Retreats are an excellent opportunity to deepen your meditation practice and enjoy the company of other people who are exploring the Buddha's teachings. Our retreat program allows ample time for meditation, reflection and relaxation. Weekend retreats usually begin at around 7pm on the Friday evening and finish early afternoon on the Sunday.
Bookings are essential and we recommend you reserve your place as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Cost for weekend retreats: $240/190/120 - you choose what you can afford to pay. Longer retreats (such as week long or long weekends) may have proportionately higher rates.
Many of our residential retreats are held at Sudarshanaloka Retreat Centre in Thames (click here to visit their website) or at Awhitu Environmental Camp on the eastern coast of the Awhitu Peninsula. Retreats are an excellent opportunity to deepen your meditation practice and enjoy the company of other people who are exploring the Buddha's teachings.
We need to have confidence in ourselves and what we know to be true, we need to be fearlessly alive, in order to fully live out a dharma life. We will be exploring this theme through Chi Gong standing postures (led my Dharmamudra, an accomplished Tai Chi practitioner and teacher) and through the Buddhist symbolism of the Stupa. There will also be time for personal reflection and meditation. Open to all men familiar with the mindfulness of breathing and metta bhavana meditation practices. Please book in advance. Led by Dharmamudra, Guyhasiddhi, and Ratnavyuha at Sudarshanaloka Retreat Centre. There is an option to arrive Thursday night or early Friday morning if you want to help us with some work at Sudarshanaloka, please contact Ratnavyuha if interested.
Nature Dharma: Open Retreat 16-18 March We'll combine some silent mindful walks and outdoor reflections with a regular retreat program of meditation, small discussion groups, and personal time for reflection. Part of our attempt to take our Dharma life out into nature more often this year, away from the Urban grind that encloses many of our lives. Sudarshanaloka is ideally situated for this retreat. Led by Sujiva and Ratnavyuha. Bookings through the Auckland Buddhist Centre are essential.
Easter long weekend Retreat: Thursday 8 to Monday 9 April There are not many opportunities to get away on retreat for a long weekend (without taking holiday leave), and we like to use these to focus on meditation and reflection. Led by Vikasini and Ratnavyuha.
Women for Meditation Retreat: 18-20 May An opportunity for those familiar with our core metta and mindfulness meditations to explore their practise deeper.If you want to stay on retreat longer, there is an option to stay until 25 May at Awhitu. Led by the Women for Meditation team. Bookings are essential.
Upcoming Men's Retreat: 18-20 May and 16-18 November Theme to be confirmed. This retreat will be held at Sudarshanaloka Retreat Centre on the Coromandel Peninsula near Thames. It will be led by order members from the Auckland Buddhist Centre and Buddhaloka (located in Thames). There is an option to come one day earlier on each of these retreats with no extra accommodation cost in return for working at Sudarshanaloka. Bookings are essential.
Upcoming Long Weekend Open Retreats An excellent opportunity to deepen your practise and enjoy the company of other people. Easter - 5-9 April at Sudarshanaloka, Queens Birthday - 1-4 June at Bella Rakha and Labour weekend -19-22 October at Awhitu. There is an option to leave one day early on these retreats. Bookings are essential.
Deepening Meditation Retreat: 28-30 September For those who have learned our two core meditation practises and are wanting to explore their meditation practice more deeply withing the supportive conditions that a retreat offers. An excellent first retreat. Led by order members from the Auckland Buddhist Centre, and held at Sudarshanaloka Retreat centre near Thames. Bookings are essential.
Springtime Family Retreat Practise the Buddha’s teachings of mindfulness and loving kindness with other adults and children. 5-10 October at Awhitu with Minh Truong and friends. Bookings are essential.
Urban Retreats
Non residential retreats to fit in with your busy life. These retreats are sometimes run internationally with many different Triratna Centres around the world holding local urban retreats over the same dates. In addition, someone not living near a centre (or simply wishing to approach an Urban Retreat in a different way), can participate in these retreats online through the buddhistcentre.com. There are no current plans to run any Urban Retreats out of the Auckland Buddhist Centre in 2012.
