What is the theme of the retreat?

Mahāmaṅgala Sutta (The Discourse on the Highest Blessings) is among the most cherished teachings of the Theravāda tradition – a gentle yet profound guide to living well. Uniquely grounded in the realities of lay life, it offers clear, practical reflections that nourish the heart and quietly transform the way we live, relate, and practice.

Step by step, this sutta elucidates the entire spiritual path: from cultivating harmony and wise conduct in daily life, through deepening inner clarity and ultimately pointing toward liberation itself. During this retreat, we will slow down and explore its verses with care, drawing on the wider wisdom of the Pāli Canon to illuminate each blessing and bring it alive in our own experience.

Join us for a contemplative journey into simplicity, meaning, and awakening – a space to listen, reflect, and let the teachings gently lead you to freedom and liberation.

Be there or be square! 🙂

Why choose an Ajahn Brahmali retreat?

Ajahn Brahmali, a senior disciple of Ajahn Brahm, is an exemplary practicing monk, Buddhist scholar and much sought-after teacher of early Buddhism. Ajahn Brahmali brings the depth and scope of the Buddha’s teachings to life, in a way that inspires our everyday practice and our path towards Enlightenment. Rarely are the Buddha’s teachings elucidated with so much clarity and contagious joy.

Through your own direct experience of meditation informed by the Buddha’s teachings, your relationship with the historical Buddha will deepen, bringing renewed confidence that you are practicing correctly and inspiring your journey on the Noble Eightfold Path ~ as though the Buddha were right by your side!

The retreat will be held in silence, and to support this we have exclusive usage of the centre for a total of 32 retreatants and three monastics. Furthermore, Ladywell’s friendly staff will look after all our needs, preparing and serving our meals as well as doing all the washing up! The retreat is suitable for both beginners and experienced meditators alike. Be sure to register early and secure your place!

Where will the retreat be held?

We are delighted to have found a very peaceful venue in idyllic surroundings. Set in the heart of beautiful Surrey, The Franciscan Centre Ladywell is spiritual home to Franciscan Sisters and the FMDM (Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood), who have created a space of peace, beauty and reflection. The buildings and extensive grounds lend themselves perfectly to a silent meditation retreat. We feel confident that the atmosphere alone will support you in quietening the mind!

Ladywell grounds offer many different spaces for quiet reflection and the enjoyment of nature. These include:

The Carceri Garden:
A spacious, private and quiet landscaped garden with a water feature, summer house and pergola – a place to sit or walk and contemplate the beauty around you.

The Shrine Field:
A short walk outside the back gate brings you to this Shrine in honour of Our Lady. Built by the FMDM in the 1950s the Shrine sits on the site of an ancient chapel.  This place has been a place of prayer since the 7th Century.  The woodland adjacent to the Shrine was planted by the FMDM as part of the Millennium Project in 2000, in partnership with The Woodland Trust.

The centre has good transport links from London to Godalming train station in Surrey.

Tentative Retreat Schedule 

In the same spirit as Ajahn Brahm, Ajahn Brahmali has a relaxed approach to meditation that allows you to find your own pace and joy in practice. It also offers plenty of space and time to unwind in the beautiful grounds. Below is a rough schedule that includes talks, guided meditations, sutta classes, Q&A and (unlisted) group interviews with Ajahn Brahmali. Ample time will be available for relaxing and walking in the countryside as you please – and, if the weather is nice you can meditate in the beautiful walled rose garden, or the surrounding forests and fields.

Saturday 13th June:
16:00 – 17:00 Arrival & settling in
18:00 – 19:30 Soup or own snacks
19:30 – 20:00 Orientation talk (silence begins!)
20:00 – 21:00 Dhamma talk & Guided meditation (Ajahn Brahmali)

Sunday 14th – Friday 19th June:
06:00 – 07:00 Meditation
07:30 – 08:15 Breakfast
09:00 – 10:30 Teaching & guided meditation (Ajahn Brahmali)
10:30 – 12:00 Personal practice / 1 hour group interviews (Tues, Wed, Thurs)
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch
13:00 – 14:00 Rest
14:00 – 15:00 Personal practice
15:00 – 15:45 Guided meditation (Ajahn Canda or Ajahn Brahmali, alternately)
16:00 – 17:00 Teachings (Ajahn Brahmali or Ajahn Canda alternately)
17:00 – 18:00 Personal practice
18:00 – 19:00 Tea break/snacks
19:00 – 19:45 Group Meditation
20:00 – 21:00 Q&A

Saturday 20th June:
06:00 – 07:00 Meditation
07:00 – 08:30 Breakfast & pack up personal belongings
08:30 – 10:00 Closing talk & metta meditation
10:00 – 11:00 Discussion & Mingling
12:00 Lunch
12:00 – 13:00 Departures
Departures by 1:00pm

Retreatants must pack up on the last day of the retreat at 8:30am and leave promptly by 1:00pm.

Accommodation and facilities

All the rooms are comfortable and tastefully decorated, most are with their own en-suite bathroom. Each room offers a sense of space and calm for guests seeking to spend time away from the hustle of daily life. There are rooms sharing with one or two other people, as well as a smaller number of single rooms. There are also kitchenettes through the building and close to most rooms.

Disabled access

Please let us know if you require disabled facilities or a ground floor room and we will do our best to meet your needs.

Meeting rooms

The largest hall will be used as our main meditation hall and there will be another medium sized room available for walking meditation in case it is raining. Breakfast, lunch and drinks will be provided in a separate dining room. Group interviews will be held in an allocated place to be decided at the time. Each person will be invited to join one group interview with Ajahn Brahmali during their retreat.

Food and drinks

Food will be simple vegetarian with a vegan option. Tea and coffee is available around the clock. During this retreat we will abstain from eating in the evening, to support the deepening of meditation practice. Please therefore note that only breakfast and lunch will be provided. 

If you require food in the evening for medical purposes, please ensure that you bring along simple snacks such as flapjacks, that can be kept in the shared kitchenettes.

What will I need to bring?

– Meditation cushion(s)
– Flask (for hot water/tea) and water bottle
– Torch/flashlight
– Comfortable modest clothing (no short or sleeveless tops), kindly avoid noisy jackets or trousers.
– Shawls or thin blankets for meditation.
– Raincoat/umbrella (just in case!)
– Outdoor shoes & indoor slippers
– Any food/snacks that you may need for medical reasons

Costs

The total cost of the retreat, per person, is as follows:
£790 based on staying in a comfortable en-suite shared room with one or two others of the same gender
£890 based on staying in a single room.

Please note that the retreat cost is for the venue hire only, which includes accommodation, use of two large halls and meals. Ajahn Brahmali is kindly coming all the way from Perth to England to support Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project’s charitable aims – of spreading the Dhamma and developing Anukampa Grove. As the first residence for bhikkhunis in the UK, Anukampa Grove gives women an opportunity to practice as bhikkhunis and provides a place for our warm-hearted and diverse community to practice. The volunteers who organise these retreats give their time freely, helping us keep costs as low as possible.  At the end of the retreat, there will be an opportunity to donate towards the running costs of Anukampa Grove and requisites for the resident nuns.

We are extremely fortunate to have three monastics attending this retreat: Ajahn Brahmali, Ajahn Canda and Samaneri Upacala! However, this means we need some extra financial help. If you would like to contribute to the costs for accommodating the Sangha (monastics) you can donate here, reference ‘monastic costs.’

We may be able to offer some financial assistance to those of limited means through our bursary fund. You are welcome to donate to our bursary fund here.

Getting There

Arriving By Air 
The nearest airports are London Heathrow (LHR), approximately 45 minutes by taxi, and London Gatwick (LGW), approximately 1 hour by taxi. If you are travelling from the airport by train, get a tube to London Waterloo and then a direct train to Godalming (see below). From Godalming, the venue is a 6-minute taxi ride or approximately a 30-minute walk.

By Train
Take a direct South Western Railway service from London Waterloo to Godalming (Surrey). From Godalming, the venue is a 6-minute taxi ride or approximately a 30-minute walk. Train tickets can be booked in advance via South Western Railway or The Trainline.

Local Taxis
Clocktower Cars – 01483 422222
Speedwell Taxis – 01483 423333
A3 taxis Godalming – 07871 818 267
Godalming Taxis – 01483 666 999

By Car
Ladywell is served well by the A3 road from London to Portsmouth. The nearest main exit point from the A3 to Ladywell is Milford Junction, which is 2.8 miles from Ladywell. On taking this exit, please use the A3100 to reach Ladywell, Ashstead Lane, GU7 1ST.

By Bus
The nearest bus stop at Tuesley Lane, Godalming is 0.4 miles from Ladywell, served by Compass bus number 42, which travels from Guildford to Cranleigh.
Three further buses (numbers 70/71/72) travel from Guildford to Godalming central, stopping at Eashing Lane, Godalming, 1.1 miles from Ladywell.
For bus timetables, please use this link:
Guildford, Godalming and Haslemere bus timetables – Surrey County Council website: https://surreycc.gov.uk

Bus service number and timetable Operator Route location; O30: National Express: London, Guildford, Hindhead, Portsmouth and Southsea and Fareham. Please visit https://nationalexpress.com.

You can also plan your journey with Google Maps.

Please note that they may be changes within the https://google.com/maps public transport timetable e.g., a road closed, delay etc.  Download First Bus App. and Trainline App. to access real time information.

Disclaimer: We are not affiliates nor endorsing those companies.

As the retreat approaches, you can coordinate with other participants via a lift share spreadsheet, for example to arrange to share taxis or lifts.

Application Procedure

1. Please ensure you read all the above information carefully first, and then fill in the application form below. At this stage you will not be required to make a payment.

2. After submitting your application, you should receive an acknowledgement email immediately. If you do not see it, please check your junk or spam folder. We recommend adding our email address (bookings@anukampaproject.org) to your contacts to ensure our emails are not filtered as junk. If you do not receive the email, please contact us.

3. We aim to approve your application within two weeks. If you are applying for waiting list, we will only contact you if there is space available.

4. Once your application is approved, your registration fee is needed to secure your place. Upon receipt, your ticket will be automatically emailed to you.

We will allocate your room based on the room type you selected in this application form. When it comes to payment you must stick to the room type you originally chose in this application form, because we have organised the room chart on the basis of your choice and cannot change it at the time of payment!

If the room type is no longer visible to you below, it means the room is currently taken and you can apply to be on the waiting list. If you specifically need a single room, please state your reason. If a single room becomes available in the future, we will contact you to let you know.

Cancellation Policy

If your plans change and you are no longer able to attend, we will ONLY be able to refund you (minus £150 registration fee), IF there is someone on the waiting list who is able to take your place. This is because we still have to pay the venue, even if we cannot fill your place. Whilst we will make every effort to offer your ticket on, this cannot be guaranteed.