Details:
Date: Thursday 5th – Sunday 8th November
Retreat Leader: Ven Mary Reavey
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 5th November / Retreat ends: with lunch on 8th November
Recommended arrival: 3pm – 5pm on 8th November 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
Join Ven Mary for a retreat exploring one of Buddhism’s most profound and liberating insights — emptiness.
Emptiness lies at the heart of the Buddha’s wisdom: the key to freedom from confusion and the source of genuine compassion. Over the course of this retreat, Ven Mary will guide you through a step-by-step exploration of emptiness as presented in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, drawing inspiration from the works of great masters such as Je Tsongkhapa.
The retreat will focus on freeing ourselves from the notion of an inherent self…. a view deeply ingrained in our daily experience and the primary object of negation in realising emptiness. I hope that this retreat will open students’ hearts to relate to emptiness in their everyday lives, helping them become freer and more compassionate.
Through a balance of study, reflection, and meditation, you’ll have the opportunity to engage both intellectually and experientially with this essential teaching — discovering how understanding the dependent nature of reality can bring greater clarity, peace, and kindness into everyday life.
What Will be Offered?
- Daily teachings from Ven Mary introducing the view of emptiness and its relevance for personal transformation.
- Guided analytical and stabilising meditations, allowing participants to deepen understanding through direct experience.
- Opportunities for discussion and reflection, helping to connect classical philosophy with lived experience.
- Quiet periods and personal practice time within Land of Joy’s peaceful environment, supporting inner stillness and insight.
- Practical guidance on integrating the view of emptiness into relationships, work, and daily challenges.
Who is This For?
This retreat is open to anyone with an interest in Buddhist wisdom and meditation.
- Whether you’re new to the topic of emptiness or already familiar with Buddhist philosophy, you’re warmly welcome.
- You may find this retreat especially meaningful if you:
- Feel drawn to explore the deeper aspects of the Buddha’s teachings.
- Wish to balance study with direct experience in meditation.
- Appreciate teachings that are rooted in tradition yet relevant for modern life.
All that’s needed is curiosity, openness, and a sincere wish to deepen your understanding.
Why Attend?
- Exploring emptiness isn’t about losing meaning — it’s about discovering freedom.
- When you begin to see through fixed ideas and mistaken appearances, life becomes lighter, more flexible, and more compassionate.
- This retreat offers a chance to rest in a peaceful environment, to reflect deeply, and to cultivate insight guided by Geshe Rinchen’s gentle clarity and warmth.
- You’ll return home with a clearer understanding of yourself and the world, and with tools to keep developing wisdom and compassion in everyday life.
Retreat Boundaries
To help create the best conditions for meditation practice, this retreat will be held within a supportive framework:
- Silence – Silence will be observed outside of group sessions during some periods of the day to encourage calm and inward focus.
- Technology-free space – You will be encouraged to switch off phones, laptops and other devices for the duration of the retreat, except for reading texts and other dharma related material.
- Respecting the schedule – Participants are asked to attend all sessions on time, as consistency supports both personal practice and the group environment.
- Mindful living – Meals and daily activities will be approached with awareness, becoming part of the retreat practice itself.
These boundaries are not restrictions but supports — creating a safe, focused space in which the mind can settle and deepen.
About Geshe Rinchen
