Retreats

Uma Centre holds a number of retreats throughout the year. These retreats provide a wonderful opportunity to focus on our spiritual practice and deepen our understanding and experience of Buddha’s teachings. Most, but not all, of our retreats are recommended for those who are already attending regular classes.

The next retreat will be:

Guided Lamrim Retreat

Sunday 29th August until Saturday 4th September

This guided retreat on the 21 Lamrim meditations is suitable for beginners.

In each session of this retreat we will use the prayers Essence of Good Fortune. Prayers are a way to prepare our mind for the meditation session. Please do not feel that you need to "join-in" you can just sit, listen and enjoy the words. At each session there will be experienced practioners who can happily answer any questions.

What is Lamrim?
Lamrim, or 'The Stages of the Path', is a special arrangement of all Buddha's teachings that are easy to understand and easy to put into practice. Lamrim was written by Atisha (982 – 1054) a great Indian teacher who was invited to Tibet to teach. Later Je Tsongkhapa wrote several commentaries. In this retreat we will use the New Meditation Handbook by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. This presentation makes it easier for people of the modern world to understand and practice the stages of the path to enlightenment.

Meditating on Lamrim is the supreme way to solve our daily problems and find lasting happiness.

Retreat Schedule

Below is a complete list of all the session times and meditation subjects together with the relevant page number from the New Meditation Handbook. A PDF download is available here for printing or saving.

Each guided session costs £2. Lunch is £1.50 or, of course, you may bring your own. Please would you book lunch in advance so that we may cater for numbers. There is no need to book sessions in advance but please arrive at least 10 minutes before a session starts. Please bear in mind that if a session is underway there may not be anyone to let you in.

Sunday 29th August

8.30am – 9.45am	Our precious human life	Pg. 30
10.45am – 12	Death and impermanence	33
12.30 – 1pm	Heart Jewel puja
4.45pm – 6pm	The dangers of lower rebirth and refuge practice	37/40
7.30pm – 8.45pm	Actions and their effects	42

Monday 30th August

	Developing renunciation using….	Pg. 46
8.30am – 9.45am	…birth, sickness, ageing, and death
10.45am – 12	…the remaining three contemplations
12.30 – 1pm	Heart Jewel puja
4.45pm – 6pm	…using all seven contemplations
7.30pm – 8.45pm	…using all seven contemplations

Tuesday 31st August

8.30am – 9.45am	Developing equanimity	Pg. 68
10.45am – 12	Recognising that all living beings are our mothers	71
12.30 – 1pm	Heart Jewel puja
4.45pm – 6pm	Remembering the kindness of living beings	75
7.30pm – 8.45pm	Equalising self and others	78

Wednesday 1st September

8.30am – 9.45am	The disadvantages of self-cherishing	Pg. 81
10.45am – 12	The advantages of cherishing others	85
12.30 – 1pm	Heart Jewel puja
4.45pm – 6pm	Exchanging self with others	88
7.30pm – 8.45pm	Great compassion	91

Thursday 2nd September

8.30am – 9.45am	Taking	Pg. 94
10.45am – 12	Wishing Love	96
12.30 – 1pm	Heart Jewel puja
4.45pm – 6pm	Giving	98
7.30pm – 8.45pm	Bodhichitta	100

Friday 3rd September

8.30am – 9.45am	All four sessions: Tranquil abiding, using Bodhichitta as our meditation object	Pg. 103
10.45am – 12
12.30 – 1pm	Heart Jewel puja
4.45pm – 6pm
7.30pm – 8.45pm

Saturday 4th September

8.30am – 9.45am	Superior seeing, meditation on emptiness	Pg. 107
10.45am – 12	Superior seeing, meditation on emptiness	107
12.30 – 1pm	Heart Jewel puja
4.45pm – 6pm	Superior seeing, meditation on emptiness	107
7.30pm – 8.45pm	Relying upon a Spiritual Guide	113

Other Retreats

The following are other retreats held at the Centre. Please check the website for dates.

Amitayus retreat

Amitayus

To overcome the obstacles preventing us from taking the essence of this precious human life we need to increase our lifespan and our wisdom, and the principal method for doing this is the yoga of Buddha Amitayus. This yoga is also a special method for increasing our merit.

The prayers engaged in are “The Yoga of Buddha Amitayus”.

Fasting Retreat

Thousand armed Avalokiteshvara

We use the yoga of a thousand armed Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Compassion, during this special fasting and purification retreat. This retreat is very powerful for purifying negative karma of body, speech, and mind, and for pacifying strong delusions such as desirous attachment and hatred. It is also a special method for receiving blessings and improving our experience of love, compassion and bodhichitta.

The prayers engaged in are “Drop of Essential Nectar”.

Refuge

Buddha Shakyamuni

Going for refuge means finding protection from our problems by developing special Dharma realizations with the help of Buddha's blessings and encouragement from our Sangha friends. On this retreat we have a perfect opportunity to deepen our experience of refuge. When we practise refuge we are entering the Buddhist path to liberation and enlightenment.

The prayers engaged in are “Essence of Good Fortune”.

Guru Yoga and Mandala

Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang

A special practice combining Guru yoga and Mandala offerings that enables us to strengthen and deepen our connection with our Spiritual Guide.

The prayers engaged in are “Offering to the Spiritual Guide”.

Vajrasattva

Vajrasattva is the Buddha of purification. During this retreat we have the opportunity to purify our negativity by engaging in the purification practices of Buddha Vajrasattva. Through this practice we can remove both the causes of our future suffering and obstacles to our spiritual practice.Through purifying our negativity our mind will gradually become happier and happier, our good qualities will increase, and all our mental and physical problems will gradually disappear.

The prayers engaged in are “Offering to the Spiritual Guide” and “Meditation and Recitation of Solitary Vajrasattva”.

Vajrayogini

This retreat is for those who have received Highest Yoga Tantra Empowerments. It is an opportunity to deepen our understanding and experience of our tantric practice in conjunction with the prayers “Quick Path to Great Bliss” or “Dakini Yoga“.