For retreatants unable to come on retreat at Tiratanaloka in person.

On this retreat we will study 'The Nature of Existence': the marks of conditioned existence, the doors of liberation and the topsy turvy views.  We will explore the themes of beauty, change, emptiness and ultimate happiness.  The material is taken from Chapter 11 of Sangharakshita's book 'The Three Jewels' which we will study in our groups as well as having time for meditation, ritual and reflection to take our understanding deeper.

‘As stars, a fault of vision, as a lamp,

This Mythic Context retreat will focus on the symbolism of the Stupa. The stupa is an architectural symbol encompassing the elements of the natural world, the spiritual path and the unity of Enlightened mind.  Using colours and shapes, we are guided into a freeing of energy into boundless space.  The stupa is also a symbol of the ordination process at Tiratanaloka. Sangharaskhita described our own stupa as a ‘Miracle Stupa’ saying that the only true miracle is when someone makes the transition from a worldly to a spiritual life.

'We don’t want an ethics of guilt, an ethics of fear; we want an ethics of growth and development'. (Sangharakshita, 'Living with Kindness')

On this retreat we’ll be exploring the ten precepts and how they impact our daily lives. And we’ll learn how to do confession as a way of deepening insight and positivity.

The team for this retreat will include Karunadhi, Vajratara, and Kalyacitta and you can find the study material here

"Spiritual receptivity is of the utmost importance; without it, spiritual progress simply cannot be maintained.  We need to hold ourselves open to the truth as the flower holds itself open to the sun.  This is what spiritual receptivity means: holding ourselves open to the higher spiritual influences that are streaming through the universe, but with which we are not usually in contact, because we usually shut ourselves off from them.

“Do I ever feel disappointed by anything?  There is one thing that sometimes pains me and it’s when I hear of disharmony in the Sangha.  It disturbs and disappoints me.  We need to do everything we can to promote harmony.  Not just external agreement, but when we have deep feeling and appreciation for one another. (Sangharakshita:  Growing the Spiritual Community)

“..Bodhisattvas, contented as they may be in themselves, will not be ‘content’ as far as others are concerned.  They will see where the situation and circumstances of others can be improved or transformed, and will do something about it.” (Sangharakshita: Living with Kindness)

“The Buddha…embodied the sublime potential that can be activated in the human mind when it is turned resolutely towards the positive.  The method of this transformation…is based on the truth of conditionality, the principle of cause and effect that underlies every aspect of the Buddhist approach to human growth and development” (Sangharakshita: Living with Kindness)

On this retreat we study together Chapter 1 of ‘A Survey of Buddhism’ - Sangharakshita’s wide-ranging, dynamic and sometimes challenging elucidation of conditionality, the essence of the Buddha’s teaching. 

For retreatants who are unable to attend Tiratanaloka.

'The Nature of Existence': the marks of conditioned existence, the doors of liberation and the topsy turvy views.  We will explore the themes of beauty, change, emptiness and ultimate happiness.  The material is taken from Chapter 11 of Sangharakshita's book 'The Three Jewels' which we will study in our groups as well as having significant portions of the retreat laid aside for meditation and reflection to take our understanding deeper.

‘As stars, a fault of vision, as a lamp,

“‘Buddham saranam gacchami! Dhammam saranam gacchami! Sangham saranam gacchami! To the Buddha for refuge I go! To the Dhamma for refuge I go! To the Sangha for refuge I go!’  These words from the ancient past reveal to us the origin of an act which lies at the heart of Buddhist life: Going for Refuge. They also tell us something of the tremendous spiritual significance of this act. Going for Refuge represents your positive emotional response – in fact your total response – to the spiritual ideal when that ideal is revealed to your spiritual vision.

The stupa is an architectural symbol encompassing the elements of the natural world, the spiritual path and the unity of Enlightened mind.  Using colours and shapes, we are guided into a freeing of energy into boundless space.  The stupa is also a symbol of the ordination process at Tiratanaloka. Sangharaskhita described our own stupa as a ‘Miracle Stupa’ saying that the only true miracle is when someone makes the transition from a worldly to a spiritual life.