I’ve now finalised some more retreats for 2022, and if you look at my teaching programme you’ll find details of four more retreats.

In April, I’ll be back at Adhisthana, to lead the first of a planned series of retreats for Order members on some of the insight practices that Sangharakshita recommended. It’s not enough to learn a particular method of insight meditation, to have full confidence in it we need a clear sense that practising it sincerely will take us deeper and deeper into the heart of things. In each retreat, we’ll be looking at how a basic method can do this. The first retreat in the series, in April, will explore the Six Element Practice from this point of view.  This retreat is currently advertised as residential, but I’m hoping that Adhisthana can add an online element to it, so that Order members who can’t make it to Herefordshire UK can still participate ‘live’.

Currently, the only retreat I’m doing for non-Order members next year is at Rivendell, in East Sussex, UK. It’s called Monkey Mind. Pre-pandemic, I led many retreats at Rivendell, and I’m really happy to be getting back there next June. I’m even happier that Ambaranta will be part of my team, as we’ve done many retreats together. (Sadly, Nagadipa can’t join us, but Vijayamala has agreed to step in and organise.)

My usual pattern has been to do two retreats back-to-back at Rivendell, and next year will be the same. Once we’ve gone beyond monkey mind the second week, for Order members, will explore the nature of mind. That will be a hybrid retreat, residential and online.

Then in October I’ll be back at Adhisthana to give talks and participate in other ways in their first Sadhana Convention for Order members. I’m really excited about it, and hope we can have a large gathering to explore the riches of sadhana together.

As I said, details of all these retreats can be followed up from my retreat programme. There are likely to be further additions to the programme, probably online retreats, although a large chunk of my time for leading retreats next year is taken up with leading a 2-month retreat in South Wales in January to February.

I hope our paths can cross on a retreat sometime next year!

With all good wishes,

Vessantara