AMIDA FRANCE BOOKINGS

booking information form

Amida Trust, 12 Coventry Rd Narborough LE19 2GR tel:+44 (0)116.286.7476

Thank you for booking to stay at Amida, France.
We hope you will enjoy your stay and find it a good experience. Here is some information that may be useful:

ADDRESS: Amida Centre, La Ville an Roi, 18210 Bessais le Fromental, Cher, France.
TELEPHONE: + 33 (0)2 48 60 70 19.

WHAT TO BRING
- Casual clothes, warm in winter, light in summer
- Comfortable shoes for walking or working (wellies or boots in winter)
- Sheets, pillowcase; blankets & towels can be provided (we have some sheets. check in advance if you would like to travel light)
- A sleeping bag is needed if you are camping or in winter
- A torch
- Tent if camping (we have one or two that can be borrowed if not in use)
- Medical or other insurance as desired; from UK: apply for a European insurance card from your post office

Depending on the activities you are going to be doing, you may also want to bring:
- Musical instruments or art materials
- Meditation cushion (we have cushions, but you may prefer your own)       
- Sports or play materials including swimming things, as we have lakes nearby      
We keep a supply of work clothes and extra t-shirts and jumpers at the centre, so we can usually find extra clothes if you need them.

If you have unwanted equipment you would like to contribute to the centre, we could make good use of any of the following: bedding, blankets, pillows or sleeping bags; cushions; tents; mats; bikes; gardening tools. 

COST: Amida Trust is a charity registered in the UK. We ask you to contribute financially for your stay, and generally suggest between 20euros and 40euros per person per day in summer. In deciding what to pay, take into account your own income and your contribution to the Trust's work in other ways. Money covers food, other living costs, and running expenses. For longer stays, discuss a suitable contribution.

ACCOMMODATION: There are shared rooms in the house, smaller single rooms in outbuildings, and camping. We have one meditation hut for individual retreats, and hope to build more. Please let us know if you have special needs, and we will try to help you meet them.

PRACTICE: The Amida Order is a Pureland Buddhist group. Pureland is an authentic Buddhist tradition that is extremely widespread in the East. Amida offers the opportunity to participate in this tradition in the West. You can read more about the roots of Pureland practice on our web site or in the recent books by Dharmavidya: Who Loves Dies Well and Prasada: The Other Buddhism (Both published by O-Books). In brief, our practice is devotional and centres on the Nembutsu, or the calling of the Buddha’s name. This takes a number of forms, generally involving chanting in a number of styles and rhythms. Morning, mid-day and evening, we practice nembutsu whilst walking and sitting. We have periods of silent contemplation and also share in a variety of liturgy. As a visitor you are welcome to join in this practice. We give regular introductions to the practice, but if you are unclear what we are doing, please do ask for any explanation you require. In addition to the formal practice, there are talks, seminars, sutra readings and discussions, which may centre on practice and training, general topics or global issues. We also have community meetings where we can talk about your personal practice and group experience. Private interviews with a Buddhist teacher are possible in most training periods.

As a guest at Amida France you can create a balance between private time and community life and between expressive activities and contemplative or devotional ones. There are beautiful paths for walking meditation, and plenty of space for private contemplation. Solitary retreats are possible in the retreat hut or by camping in more distant fields. Our practice includes sharing daily tasks, and work in the gardens and on buildings. Community is an important aspect of the practice. We invite visitors to participate in the community life.

Amida lifestyle is based on Buddhist precepts. We do not eat meat, or consume alcohol on site. Please join us in creating this atmosphere by behaving responsibly, avoiding sexual misconduct, respecting living things, sharing and co-operating with others. We hope you will have a very satisfying experience during your stay.

OTHER PRACTICALITIES

SAFETY: Please work and play in ways that are sensitive to the environment, matters of safety and the needs of others. At Amida we do all we can to ensure the safety of our visitors. We cannot, however, be liable for any accidents which occur on site. Please take care, especially if working with gardening, wood cutting, or building tools. Power tools and dangerous chemicals should not be used by any visitor except with the specific permission of the community leader, and then only with suitable protective clothing. Anyone using such tools does so at their own risk. Access to the sections of the large barn where tools and other equipment are stored is not permitted for under 16s unless accompanied by an adult, and should, in any case, be kept to functional purposes. We would also like to remind you that visitors stay at the centre at their own risk.
CHILDREN: Children are welcome at Amida by arrangement. There is plenty of space, and lots of local attractions for them. The countryside can also be dangerous, so, depending on their age, children will need supervision. Children remain the responsibility of their parent or guardian at all times. Some people come to Amida for quiet retreats and this needs to be respected. For this reason we ask families to camp so when there are silent times these can be kept. Parents should also be aware that they may be limited in how much they can participate in the centre activities. Although other visitors are often happy to help out with childcare, you cannot rely on this.
PHONE & INTERNET: The international phone number is +33.2.48.60.70.19. If you phone us from within France, the number is 02.48.60.70.19. You should phone us from Paris if you wish to be collected from the station at St Amand Montrond. A phone card (Carte telephonique) is obtainable at news stands. The house phone receives incoming calls, but only outgoing local calls, so you may need to go to the village to make long distance calls. Cheap rate calls are made after 8.00pm French time. If people want to phone you, please ask them not to ring after 9.00pm French time. Between 6.00pm and 8.00pm is a good time to catch people. This year we have wi-fi in the house, so if you bring your lap top you will be able to access the internet. We hope also to have a computer on line for guest use.
TRANSPORT: There are no local bus services, so if you want to explore the area, do consider bringing a car or hiring one locally. If you can offer lifts from UK or elsewhere please let us know in good time and we will try to put you in touch with people who would like to share costs. Having a car is particularly useful for families as it takes a hour to walk to the lake. We can generally offer some lifts to the swimming places or to local towns, but this will be restricted depending on numbers on site and the number of available vehicles.

GETTING TO US:
BY CAR: From Calais (7-8hrs). Autoroute from Calais to Paris (toll). From Paris: Periferique interieur (clockwise) to at Porte d'Italie, A6 (signed Lyons) to Montagis, then N7 to St Piere Moutier, south of Nevers, then approach Amida via Sancoins. Alternatively take the autoroutes via Orleans & Bourges to St Amand. Ferry companies: For latest offers go to www.ferrysavers.com. You can often get a good discount on tickets booked before mid January. Accommodation en route: accommodation in France is cheap, try country hotels (Auberge de ferme). For ease, Formule 1 and other chain motels in most big towns and on motorways at around 29E per night for a room with double bed & single bunk. Clean, pleasant. Booking, which can be done on the web, is recommended. Finding us by car: Find Bessais le Fromental on the road between St Amand Montrond and Sancoins. Ask us for a local map if needed. In Bessais leave main road on north side. Enter the village square (with church). Take the road beside (right of) the church, sign posted Ville au Roi, and turn left into "D" road out of village. Follow this half a mile, before taking a right fork (the second) signed to Ville au Roi. This takes you down hill, past a turkey farm, before winding over a stream and disused canal. You will see a house ahead of you which belongs to our neighbour. If you turn immediately after it, you will find yourself facing Amida Centre. If you can offer anyone a lift, let us know and we'll try to match you up with someone who needs transport.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT: UK to Paris: Air lines; Rail: Eurostar; Coach: (cheapest) Eurolines. Check you have time to cross Paris and catch the train. Last train leaves Paris about 6.00pm. From Paris: Train from Paris Austerlitz to St Amand Montrond (Montlucon line, some change at Vierzon). Beware there are 17 St Amands in France. Get the right one! Phone for lift from station. We charge 15E for a car journey to pick you up or drop you at the station.

Accommodation in Paris: (recommended by other Amida visitors)
Centres International de Paris: Comfortable hostels, small rooms
- Paris Louvre, 20, Rue JJ Rousseau, 1er quartier. tel:42.36.88.18
- Paris Opera, 11 Rue Therese, 1er tel:42.60.77.23
- Paris les Halles, 5 rue du Pelican, 1er tel:40.26.92.45
- Paris Quartier Latin, 44 Rue des Bernavdins, 5me tel:43.29.34.80 (Nr Austelitz Stn)
Mike's Hotel, 122 Boulevard de la Chapelle, 75018, Paris Metro Barbes-Rochochauart line4
Hotel Place de Clichy, 71 Rue de Douai, 75009 tel:48.74.76.41 (nr champs Elyses)
Studios in Paris: The Kwan Um School of Zen has studios that they rent in Paris. You can find details of the studios at www.maisonzen.com or contact Grazyna Perl on +33 (0)1 44 87 08 13
Changing money: It is best to change money at your own bank, travel agency or in Paris. Local banks give poor rates. Please be ready to pay in francs on arrival. Credit cards widely used for petrol, motorway tolls, rail tickets & supermarkets.