This retreat is for members of the Triratna Buddhist Order.
Bookings on this page are for an online space only on this hybrid retreat - Order members only
The deposit amount is £99 to book, plus a suggested donation of £60-90 (this can be paid at the booking checkout).
Please note:
1. That the automated booking confirmation that you will receive will contain information that relates to a residential retreat, so please ignore that. It would cost money that we don't currently have to change our systems to reflect the circumstances of this hybrid event.
2. You will receive a joining email from us close to the start of the event, with a Zoom link that will work for the whole of that particular retreat online event.
3. Zoom is a simple online communications platform that is very easy to use. If you have not used it before, we suggest that you download this programme and install for free before your retreat is due to take place. You can find the programme at this link: https://zoom.us/download. If you have any questions about using Zoom, please contact us at bookings@rivendellretreatcentre.com
Retreat information
For Order members
The sun’s pure and brilliant essence
Cannot be dimmed by darkness enduring for a thousand aeons.
Likewise, our mind’s luminous essence
Cannot be dimmed by samsara enduring for aeons.
A thousand years ago, on the banks of the Ganges, the yogic adept Tilopa gave a teaching to his faithful disciple Naropa. The great Tibetan translator Marpa learnt these verses by heart on one of his epic journeys to India, then taught them to Milarepa and others. This teaching became known as the Ganges Mahamudra, and is one of the foundational texts used in the Tibetan tradition for exploring the nature of mind, especially its qualities of spaciousness and luminosity.
During this retreat, we shall open to these millennium-old verses and the timeless wisdom they contain. Vessantara will unpack the teaching, drawing out its meaning and supporting us to find the freedom that Tilopa is pointing to, in our own experience.
The retreat will be mostly in silence, and will include presentations, guided meditations, devotional practice, and (for residential retreatants) the opportunity for meditation reviews. As usual with Vessantara’s retreats, the aim will be twofold: to support you to get into your meditation, and also to equip you with new understandings and insights to take away and unpack over time.
In 2023 Vessantara will celebrate having been a Buddhist for fifty years. He and Ambaranta have teamed up over the last decade to offer retreats for Order members at Rivendell.
Concession information
Please do consider writing to our office team via bookings@rivendellretreatcentre.com if you really are in need of further financial assistance to help enable you to come on retreat here.
Cancellation policy
All deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable in all circumstances. If you wish to cancel your place on a retreat, we require a minimum notice of 4 calendar weeks before a retreat is due to take place, in order that a refund (not deposit) will be possible. If you cancel and we can't replace you, you will be required to pay half the total cost of the retreat. Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel, as there may be other people waiting for a place on the retreat to become available. Any refund will still be on the basis that we can the fill your space.
Retreat Programme
Saturday (all sessions open 10 mins before)
*10:15 - 12:30 Teaching Session (*please note the slightly earlier start time and arrive promptly for some information from Vijayamala)
15:30 - 16:00 Optional tune in with others on the retreat
16:00 - 17:30 Teaching Session
20:00 - 21:00 Meditative and/or Devotional Session
Sunday-Thursday (all sessions open 10 mins before)
10:30 - 12:30 Teaching Session
16:00 - 17:30 Teaching Session
20:00 - 21:00 Meditative and/or Devotional Session
Prices for this event are: £99