Details:
Date: Thursday 25th – Sunday 28th February
Retreat Leader: François Schick
Requirements: Everyone is welcome
Cost: Generosity Model – Donation only (by clicking the ‘Donate Here’ button below). Land of Joy provides: All meals, accommodation, workshops, materials and good firewood for soulful nights.
Format: Onsite only / Retreat begins: 7pm on the 25th February / Retreat ends: with lunch on 28th February
Recommended arrival: 3pm – 5pm on the 25th February to join for supper and get settled into the space
Accommodation: Land of Joy wishes for everyone who visits the centre to feel welcome, accepted, safe and secure. Our accommodation options are very limited, with mostly single-sex shared accommodation and a very limited number of single rooms. Single accommodation can therefore only be offered on a priority basis. Please read the relevant sections of the booking form carefully.
About the Retreat
What does it mean to meet life’s difficulties with patience and courage?
Patience is the third of the Six Perfections – qualities developed by bodhisattvas on the path to awakening. Far from simply putting up with things, patience is a source of strength. It can help us stay steady when life is difficult, when others challenge us, and when our own path doesn’t unfold as we hoped.
The practice of patience gives us a chance to explore what happens when we meet frustration, anger, hardship or disappointment. Can difficult moments become opportunities to develop an inner strength rather fall into despair? Can we find ways to stay open and compassionate, even when things fall apart?
Through teachings, meditation and reflection, this retreat will explore the courage at the heart of patience and how developing this quality can support us on the bodhisattva path and in the challenges of everyday life.
What will be offered
The retreat will bring together Buddhist teachings, meditation, reflection and discussion, giving us space to explore patience both as part of the bodhisattva path and in our everyday lives.
We will explore:
- The different forms of patience, including patience in the face of harm, patience with suffering, and patience in meeting life’s difficulties.
- What the perfection of patience means within the bodhisattva path.
- Working with anger, irritation and frustration
- Meeting difficult people and situations with greater steadiness
- Training in acceptance when facing hardship, change or uncertainty
- Finding courage when things become difficult
There will also be space for quiet reflection and personal practice within the peaceful surroundings of Land of Joy.
Who is this for?
This retreat is open to anyone interested in exploring patience from a Buddhist perspective and discovering how it might support both spiritual practice and everyday life.
It may be particularly helpful if you:
- Find yourself struggling with anger, irritation or frustration
- Would like to explore different ways of responding when others challenge you
- Are facing difficulties, change or uncertainty
- Want to develop greater patience and inner steadiness
- Are interested in the bodhisattva path and the Six Perfections
- Would like time and space to deepen your Buddhist practice
About François Schick
François Schick has a unique skill in facilitating the practice of meditation. He can present the traditional treasures in a non-traditional way, bridging the classic buddhist texts to our times, taking into account the unique challenges we encounter nowadays.
Formerly trained as an actor, François discovered Buddhism via Japanese poetry. An avid meditator for almost 15 years, François Schick completed a five-year study program at Nalanda Monastery, which he followed with a three-month solitary retreat in the Sierra Nevada mountains. He is certified with the FPMT. Since then, he has dedicated his life to the dharma, alternating periods of study and teaching, with spiritual retreats (including a six-month solitary retreat in 2022 in the Alps on calm abiding, guided by Alan Wallace). This is a subject that is close to his heart. He is currently writing a book about it.
He has taught, among others, “Discovering Buddhism”, “Science of the mind”, “Taking care of the planet”. François Schick is appreciated for his approach to teaching that is as rigorous as it is modern, accessible and lively.