Do we dare to turn towards suffering or even the joy of the world? Do we dare to remain open to experience and see the truth of situations unfold? Do we dare to respond? Subtly, we turn away from life and dull down. This retreat will challenge this habitual response and give you the tools to turn towards experience and embrace it with the love and responsiveness of the Brahmaviharas. We will engage with the Brahmaviharas drawing out both their active and receptive components and show how they can be a complete path to awakening.

Sadhana is the main expression of the principle of spiritual rebirth in the Order. During this retreat we will contemplate the evolution of sadhana as an Order practice and explore the stages through which sadhana plays out. As well as being redolent with rich images from the sambhogakaya, sadhana also requires presence, inviting the accomplishment of both tranquillity and insight, shamatha and vipashyana. We will explore how these qualities relate to the dynamic or unfolding of sadhana, suggesting practical ways of evoking the samayasattva, the imaginal sense of the Buddha or Bodhisattva which we conjure up. And we’ll explore the…

Metta is seen as a great potential source of happiness in the Buddhist tradition – an openness to and love of life in all its forms – which spontaneously manifests as compassion and joy. Yet the cultivation of metta can sometimes seem very ‘heady’, at times forced and dry. How can our practice of kindly awareness gain fresh inspiration? On this retreat, we will explore opening to metta as an innate quality of our body, heart and being – literally embodying love. Becoming and being truly embodied is not just a preliminary practice, but integral to the whole path. We will look at…

“Just Sitting” is perhaps the most regal of all meditation practices. It could even be said that it goes beyond meditation. When asked how to practice “just sitting,” Sangharakshita simply replied, “You just sit.” This captures the essence. However, many find that “just sitting” often turns into endless mental chatter. This compulsive, deluded thinking, known as prapanca, is not the true nature of just sitting. Clearly, this is not what Sangharakshita intended. How do we truly embrace this simple practice? During this retreat, we’ll explore direct and effective methods to quiet the mental noise. This will allow wakeful, spacious awareness…

In the Bahiya Sutta of the Udana we not only find an inspiring story of one person’s spiritual quest and awakening, but also a simple yet profound guide to meditation. The Buddha instructs Bahiya: “…as regards things seen, heard, sensed or cognised, there will be in the seen only the seen, in the heard only the heard, in the sensed only the sensed, in the cognised only the cognised.” In other words, the Buddha invited Bahiya to remain present with what is, without overlaying, projecting or reading anything whatsoever into his experience. On this retreat we’ll cultivate clarity, metta and…

Bodhicitta – the awakening heart – is both the heart–response of wisdom to the suffering of living beings everywhere and the urge to realise full awakening for the benefit of all. This retreat will focus on love, compassion, joy and equanimity – the four ‘divine abodes’ or brahmaviharas – in the context of cultivating bodhicitta. To support this, we’ll also introduce tonglen, the ‘sending and receiving’ practice which opens the heart to universal compassion. The divine abodes are also known as the ‘boundless states’,¬ because they are inclusive of all living beings without exception. The practices that we’ll explore together…