Details:
Date: Friday 2nd July – Monday 5th July
Retreat Leader: Ven Tenzin Palmo
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 2nd July / Retreat ends: with lunch on 5th July
Recommended arrival: 3pm – 5pm on the 2nd July 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
How do we approach the Buddhist path in a way that is thoughtful, grounded and relevant to our own lives?
This weekend retreat is based on Approaching the Buddhist Path by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron, the first volume in The Library of Wisdom and Compassion. Drawing on the book’s accessible and practical approach, we will explore some of the foundations that help us understand what Buddhist practice is really about.
We will look at the way we see ourselves and the world, what we mean by happiness and a meaningful life, and how understanding our mind and emotions can open up the possibility of genuine change. We will also explore how to engage with Buddhist teachings: the place of questioning and reasoning, how faith and confidence develop, the role of a spiritual teacher, and how meditation and other practices can become part of everyday life.
Rather than simply accepting Buddhist ideas, the weekend offers space to investigate them, reflect on them and discover how they relate to our own experience.
What Will be Offered?
Through teachings, meditation, reflection and discussion, we will explore themes including:
- Our outlook on life – recognising the assumptions and habits that shape how we understand ourselves and the world
- Happiness and meaning – exploring what we are really seeking and what contributes to lasting wellbeing
- Understanding the mind – becoming more familiar with our thoughts and emotions and our capacity for change
- Reasoning, questioning and faith – discovering how investigation and personal experience can support confidence in the teachings
- Relating to the teachings and a spiritual teacher – exploring how we learn and how to develop a healthy relationship with spiritual guidance
- Meditation and daily practice – looking at how Buddhist practice can become something lived rather than simply understood intellectually
There will also be time for questions, discussion and personal reflection.
Who is This For?
This retreat is open to anyone interested in understanding Buddhism and exploring what it might have to offer.
No previous knowledge or meditation experience is needed, making it a good starting point for those who are curious about Buddhism. It is equally suitable for people who already practise and would value an opportunity to return to some of the foundations of the path, ask questions and deepen their understanding.
Why Attend?
Taking time to explore the foundations can help Buddhist practice become more meaningful and personally relevant. This weekend offers space to look beneath the practices themselves and consider the understanding and outlook that support them.
Whether you are encountering Buddhism for the first time or have been practising for some time, the retreat offers an opportunity to question, reflect and explore how wisdom and compassion can gradually become part of the way we understand ourselves, relate to others and live our everyday lives.
