Five spaces for men have become available on our Spiritual Rebirth retreat with Vessantara in two weeks time...

This is the third meditation retreat led by Vessantara at Adhisthana circling round the mandala of spiritual practice. This time we come to spiritual rebirth. How can we deepen and strengthen our connection with Enlightenment, with our potential for limitless compassionate awareness beyond greed, hatred, and delusion, so that it then pervades all aspects of our Dharma life? We shall explore this through presentations from Vessantara, guided meditations, optional meditation reviews, ritual and puja, and with the support of several...

The Adhisthana community 'at home'

Last week the resident community at Adhisthana spent a few days ‘at home’ together. There was some study led by Parami on the Dasadhamma Sutta - the ten points to be reflected on by one who has ‘gone forth’; we had couple of inspiring and energising sessions facilitated by Saddhanandi, evoking the vision of Adhisthana and imagining what it will become in five years time; and a day spent exploring how we live together as a community to serve that...

BAM retreat in Ireland - Self and Other: the Alchemy of Transformation

Compassion is far more than emotion. It is something that springs

Up in the emptiness which is when you yourself are not there,

So that you do not know anything about it.

Nobody, in fact, knows anything about it (If they knew it, it would not be Compassion);

But they can only smell

The scent of the unseen flower

That blooms in the Heart of the Void

(‘The Unseen Flower’, by Bhante)

BAM in Ireland opened with a retreat over the June bank holiday weekend in the lovely surroundings of Sandville House, Co. Cavan.  Twenty...

Letter from a Buddhist Retreat Centre

Vajratara lives at Tiratanaloka, a retreat centre in Wales that specialises in running retreats for women who are training for Ordination. She gives us a flavour of a remote — but busy — life

The wind has finally died down and the sun is shining. This morning, when I went for my run, the waves on the reservoir were spraying over the dam, the wind howling and crashing down the valley. The new and tender crocuses and snow drops were...