Buddhist Retreat Centre - Detailed List of Retreats

Looking at your image in a clear stream,you answer the question by your very presence. In this workshop we explore the connection between writing and meditation. We write and meditate on the many changes and transformations we experience as we journey along the river of our lives. We consider how creativity steadies the boat and how writing helps us dip the oars into dark water so we may navigate the river safely.

The way we experience health and vitality is closely related to how we nourish - not only our bodies, but our minds as well. During this 3-day retreat we will, as a team, prepare lunch and dinner for the group and learn what it is like to be part of the BRC kitchen, preparing some of those mouth-watering dishes from the BRC menu. It will be a celebration of food and a discovery of the way we can nourish ourselves at many levels of our being. We will discuss nutrition and the concept of “Holism” and further explore the body-mind connection through Chi Kung and meditation practice. Daniel will offer one-to-one advice on how to create individual nutrition programs tailored to each individual. Space is limited! Bring your apron!

The Ten Ox-herding Stages are a delightful and profound part of the ancient Chinese Taoist philosophical tradition that traces the trajectory of one’s life as one searches for meaning and fulfilment. These depictions were eagerly adopted by Zen Buddhism which gave them its own special flavour. The pictures show a man coming to terms with the antics of his ox (his mind; his sense of self; his attitude to the world), finally arriving at a stage where he feels so fully at one with it that he can forget about its antics. He is then at ease with his “True Self” and the “Ten Thousand Things”. Louis painted his own version of the pictures almost 30 years ago in the style of traditional Chinese brushwork (sumie). He will use these to demonstrate each stage of this journey of self – discovery.

Emotions determine how we feel and perceive the world around us. They define our personality and the way we relate to others. In the stress of living, they tend to get out of control and run amok by their own momentum - making us say and do things we later regret. In this retreat we will explore the nature of stress and emotions and learn that we need not be victims of our moods, fixations, fears and feelings of helplessness. We can be emotionally creative and establish ease, calmness and clarity even in the most challenging situations. We can then, with confidence, take responsibility for our actions.

Most of us live in a world of constraints. The media tells us what is good for us and what to buy; our jobs determine how we spend our days; we work to pay off what we owe others for what we are made to believe we must have to be happy. As the world impacts on us, and as we react, our deeper innate values are repressed. We have forgotten what it is like to enjoy our food. We feel ashamed to just hang out and do the silly things we really enjoy. We have lost our connection to our inner child; our spontaneity; our carefree naturalness. In this retreat, we will rediscover what it is like to respond to this free-flowing spirit; how we can add colour to our increasingly drab lives through writing, drawing, meditation, music and playfulness. We will discuss ways of freeing our mind of these accumulated self-destructive habits; of having fun…

The food we eat and the way we prepare it is an integral part of the way we experience health and vitality. These retreats explore how we can improve our well-being by living in closer harmony with the seasons – through the food ingredients we select, the supplements we choose and the spirit in which we conduct our lives at different times of the year. Join Daniel as he demonstrates how to transform even the simplest ingredients into the mouth-watering vegetarian cuisine for which the Centre is renowned. We will participate in discussions about nutrition and how ideas of “Holism” and “Mindfulness” can be incorporated into our lives more completely. Chi Kung and meditation practice will complement this comprehensive and personalised guide to staying healthy in accordance with the seasons.

The Buddha’s teaching emphasises the importance of taking care of ourselves in order to be of service to others. Yet most caregivers - be it professionals or people caring for family and friends - miss this vital step. So often we are told to take better care of ourselves or to “make sure you look after yourself”. But how do we do this when there is so much work to do out there? Using the wisdom of the Buddha and the multicultural wellness techniques developed by Patricia Cane, this retreat will show us practical tools with which to nurture the deeper wisdom within us so that we can take better care of ourselves and others. Although this is not a silent retreat, we will spend time exploring the nurturing wisdom of silence and meditation. This course is ideal for care workers and anyone wanting to be more effective in serving others, by being more effective in caring for themselves.

Chi Kung is an ancient Chinese practice that boosts one’s health and vitality and, consequently, one’s longevity. Through gentle, slow and flowing movements it integrates and harmonises one’s bodily functions and states of mind by eliminating static and toxic energy patterns. This retreat will focus on the Pa Tuan Chin style of Chi Kung, a set of exercises that date back to the twelfth century. A high level of fitness is not required for this retreat. A handout will be available to enable participants to continue practising on their own. Participants will be introduced to the program on Wednesday evening. The retreat proper will start on Thursday 9 am.

Children: (up to independence): 50% discount on cost for adults

Come and join us for some serious fun and adventure! Spend a weekend filled with games and stories, walks in nature, making art and toasting marshmallows under the stars. This is a family retreat aimed at children of school-going age (7 and up) and offers a chance for parents and children to meet in a beautiful country setting and explore spirituality together through creative expression. Children will be introduced to a very soft focus of Buddhist mindfulness practice, the value of stillness and caring for and sharing with others.

Yoga asanas (postures) massage the internal organs, nerves and glands, improving their performance. It enhances energy levels and stamina, flexibility and agility to the body and mind, enabling you to get in touch with who you are at a most fundamental level and lead a more active and creative life. Sleep and digestion are improved. Yoga’s focus on the body and correct breathing improves energy levels and the immune system, As you let go of resistance and allow the muscles and tendons to release into the postures, you learn to let go of resistance in other areas of life, accepting what is and what cannot be changed and helping you to make better choices for the future. Wear clothes you can move in easily. Bring a yoga mat or blanket.

“To awaken is to be intimate with all life” (Dogen)“By paying radical attention to the ordinary, life becomes extraordinary” (John Peacock)

In this experiential retreat, we explore what it means – as women – to pay radical attention to all our relationships: with ourselves, others, the world. We will enquire into the question: what does it mean to engage life fully and open-heartedly – to cultivate what Jung called a “kinship with all life”? We will spend time in silence, walking in nature, meditating, story-telling and reading poetry, alone and in conversation, journaling, dancing and playing, to cultivate an attitude of be-friending and acceptance of our experiences. Inspiration and guidance are drawn from Buddhist wisdom and practices, western psychology (particularly Jungian) and images of the archetypal feminine, as we enrich our potential to be present and awake to the beauty and possibility of each moment.

The Buddha’s teaching on Dependent Origination forms the hub of most Dharma teachings. This retreat will combine practical training in Mindfulness with a study of the twelve links of the traditional Wheel of Life, with a particular focus on The Five Skandhas (the constituents of our sense of self) and its eight consciousnesses and the psychological mechanisms that cause us to grasp at and cling to what we desire resulting in an endless chain of unease, disappointment and suffering.

In a series of talks and Mindfulness exercises, we will describe the chemistry which mediates the effects of mind states on the body (psychoneuroimmunology – PNI). Included in the presentations are integrated applications which are designed to facilitate the attainment of optimal wellness and performance through the practice of Mindfulness meditation.

The Zen hermit-monk Ryokan (1758-1831) remains one of Japan’s favourite poets. An eccentric original (he is also known as the “Great Fool”) his antics have endeared him to successive generations. After his initial Zen training, Ryokan spent several years of wandering before settling in a mountain hermitage. However, Ryokan was no world-hating recluse and was often to be seen playing with village children or sharing a drink with farmers. According to one authority Ryokan’s life “was a living sermon”. In an atmosphere of contemplative silence, this retreat will use Ryokan’s life and his luminous poetry to reflect on our own relationship with the world and the beings that inhabit it.

Please note: apart from the discussion periods, this retreat will be held in Noble Silence.

Craniosacral therapy is a safe and effective, non-invasive therapy which encourages the body to heal itself. The subtle art of touch increases the potency of the cerebrospinal fluid and brings awareness of the dynamics of health and any imbalances in the body’s metabolism and organic functioning. You will stay fully clothed without the use of oils, massage or manipulation.

The rhythmic drumbeat of the African Djembe is the most primal of sounds. Our mother’s heartbeat soothed us before we were born, triggering the rhythms of our cells, organs and endocrine systems. It is no wonder, then, that we experience the drumbeat as nurturing, wholeness, well-being and relaxation. When the drum stills the critical mind and ever-active internal dialogue, a deep sense of mental and physical relief is experienced. Since ancient times, the drum has been associated with states of consciousness that connect us to deeper grounds of being. Indeed, the leader of this retreat successfully uses drumming to induce deep states of relaxation, boosting the immune system. The retreat will explore basic drumming techniques, combined with meditation practice and discussions.

Understanding the mind is a complex task, but changing it can be simple and effective. It concerns making the heart and mind working wisely together in a path of awakening that transforms “difficulties” into something helpful and builds an inner strength and happiness that is not confined to the meditation cushion, but is, on the contrary, very portable. This retreat deals with how the simple but powerful methods that are available in the traditional Tibetan teachings of Refining the Mind are capable of transforming the way we live. These teachings will be presented with Ken’s usual flair, insight and humour. They are a natural sequence to last year’s Exploring Consciousness, but also stand in their own right. Both Ken and his wife, Katia, will be available for one-to-one conversations. Please note: In this retreat Noble Silence will be practised from the wake-up gong up to lunch at 12.30.

Tibetan medicine places the root of physical distress in a fundamental misunderstanding of the true nature of our mind and the phenomena it processes. This distorts reality, causing us to live in a divided world of me and not-me, like and dislike, want and don’t want, indifference and apathy. These are known in Buddhism as the Three Poisons. They have their corporeal counterparts, labelled as “Wind” (desire), “Fire” (anger) and “Earth” and “Water” (ignorance, stupidity). These elements assemble in unique ways in each of us to create, sustain or destroy our body and its organic systems. This retreat will explore the nature of physical and psychological well-being from a traditional Tibetan Buddhist perspective, showing how we can redefine our understanding of ourselves and our relationship with others and the universe, what can be done to prevent illness and how to deal with it if it cannot be avoided.

This retreat will focus on developing awareness through our body, heart and mind, with the aim of generating a sense of inner balance – a sensitivity that is yet firm and grounded. To facilitate this, there will be periods of meditation on the inherent intelligence of the body as it manifests through breathing and Chi Kung exercises. For the heart there will be devotional chanting and meditations on Metta (Loving-Kindness). Retreatants should be prepared to take the traditional Five Precepts for the duration of the retreat which concern practising Non-violence, Trustworthiness, Sexual Restraint, Good Speech and Clear-mindedness. These will be further explained by the Ajahn at the beginning of the retreat. Please note: apart from the discussion periods, this retreat will be held in Noble Silence.

This workshop introduces participants to the ancient tradition of Tai Chi and Chi Kung - practices which generate a profound sense of composure and balance through slow, gentle body movements. These are designed to release our Life Force, the Chi, which is visualised as a current of energy that can be made to circulate without obstruction through our bodies and minds, bringing with it a deep sense of well-being, vigour and health. These movements have been fine-tuned over many centuries and are performed in a relaxed, meditative manner. They are elegant and exact, simple and flowing and can be learnt by anybody.

Join Louis and Anthony in this unique experience of Shibuie: the ancient Chinese concept of “Accidental Beauty”, “Unselfconscious Creativity”, where the “artist” is simply one ingredient in a number of dynamic interacting natural processes, the outcome of which is delightfully unpredictable but invariably stirringly beautiful. Louis will teach participants the classical Chinese brush painting techniques (sumie) as they are applied to traditional subjects, such as landscape, bamboo and flower studies. We will use the genuine materials: solid pine-soot ink, a hollowed-out slate to liquefy it, a deer-hair bamboo-stemmed brush and absorbent mulberry paper. These can be either hired (R70) or purchased (R.600) from the BRC. On the last day, each retreatant will receive a bisc-fired tea bowl to glaze and sumie-decorate. Anthony will then fire up the simple raku drum-kiln. We will watch the magic as the pots emerge triumphantly, beautifully, from their ordeal of fire and their immersion in water and sawdust. A traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony will be conducted.

“Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans”

(John Lennon)

From a Buddhist point of view our life consists of things coming our way and falling away, births and deaths, decay and renewal, stops and starts. We try to juggle these as well as we can, liking some of it, running away from those we don’t. But there is a deeper wisdom at work behind all this – one that asks us not to be so choosy and opinionated about what should and should not be happening to us but, instead, invites us to embrace whatever comes along with a shrug and an inwardly knowing Buddha smile. This requires us to live on the edge of the only thing that is truly real: the ever-fleeting, ungraspable moment. That is fulsome living because each moment contains the entirety of all past moments and is the gateway to all future ones. In this retreat we will discover how we forget to live when we focus too much on what is past and about what may or may not happen. This is a good time of the year to take some time out to contemplate our moment to moment, here-now reality in all its fullness, bid farewell to 2010 and welcome the New Year with a renewed willingness to take life on the chin – and make everything workable, whatever comes along – with a smile. We will celebrate Christmas and the New Year – but with a Buddhist slant.

Please note: apart from the discussion periods and ceremonies, this retreat will be held in Noble Silence.

Although these two retreats can be joined individually and separately, they also form an integrated whole. Preference will be given to those wishing to join the 6 day retreat. The 3 days between the retreats will then be spent on Self Retreat.

“Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans”

(John Lennon)

Please note: apart from the discussion periods and ceremonies, this retreat will be held in Noble Silence.

The integration of the disparate elements of our mental and bodily experiences into a single undivided harmonious whole has been a very ancient ambition. Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root ‘Yug’, which connotes to ‘yoke together’ – like one does a span of horses to ensure that they all pull in the same direction. One often feels the need for that in one’s own life – where our body, emotions and thoughts often work to the detriment of one another and need to be harnessed to work in tandem so that a deeper sense of self can emerge. This retreat will combine meditation, simple, gentle yoga postures and discussions about the process of individuation to indicate that a profound experience of wholeness is achievable.

This workshop will explore our inner world of dreams; our world of unconscious self-knowledge; a world that is waiting to be revealed and acknowledged. Dreams give us messages. Techniques such as painting, drawing, writing, discussion, reflection and meditation can help us to explore this unknown territory and promote personal growth and a sense of wholeness and belonging. The facilitators of this workshop contribute their experience of narrative therapy, psychology, art and meditation. Bring recently recorded dreams with which to work. If you have problems remembering dreams, bring a story, a myth – some theme which is significant for you. Together, we will explore its meaning in your life. Bring a note book and pencil. Painting materials will be provided.

Who can tell us what life is all about? Theologians and scientists and their ever-changing interpretations of revealed or observed “Truth”? Philosophers and psychologists and their conflicting theories? The New Age and self-improvement gurus and their wondrous promises? Or life itself - mindfully lived and deeply felt? In a world where many traditional beliefs and superstitions have disappeared, we have become rootless and bewildered. This retreat explores the fundamental teachings of Buddhism and the psychology of meditation, seen from a modern western perspective, to show its extraordinary relevance to life the way we have to live it.

Join us for a weekend of celebrating 30 years of mouth-watering vegetarian cookery at the BRC. Daniel will demonstrate recipes from the second BRC cookery book, “The Cake the Buddha Ate” and share stories about how the recipes were created. The weekend will be a joyful exploration of food preparation as integral to our spiritual practice and will be a veritable feast for all friends of the Centre, old and new. We will learn to prepare some of those delightful favourites for which the BRC is renowned, as well as taking time to engage in meditation and Chi Kung practice.

John is a Buddhist scholar, translator, teacher and practitioner with 40 years of experience in the Theravada and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. He is a director of Sharpham College for Buddhist Studies in Devon and teaches the Buddhist psychology component of the Master of Studies degree in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) at Oxford University. His visit follows the profoundly inspiring retreats he conducted at the BRC in December 2009. The title and full description of this retreat will follow in November. We suggest you make early bookings for this retreat!

Annie, like John, has studied and practised the Theravada and Tibetan Buddhist traditions for 30 years under a variety of teachers such as Sayadaw U Pandita, Tulku Akong Rimpoche and Joseph Goldstein. She is a resident teacher at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barry, Massachsetts USA, where she teaches Vipassana meditation at the Forest Refuge and at IMS’s annual 3-months’ retreat. The title and full description of this retreat will follow in November. We suggest you make early bookings for this retreat!