From February 10 to 18, my 7th, full-fledged meditation retreat took place. Of these 7, 3 times I was in Deepabhagavan on the island of Koh Samui, in Thailand. I would love to find an even better one, but for now this is optimally the best option of all the places I’ve been. The first time I was in 2016, then somewhere- then in 2018 and now, in 2023. All three times were different from each other, but there was something in common. The entire retreat takes place in silence. This is a meditation retreat in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism - no standing on nails or Tarot readings. Only practices rooted in thousand-year history. Basic practices 4: Meditation on breathing in a sitting or standing position. Meditation while walking. Meditation of loving kindness “Metta” Singing of sacred Pali texts (this is a new thing, by the way, they have not sung before). All practices are included in the schedule, which practically does not change throughout the retreat. It’s very easy to adjust to the schedule - the beginning and end of each practice is accompanied by a series of blows on the gong. Bommm - that means it’s time to have lunch. Bommmm - that means it’s time to go to the meditation hall, sitting meditation. Bommmm - it means it’s time to change sitting meditation to walking meditation. Now about food: They feed you twice - breakfast in the morning and lunch at 11:30. According to Thai tradition, it is important not to eat after noon, but there is a saving evening cocoa at 17:30 - they usually give either a banana or some kind of tasty treat, a la “to kill the worm.” The food is Thai, it’s delicious, and it’s important to come to the dining room early - usually delicious food is sold out the fastest. “Early bird gets a worm” - the British say in such cases. The internal “comparator”, of course, noted that this time the food was poorer than in previous times - there were no desserts and the menu was rather monotonous. I don’t know why, but even in this truncated form, the food is very tasty for the European stomach. About the presenters. This retreat was English speaking. Before that, I was on a Russian-language retreat with the already famous Ajahn Hubert, and on one retreat without teachers, with his video recording. This retreat was led by three Europeans - I silently called them “Old Man”, “Pierre” and “Granny”. The old man is a smiling, rustic-looking European who has been helping organize retreats here for 20 (!!!) years. Pierre is a man with glasses, he looks stern, but his eyes are tired and he can feel the wounds in his soul. Spanish Granny is the most interesting. Warm eyes, great diligence in practice and warm care for everyone. I have no idea how long she has been serving, but there is a feeling that she is too alive for a Buddhist monastery. Money. Payment for the retreat is donated. Any amount, no one checks. Judging by how the monastery is developing during my absence, such a payment system is profitable.