BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.4//EN TZID:Europe/London X-WR-TIMEZONE:Europe/London BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1790@anukampaproject.org DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261121T093000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261122T174500 DTSTAMP:20260705T133216Z URL:https://anukampaproject.org/events/non-residential-retreat-ajahn-brahm -ajahn-canda-a-mind-like-a-still-forest-pool/ SUMMARY:Non-residential Weekend Retreat with Ajahn Brahm & Ajahn Canda: "A Mind Like a Still Forest Pool" DESCRIPTION:[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ajahn Brahm & \; Ajahn Canda at the Mercure in June 2025[/caption]\n\nAjahn's Chah's sim ile of the “still forest pool” beautifully captures the essence of a peaceful mind that is fully aware. He described sitting silently in the de ep forests of Thailand\, so still that wild animals no longer sensed his p resence and gradually began to appear ~ first the familiar\, then the rare and remarkable.\n\nIn a similar way\, when the mind is allowed to settle\ , something profound begins to unfold. Stillness is not only deeply restfu l and nourishing\; it becomes a source of insight. From a place of inner c alm\, we begin to see more clearly\, respond more wisely and discover new ways of meeting life. Rather than withdrawing\, we become more resilient\, more grounded and better resourced to engage with the world around us.\n\ nThe weekend includes sitting and walking meditation\, Dhamma talks\, Sutt a discussions\, and plenty of humour ~ shared with warmth\, depth and joy from our two teachers.\n\nWhether you’re new to meditation or deepening an established practice\, you’re invited to step out of the noise and bu syness of life\, reset the mind and reconnect with a sense of clarity\, ba lance and quiet confidence you can carry into everyday life.\nLocation and Practical Details\nLocated in tranquil Iffley Village within Oxford and j ust 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 minute s walk away through the pretty Iffley village - ideal for walking meditati on or to simply watch the river flow by.\n\nFor this retreat we have full use of the main conference hall\, seating up to 130 participants. Tea (ser ved twice a day) and a lunch of deluxe sandwiches &\; salad is included in your booking. Gluten free and vegan options will be available.\n\nComf ortable chairs will be available for meditation\; limited floor space is a vailable. Please kindly bring your own meditation mat with a cushion if yo u prefer to sit on the floor\, as we will not be able to provide these.\n\ nThis is a non-residential retreat (without accommodation included)\; howe ver\, 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 i n Oxford city centre.\n\n[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="800"] B eautiful forest pool[/caption]\nTentative Retreat Schedule\nSaturday 21st November:\n09:00 Arriving\, Settling in &\; Tea\n09:30 - 11:15 Dhamma T alk &\; Guided Meditation (Ajahn Brahm)\n11:15 - 11:45 Walking Meditati on\n12:00 - 13:30 Lunch break (food served in the dining room at the Hotel - see event description above)\n13:30 - 14:15 Sutta Class (Ajahn Brahm an d/or Ven Canda)\n14:30 - 15:15 Guided Meditation (Ajahn Brahm and/or Ven C anda)\n15:15 - 15:40 Walking Meditation\n15:40 - 16:10 Silent Meditation\n 16:10 - 16:30 Tea Break\n16:30 - 17:15 Q&\;A Session (Ajahn Brahm)\n17: 15 - 17:45 Silent Meditation &\; Blessing\, Departures by 18:00\n\nSund ay 22nd November:\n09:00 Arriving\, Settling in &\; Tea\n09:30 - 11:15 Dhamma Talk &\; Guided Meditation (Ajahn Brahm)\n11:15 - 11:45 Walking Meditation\n12:00 - 13:30 Lunch break (food served in the dining room at t he Hotel - see event description above)\n13:30 - 14:15 Sutta Class (Ajahn Brahm and/or Ven Canda)\n14:30 - 15:15 Guided Meditation (Ajahn Brahm and/ or Ven Canda)\n15:15 - 15:40 Walking Meditation\n15:40 - 16:00 Tea Break\n 16:00 - 16:45 Q&\;A Session (Ajahn Brahm)\n16:45 - 17:15 Metta Meditati on\n17:15 - 17:45 Discussion on Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project &\;  Depart ures by 18:00\n\nAjahn Brahm is kindly coming all the way from Perth to En gland to support Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project’s charitable aims - of sprea ding the Dhamma and developing Anukampa Grove. As the first residence for bhikkhunis in the UK\, Anukampa Grove gives women an opportunity to practi ce as bhikkhunis and provides a place for our warm-hearted and diverse com munity to practice. The volunteers who organise these retreats give their time freely\, helping us keep costs as low as possible.  At the end of th e retreat\, there will be an opportunity to donate towards the running cos ts of Anukampa Grove and requisites for the resident nuns.\n\nIf you would like to contribute to sponsoring accommodation for Ajahn Brahm\, Ajahn Ca nda and Samaneri Upacala\, please donate here\, reference: 'monastic cost s.'\n\nWe may be able to offer some financial assistance to those of limit ed means through our bursary fund\, collected entirely through the generos ity of others.\n\nYou are welcome to donate to our bursary fund here.\nApp lication Procedure\nNext steps:\n\n1. Please ensure you read all the abov e information carefully first\, and then fill in the application form belo w. At this stage you will not be required to make a payment.\n\n2. 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 boo kings@anukampaproject.org as a contact\, to prevent our emails going into your junk folder.\n\n3. If you do not receive your ticket within an hour\, please contact us at bookings@anukampaproject.org. Please be aware that e mails 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 un known reasons. Please therefore contact us from a Gmail\, Hotmail or Outlo ok email account where at all possible\, to save disappointment.\n\nWe aim to approve your application within a week. If you haven’t heard from us after one week\, please contact us at: bookings@anukampaproject.org.\n\nH ealth and community care: Please do not attend if you feel ill (e.g. if yo u have any symptoms of Covid or any other viral infections).\n\nThe ticket / registration fee is £180 per person\, which includes two tea breaks an d sandwich lunch for each day of the event (Saturday and Sunday).  \n\nT his registration fee is refundable minus £50 BEFORE 21st September 2026.  Please note that from 22nd September no refund will be given\, unless so meone on our waiting list is able to take your place. If your ticket can b e taken by someone else\, you will be refunded minus £50. Whilst we will make every effort to offer your ticket on\, we are sorry that this cannot be guaranteed.\n\nAll ticket proceeds go toward covering venue hire and ot her arrangements. Any excess will go toward general running cost of Britai n's first Vihara for bhikkhuni\, "Anukampa Grove."\n\n~ IMPORTANT !! ~  T o ensure you see our most up-to-date page and bookings availability\, YOU MUST REFRESH your browser by pressing F5 OR click the ↺ reload sign on the address bar.\n\nRegistration for this event closes on the 18th of Nove mber. ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://anukampaproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2 023/03/Banner-size-Mercure-Oxford-Hawkwell-House.jpg CATEGORIES:2026 LOCATION:Thames Room\, Mercure Oxford Hawkwell House\, Church Way\, Iffley Village\, Oxford\, OX4 4DZ\, United Kingdom X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Church Way\, Iffley Village \, Oxford\, OX4 4DZ\, United Kingdom;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Thames Roo m\, Mercure Oxford Hawkwell House:geo:0,0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/London BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20261025T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR