Retreats are a way of stepping away from our busy, daily life and reducing our distractions so that we can focus on our meditations. This can just be for half a day, one day, a weekend, or longer if you have the time.
On meditation retreat we stop all forms of business and extraneous activities in order to emphasize a particular spiritual practice.
Our meditation retreats are presented in three categories, depending on experience and necessary experience.
Please Note: Retreats are in-person only.
Guru Yoga & Mandala Offerings Retreat
Celebration of Je Tsongkhapa Day
Sun 25th Oct, 9 – 5:30pm
Guru Yoga and Mandala Offering retreat combines two of the four great preliminary guides that we need to practice if we want to gain Mahamudra realisations – the quick path to Enlightenment.
We all wish for spiritual realisations, but these depend upon creating certain inner conditions such as purifying negativity, accumulating merit, and receiving blessings.
In this retreat we focus on the preliminary practices of accumulating merit and receiving blessings. Making mandala offerings is the gateway to accumulating the collection of merit and attaining an enlightened Pure Land and Guru Yoga is the gateway to receiving powerful blessings of all the Buddhas of the ten directions through our Spiritual Guide.
There will be three sessions on the day and the practice is accomplished within the sadhana Offering to the Spiritual Guide – and as October 25th is the day we celebrate Je Tsongkhapa Day, we will conclude the day with a full Offering to the Spiritual Guide puja with tsog offering.
We recommend that you prepare for this retreat by familiarising yourself beforehand with the instructions on making mandala offerings found in The New Guide to Dakini Land (pp.97-102) and The Oral Instructions of the Mahamudra (pp.19-21).
To prepare for the practice of Guru Yoga we recommend you read Joyful Path of Good Fortune (pp. 113-142) ) and The Oral Instructions of the Mahamudra (pp.21-27).
This retreat is suitable for those who have some experience of Kadampa Buddhist prayers, teachings and meditations. Please note that it is not guided.
Schedule
- 9 – 10:30am Session One
- 11:30am – 1pm Session Two
- 4 – 5:30pm Session Three
- 6:30 – 8:30pm Offering to the Spiritual Guide (Everybody Welcome to this session – free of charge)
£5 per session or £12 for the day (free for Monthly Members)
To enquire about booking please email info@meditationindarlington.org
Vajrasattva Retreat
Sun 1st Nov, 10am – 4:30pm
Ideal follow-on from the Blessing Empowerment on Sat 30th Oct
We dedicate most of our time and energy trying to avoid problems by making changes to the external world. However, the main cause of our unhappiness and difficulties cannot be found in external conditions. It is the negative karma we have created in the past through performing harmful actions. By relying upon Vajrasattva, the Buddha of purification we will cleanse our mind of delusions, negativity and obstacles. Through special meditation and mantra recitation we have the great opportunity to purify our mind quickly, so that we can make swift progress on the spiritual path.
There will be three sessions with guided meditations and the practice is accomplished within the prayer practice Meditation and Recitation of Solitary Vajrasattva.
10 – 11:15am Retreat Session One
12noon – 1:15pm Retreat Session Two
3 – 4:30pm Retreat Session Three
5-7pm Wishfulfilling Jewel with tsog offering (free – everyone welcome)
Offering Our Faith Retreat
4th Jun every year
Celebrating Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche
A special day of retreat at Atisha KMC
Every day we remember the extraordinary kindness of Venerable Geshe-la, our root Guru and Founder of the New Kadampa Tradition.
But on the auspicious day June 4th, which is both Turning the Wheel of Dharma day and Venerable Geshe-la’s birthday, at Kadampa centres around the world, with minds of rejoicing and gratitude, we offer him our faith through using the special prayer Request to the Holy Spiritual Guide Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso from his Faithful Disciples and collecting our Guru’s name mantra in a one-day retreat.
The sadhana or prayer booklet used for this day will be Hundreds of Deities of the Joyful Land according to Highest Yoga Tantra
Available at Atisha KMC and in the Tharpa Bookstore Online
Everyone is welcome to attend this retreat – please note that it is not guided.
Schedule
- 9 – 10:30am Session One
- 11:30am – 1pm Session Two
- 4 – 5:30pm Session Three
- 6:30 – 8:30pm Offering to the Spiritual Guide