The Cardiff Buddhist Centre have just hosted their first Bed and Breakfast retreat on the theme of the Bodhisattva training. A Bed and Breakfast retreat is where one sangha invites people from other Triratna sanghas to come and stay with members of their sangha - who provide them with bed and breakfast - so they can join them on retreat. 

Kamalagita, the Chair of the Cardiff Buddhist Centre writes: “We promised guests a ‘Warm, Welsh Welcome’ (Croeso, Cynnes Cymraeg) and they came from Bristol, Devon, Worcester, Shrewsbury and even Hertfordshire and Hastings! The shrine room was packed with 25 participants, a wonderful mix of guest and local Sangha members.

When discussing the theme, Vajragupta and I wanted something that would make a big impact and offer peace and clarity in our troubled times. We decided on the Bodhicaryavatara, a training text to become a Bodhisattva, a Dharma warrior. This uncompromising text is a gem in learning how to act with wisdom and compassion in the world. It has a special place in Triratna as we are practicing the Dharma in our busy, modern lives and was the first text that Sangharakshita chose to study with a group of Order members.

There are various training principles in the text but we chose to focus on two: working with anger / developing kshanti and cultivating loving-kindness through exchanging self for other. During the weekend we explored these themes through talks, workshops, discussion, meditation and devotional practice, even film references!

The weekend was a great success both in terms of deepening our understanding and practice of the Dharma and also learning from each other with a rich cross-fertilisation of ideas and approaches from different sanghas.

Watch the video where Jen, a Mitra from Hastings and Patrick, a soon to be Mitra in Cardiff, discuss the benefits the weekend had for them.” 

Visit the Cardiff Buddhist Centre website and Facebook page

Watch a video of Nottingham’s Bed and Breakfast Retreat

Download a digital version of a seminar by Sangharakshita on the Bodhicaryavatara