Men's residential retreat on Spiritual Friendship
22nd Nov 6pm- 24th 4pm
Bhadra and Naravira will be leading a retreat on the theme of Spiritual Friendship at Anybody’s Barn in the Malvern Hills, 22-24th of November this year. We are cordially inviting you to join us for the weekend.
THE THEME:
On this weekend we will be exploring the relationship of ourselves to self, world and the infinite. These can be seen as three dimensions of spiritual friendship. Our relationship to self could be seen to suffer when it is not imbued with the attitudes that Spiritual Friendship embodies, similarly our relationship to world and reality.
The Buddhist description of reality as being essentially interconnected and unobstructed means that we are relational beings. We hold this relationship both internally with ourselves (intra-personally) , relationally with others and the world around us (inter-personally) and with the reality of how things are (trans-personally). When all of these aspects are in accord, our relationship to life can become more complete. We will be exploring the theme by looking at Spiritual Friendship through the three aspects of Self, World and the Infinite .
THE PROGRAMME:
Friday:
6.30pm – Dinner
8.00 – Check in and introduction to the weekend
9.00 – dedication ceremony and meditation
Saturday:
7.30am – meditation
8.15 – 2nd meditation
8.45 – breakfast
10.00 – presentation – meeting through the self – Bhadra
11.00 – tea
11.30 – groups
1pm – lunch
2.15 – walk – group walk through the local countryside
4.30 – insight dialogue – interpersonal meditation exercise led by Bhadra
6.00 – dinner
7.30 – presentation – meeting through the infinite – Naravira
8.30 – puja, chanting and meditation
9.30 – fire in the garden
Sunday:
7.30am – meditation
8.15 – 2nd meditation
8.45 – breakfast
10.00 – led meditation and exploration of self, world and the infinite
11.00 – tea
11.30 – groups
1pm – lunch
2.00 – clear up
2.30 – closing ritual
Anybody’s Barn is retreat venue that the Bristol Buddhist Centre has used for many years. It is an idyllic location in the Malvern Hills. There will be a relaxed weekend of meditation as well as input and exploration in small groups on the theme of Spiritual Friendship. There will also be free time to explore the countryside as well as an organised walk on the Saturday afternoon.
You can see more about Anybody’s Barn by clicking this link:
If you identify as a man and have completed one of our Introductory Courses you will be able to attend this event. If you are in doubt about whether you are eligible, please contact the centre. Please note that accommodation at Anybody’s Barn is in small shared dorms. Places at Anybody’s Barn are limited, so early booking is advised.