Date/Time
Date(s) - 18 Nov 2023 - 19 Nov 2023
9:30 am - 5:30 pm

Location
Thames Room, Mercure Oxford Hawkwell House
Church Way, Iffley Village
Oxford
OX4 4DZ
United Kingdom

 

What is the Buddha’s path of insight and how does wisdom arise? How can we learn to remove the hindrances – such as worry, aversion and desire – so that we can see things clearly, become wise and experience the bliss of Nibbana?

 

With Ajahn Brahm’s expert guidance and compassionate support, you’ll delve into the heart of Buddhist meditation practice, exploring the wise teachings of the Buddha and discovering your own innate capacity for understanding and release. Through a powerful combination of guided meditations, teachings and discussions you’ll learn to cultivate a deeper connection to your own inner wisdom and uncover new levels of clarity and peace.

 

Whether you’re a seasoned meditator or a beginner, this retreat offers a safe and nurturing environment to deepen your practice.

 

 

The weekend will include Dhamma reflections, Q&A sessions, periods of seated and walking meditation and lots of laughter!

 

 

Location and Practical Details

Located in the tranquil Iffley Village within Oxford and just ten minutes’ drive from Oxford city centre, lies the Mercure Oxford Hawkwell House Hotel. Set among three acres of private gardens, this is the perfect setting to enjoy a quiet time of retreat in one of the UK’s most historical cities. The beautiful River Thames tow path is ten minutes walk away through the pretty Iffley village – ideal for walking meditation or to simply watch the river flow by!

 

For this retreat we have full use of the main conference hall, seating up to 150 participants. Tea (served twice a day) and a sandwich & chips lunch with salad is included in your booking. Gluten free and vegan options will be available.

 

Chairs will be available for meditation. Please kindly bring your own meditation mat with a cushion if you prefer to sit on the floor, as we cannot guarantee we will be able to provide mats.

 

This is a non-residential retreat (without accommodation included); however, you may wish to book a room at the same Hotel by directly contacting them (of course, after you have received your final booking confirmation for the retreat). Alternately, there are many other hotels nearby and in Oxford city centre.

 

 

 

Tentative Retreat Schedule

 

Saturday 18th November:

09:00 Arriving, Settling in & Tea
09:30 – 11:00 Dhamma Talk & Guided Meditation
11:00 – 11:30 Walking Meditation
11:30 – 13:00 Lunch break (food served in the dining room at the Hotel – see event description above)
13:00 – 13:45 Sutta Class
14:00 – 14:45 Guided Meditation
14:45 – 15:10 Walking Meditation
15:10 – 15:40 Silent Meditation
15:40 – 16:00 Tea Break
16:00 – 17:00 Q&A Session
17:00 – 17:40 Silent Meditation & Blessing, Departures by 18:00

 

 

Sunday 19th November:

09:00 Arriving, Settling in & Tea
09:30 – 11:00 Dhamma Talk & Guided Meditation (Ajahn Brahm)
11:00 – 11:30 Walking Meditation
11:30 – 13:00 Lunch break (food served in the dining room at the Hotel – see event description above)
13:00 – 13:45 Sutta Class
14:00 – 14:45 Guided Meditation
14:45 – 15:10 Walking Meditation
15:10 – 15:40 Silent Meditation
15:40 – 16:00 Tea Break
16:00 – 16:45 Q&A Session
16:45 – 17:15 Metta Meditation
17:15 – 17:45 Discussion on Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project &  Departures by 18:00

 

Ajahn Brahm kindly comes to England to support Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project’s charitable aims – of spreading the Dhamma and developing a “Forest Monastery” where, for the first time in the UK, women can train toward full bhikkhuni ordination – and our community can continue to grow. Organisation is on a volunteer basis which keeps costs as low as possible and there will be opportunity to donate towards these noble aims at the end of the retreat.

 

 

If you would like to contribute to sponsoring accommodation for Ajahn Brahm and Ven Canda, please donate here, reference: ‘monastic costs.’

 

We may be able to offer some financial assistance to those of limited means through our bursary fund, collected entirely through the generosity of others.

 

You are welcome to donate to our bursary fund here.

 

 

Application Procedure

Next steps:

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 form, within five minutes you should receive an email confirming that we have received it. Please check your junk mail inbox if you do not receive it. We advise you to add our email address bookings@anukampaproject.org as a contact, to prevent our emails going into your junk folder.

 

3. If you do not receive your ticket within an hour, please contact us at bookings@anukampaproject.org. Please be aware that emails that we send to non-Gmail, Hotmail or Outlook email account outside the UK (e.g. .pl; .gmx etc), are often rejected as ‘undelivered’ for unknown reasons. Please therefore contact us from a Gmail, Hotmail or Outlook email account where at all possible, to save disappointment.

 

 

 

We aim to approve your application within two weeks. If you haven’t heard from us after 2 weeks, please contact us at: bookings@anukampaproject.org.

 

Covid safety: Please do not attend if you feel ill, are infectious or have any symptoms of Covid.

 

This registration is refundable minus £80 BEFORE 8th September 2023.

 

Please note that from 9th September no refund will be given, unless someone on our waiting list is able to take your place. If your ticket can be taken by someone else, you will be refunded minus £80. Whilst we will make every effort to offer your ticket on, we are sorry that this cannot be guaranteed.

 

 

All proceeds go toward establishing the UK’s first Forest Monastery for women.

 

Bookings