Details:

Date: 12th to 22nd August

Retreat Leader: Fichou (Christian Fischer) & Ray Furminger 

Requirements: Everyone is welcome

Cost: Generosity Model – Donation only (via the donation form at the bottom of the page; no suggested amount).

Format: This retreat will be onsite at Land of Joy

Start and Finish times: The retreat starts at 7:00pm on the 12th August and finishes at 1:00pm on the 22nd August.

Accommodation: Shared and single rooms will be available at Land of Joy. Camping can be an option at certain times of year if you have your own tent but space is very limited. Beds are allocated based on individual or logistical needs.

About the Retreat

Many students have the commitment to complete the nine Ngöndro, or preliminary practices, associated with Vajrayana practice or have been given some or all of them to complete by their teacher.

Among these is the practice of offering 111,000 water bowls. Making offerings is said to accumulate great merit, helps us generate a mind of generosity and is also a specific antidote to miserliness. The water bowl offerings, as with the other eight preliminary practices (prostrations, Vajrasattva, refuge, mandala offerings, guru yoga, Dorje Khadro, tsa-tsas and Samayavajra), are an extraordinary way to accumulate merit and to purify negative actions in order to quickly generate realisations on the path.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has given special permission for this practice to be completed by groups of people who, in performing the practice, can each  accumulate the full count of offerings made during the retreat.

Land of Joy is happy to be able to offer this precious opportunity for people to complete this essential practice.

If the full 111,000 offerings is not reached during the retreat, retreatants may keep the total accumulated and complete the full number at a later date There is no need to maintain the practice in between.

Read more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice on this practice here.

About the Facilitators

Fichou (Christian) met Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe at Kopan monastery in 1982 for the first time. Since then he is committed to try his best to follow the advice Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave him. He is a long term practitioner who uses his time and practice to listen, reflect and meditate about the teachings of the Buddha.

Ray has been trying to practice the dharma for over 40 years. He has spent much of life studying, meditating and offering service in various dharma centres around the world and is also a fully trained thangka artist. He has a wealth of experience doing meditation retreats both short and long term and is able to draw on this to encourage and inspire others in their sitting practice.

A Way to Say Thank You

As we don’t receive any subsidies from other organisations we rely solely on the kind generosity of others. If you would like to make a donation to help us cover our considerable monthly costs (including via an online bank transfer or postal cheque), please choose the amount you would like to offer using the form below (or enter a custom amount), click ‘Donate’, then choose a payment method and provide all the details we require to process your donation. Your generosity will help us continue to offer beneficial services to yourself and others.

You may also like to make a regular contribution to the centre by becoming a Branch of Joy. This kind of support gifts us a steady and ongoing income, which in turn provides the confidence and means for us to continue to flourish for many years to come.

Thank you and may you be happy.

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Donation Total: £300