Regrettably we’re also cancelling Laura Bridgman’s day retreat on the 12th September – sorry for not posting this earlier for anyone who was thinking it might be on.
At this point please do not assume any day retreat is on unless we’ve posted recently to state that the day retreat is going ahead.
We hope you all stay safe in these uncertain times.
With regret we have decided not to go ahead with the next two day retreats due to the current spread of coronavirus:
Full refunds will be issued to anyone who has booked in advance.
We do not want to risk spreading the coronavirus at our events. In addition we anticipate that if we did go ahead we would have reduced numbers attending and that seems unfair to the teachers who travel to teach for us and could lead to us running out of money.
We have not decided what to do about the retreats later in the year. We will watch the situation in the meantime and will give as much notice as we can if we do cancel further days.
Sorry for those of you looking forward to the retreats, we hope you all stay healthy and hope to see you at a future retreat when coronavirus has died down.
This event has been cancelled due to us not wanting to risk spreading the coronavirus at our event.
A One Day Insight Meditation Retreat in Cambridge with
Saturday, 28th March 2020
Friends Meeting House, 12 Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BA
(by kind permission of the Society of Friends)
Registration: 9.30 am Start: 10.00 am Finish: 5.00 pm
Cost: £10 in advance*, £12 on the day (+ teacher Dana**)
[Concessions (students, unwaged, retired) £7]
* To book in advance, please go to our eventbrite page. More details at https://cambridgedayretreats.wordpress.com/about/booking-and-payment/
** The registration fee only covers running costs and travelling expenses. Teachers rely on the financial generosity of retreatants for their living; there will be an opportunity to offer contributions (dana) on the day.
John Peacock is both an academic and a Buddhist practitioner of nearly forty years. He was initially trained in the Tibetan Gelugpa tradition in India and subsequently spent time in Sri Lanka studying Theravada. He has lectured in Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol, and at present he is Associate Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre and teaches on the Master of Studies programme in MBCT (Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy) at Oxford University. He has been teaching meditation for over twenty five years and is a Gaia House guiding teacher.
Please bring your own cushion or stool and mat, if desired, (there are plenty of chairs), and a packed lunch (tea and coffee will be provided). If coming by car, Park and Ride is a way to avoid difficult and expensive parking in Cambridge.
Day retreats offer a chance to practise meditation and mindfulness in a supportive environment. They include alternate periods of sitting and walking meditation, and the teacher provides guidance through meditation instruction, a Dharma (teaching) talk, and a question and answer session. Beginners are offered additional instruction and assistance. For experienced meditators the day is an opportunity to refresh and deepen practice. The retreats are normally held in silence.
A One Day Insight Meditation Retreat in Cambridge with
Saturday, February 1st 2019
Friends Meeting House, 12 Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BA
(by kind permission of the Society of Friends)
Registration: 9.30 am Start: 10.00 am Finish: 5.00 pm
Cost: £10 in advance*, £12 on the day (+ teacher Dana**)
[Concessions (students, unwaged, retired) £7]
* To book in advance, please go to our eventbrite page. More details at https://cambridgedayretreats.wordpress.com/about/booking-and-payment/
** The registration fee only covers running costs and travelling expenses. Teachers rely on the financial generosity of retreatants for their living; there will be an opportunity to offer contributions (dana) on the day.
A day of practice and reflection on the theme of metta or loving-kindness. Together we will explore how we can learn to keep the heart open and buoyant in times of challenge and uncertainty, to create a safer and happier world.
Jaya Rudgard began meditating in the 1980s and practiced for eight years as a nun in the Theravada tradition with Ven. Ajahn Sumedho. She is a graduate of the IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training and teaches insight meditation and mindfulness in the UK and internationally.
Please bring your own cushion or stool and mat, if desired, (there are plenty of chairs), and a packed lunch (tea and coffee will be provided). If coming by car, Park and Ride is a way to avoid difficult and expensive parking in Cambridge.
Day retreats offer a chance to practise meditation and mindfulness in a supportive environment. They include alternate periods of sitting and walking meditation, and the teacher provides guidance through meditation instruction, a Dharma (teaching) talk, and a question and answer session. Beginners are offered additional instruction and assistance. For experienced meditators the day is an opportunity to refresh and deepen practice. The retreats are normally held in silence.
A One Day Insight Meditation Retreat in Cambridge with
Saturday, 30th November 2019
Friends Meeting House, 12 Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BA
(by kind permission of the Society of Friends)
Registration: 9.30 am Start: 10.00 am Finish: 5.00 pm
Cost: £12, or £15 for Supporters. (+ teacher Dana*)
[Concessions (for those on a low income) £7]
To book in advance, please go to our eventbrite booking page. More details at https://cambridgedayretreats.wordpress.com/about/booking-and-payment/
* The registration fee only covers running costs and travelling expenses. Teachers rely on the financial generosity of retreatants for their living; there will be an opportunity to offer contributions (dana) on the day.
Catherine McGee has practised and studied Buddhist meditation with senior teachers from Asia and the West since 1991. She has been teaching Insight Meditation at Gaia House and internationally since 1997. Her teaching emphasises embodied practice and the integration and translation of our deepest understandings into our life. She is also a student and teacher in training of Diamond Approach of AH Almaas.
Please bring your own cushion or stool and mat, if desired, (there are plenty of chairs), and a packed lunch (tea and coffee will be provided). If coming by car, Park and Ride is a way to avoid difficult and expensive parking in Cambridge.
Day retreats offer a chance to practise meditation and mindfulness in a supportive environment. They include alternate periods of sitting and walking meditation, and the teacher provides guidance through meditation instruction, a Dharma (teaching) talk, and a question and answer session. Beginners are offered additional instruction and assistance. For experienced meditators the day is an opportunity to refresh and deepen practice. The retreats are normally held in silence.
A One Day Insight Meditation Retreat in Cambridge with
Saturday, 29th June 2019
Friends Meeting House, 12 Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BA
(by kind permission of the Society of Friends)
Registration: 9.30 am Start: 10.00 am Finish: 5.00 pm
Cost: £12, or £15 for Supporters. (+ teacher Dana*)
[Concessions (students, unwaged, retired) £7]
On this daylong we will focus on developing the skills for deepening embodied concentrative and calming states as taught in the Thai Forest tradition. By interweaving wisdom and exploring the relationship between calm and insight, we aim at unifying the mind while developing strategies to release that which hinders us through energy work and chanting. This daylong is particularly suitable for practitioners who wish to deepen their Samatha (tranquil brightening) practice.
To book in advance, please go to our eventbrite booking page. More details at https://cambridgedayretreats.wordpress.com/about/booking-and-payment/
* The registration fee only covers running costs and travelling expenses. Teachers rely on the financial generosity of retreatants for their living; there will be an opportunity to offer contributions (dana) on the day.
Suvaco has practised as a Buddhist monk for 17 years. He continues his work as a psychotherapist and Dharma teacher. He is part of the teaching staff at Gaia house, Devon.
Please bring your own cushion or stool and mat, if desired, (there are plenty of chairs), and a packed lunch (tea and coffee will be provided). If coming by car, Park and Ride is a way to avoid difficult and expensive parking in Cambridge.
Day retreats offer a chance to practise meditation and mindfulness in a supportive environment. They include alternate periods of sitting and walking meditation, and the teacher provides guidance through meditation instruction, a Dharma (teaching) talk, and a question and answer session. Beginners are offered additional instruction and assistance. For experienced meditators the day is an opportunity to refresh and deepen practice. The retreats are normally held in silence.
A One Day Meditation Retreat in Cambridge with
Saturday 25th May 2019
Friends Meeting House, 12 Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BA
Information on the various forms of meditation taught by Bhante can be found at
http://www.satipanya.org.uk/index.php?page=teachings.
This day is not exclusively the Mahasi Method described and absolute beginners are very welcome.
Registration: 9.30am Retreat Start: 10.00am Finish: 4.30pm
Cost: £12, or £15 for Supporters. (+ teacher Dana*)
[Concessions (students, unwaged, retired) £7]
* To book in advance, please go to our eventbrite booking page. More details at https://cambridgedayretreats.wordpress.com/about/booking-and-payment/
** The registration fee hopefully covers running costs and travelling expenses. Teachers rely on the financial generosity of retreatants for their living; there will be a bowl or box at the retreat for any contributions (dana) you would like to make.
Bhante Bodhidhamma is English and an ordained monk. He ordained in Asia during 1986. In 1998 he returned to Britain and has since been teaching in England and elsewhere including Ireland, Italy and Switzerland. Between 2000 and 2005 he was a teacher in residence at Gaia House and is now the spiritual director of the Satipanya Buddhist Trust. http://www.satipanya.org.uk/
Please bring your own cushion or stool and mat if desired. In addition, there are plenty of chairs. Hot drinks will be supplied, but we ask that you bring vegetarian food to share for lunch, attempting to achieve zero waste, so not too much please.
Day retreats offer a chance to practice meditation and mindfulness in a supportive environment. The rhythm of such days includes alternate periods of sitting and walking meditation, and a teacher provides guidance through meditation instruction, a Dharma (teaching) talk, and a question and answer session. Beginners are offered additional instruction and assistance, while for experienced meditators the day is an opportunity to refresh and deepen their practice. Apart from the set times of communication, the retreats are normally held in silence.
Date for your 2020 diary: Bhante’s day retreat in Cambridge will be on Saturday 23 May 2020.
Here is the recording from a day retreat led by Laura Bridgman in October 2018 in Cambridge. The theme of the day retreat was “Sensitivity and Attunement – Compassion in Facing Suffering with Awareness”. You can listen below or go here to download all the mp3 files.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
A One Day Insight Meditation Retreat in Cambridge with
Saturday, October 20th 2018
Friends Meeting House, 12 Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BA
(by kind permission of the Society of Friends)
Registration: 9.30 am Start: 10.00 am Finish: 5.00 pm
Cost: £10 in advance*, £12 on the day (+ teacher Dana**)
[Concessions (students, unwaged, retired) £7]
* To book in advance, please go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/laura-bridgman-cambridge-insight-meditation-day-retreat-tickets-49715442226 More details at https://cambridgedayretreats.wordpress.com/about/booking-and-payment/
** The registration fee only covers running costs and travelling expenses. Teachers rely on the financial generosity of retreatants for their living; there will be an opportunity to offer contributions (dana) on the day.
In this day retreat, we will be inquiring into the nature of this aspect of our conditioning through meditation, and contemplation to know how the inner critic arises, what feeds this particular demon, and see beyond this critical voice to access a deeper, wiser guiding quality within our hearts.
Laura Bridgman ordained as a nun with Ajahn Sumedho in 1995, and was resident at Amaravati and Chithurst monasteries for eighteen years until she moved out to live as a solitary nun in 2010. Over the past ten years she has spent extended periods of time with the Burmese teacher Sayadaw U Tejaniya. In 2015 Laura left the monastic tradition to pursue the Diamond Heart (Ridhwan) spiritual path alongside her Vipassana practice. There is much overlap as it incorporates Buddhist principles and practices. You may have known her as Sister Kovida while she was ordained.
Please bring your own cushion or stool and mat, if desired, (there are plenty of chairs), and a packed lunch (tea and coffee will be provided). If coming by car, Park and Ride is a way to avoid difficult and expensive parking in Cambridge.
Day retreats offer a chance to practise meditation and mindfulness in a supportive environment. They include alternate periods of sitting and walking meditation, and the teacher provides guidance through meditation instruction, a Dharma (teaching) talk, and a question and answer session. Beginners are offered additional instruction and assistance. For experienced meditators the day is an opportunity to refresh and deepen practice. The retreats are normally held in silence.
Here is the recording from a day retreat led by Bhante Bodhidhamma in May 2018 in Cambridge. You can listen below or go here to download all the mp3 files.
Dhamma Talk:
