnish granite or Welsh slate. Wherever the elements of nature dramatically perform, that is the ideal meditation place. Every day there will be a mix of meditation practice, teachings and transmissions, exercises and recreations. Groups and individuals can make miniature pilgrimages out into a visionary landscape for walking and sitting meditation, physical yogas, riding and archery. All clearly, thoroughly and entertainingly introduced from the heart of Buddhism.

Location
Thirteen thousand years ago the last ice-age sculpted the high mountains of Finnish Lapland into round-topped mountains called fells. Thenceforth the long, dark, cold winters and short, brilliantly light summers grooved their characteristics into the environment. This region has been inhabited since the Stone Age, mainly by the native Sámi people. Over time new Finnish settlements were also established along the river shores. In parts of Lapland the two cultures can be found separately and in other places melded together.

The fells which govern the landscape are distinctive to Ylläs, surrounded by untouched forests and swamps. It is a pristine, beautiful enviroment beneath the silhouette of the fells, famous walking country with many marked trails. Nearby is Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, one of the largest in Finland. The air quality has been officially assessed as the finest in Europe.

Accommodation
Three houses beside a lovely small spring-water lake amid silent, untouched nature. Each house with its own living rooms, showers and bathrooms. Two to four people per room. Comfortable dining room big enough for the whole group. Our experienced chef will serve tasty home cooking and prepare packed lunches. The sauna beside the lake will be heated up for use every night. Luxurious professional massage also available.

Childrens’ programme
Parents are invited to participate in shifts for a childcare scheme. Together parents will be able to arrange different kinds of excursions and activities. Swimming, archery and different kinds of outdoor games will be possible, as well as short hiking trips and canoeing. There is an animal park nearby with many varieties of creatures, including reindeer.

Personal tributes to Lapland
"Lapland means space for me. The round-shaped fells are extremely feminine and combined with rough rocks, small trees and the special spectrum of light it creates an atmosphere where is easy to be and to breathe." - Eve

"Hiking on the fells in Lapland has been a special physical and mental experience of interaction with the nature around me. You can experience your own body, your breathing, the vast sky and silence." - Mervi

"The feeling of being in the north always comes from the impression of the sky and horizon being very dominant. The long distances one can see from the top of the fells makes everything look very vast and at same time the whole world curls up into something which makes it hard to say where oneself ends and the outside view begins. The busy mind relaxes in itself just by being in the nature. There is a vivid contrast between the great wilderness being at most a few kilometres away, wherever you are, and the tiny number of people in the midst of it. Somehow that makes each individual more distinctive. The colourful rocks covered with lichen, small fell rivers, curved tiny trees all breath the tough northern climate. The Lapland is a place where small things come to life and show the beauty of north." - Lassi

"It is easy to resonate with the spacious environment and detailed landscape while hiking in the fells of Lapland. One can experience the relaxed ordinariness of being without any effort. " - Mé-sèl

"To me the most touching thing in Lapland is its incredible colours. They change with every day and season. It is impossible to describe them, they have to be experienced!" - Maria