Rains retreat with Dhivan. 1st – 7th November

Dependent Arising and the Path to LiberationPratītya-samutpāda or ‘dependent arising’ is the Buddha’s teaching about how everything we experience arises on causes and conditions, and ends with the ending of those same conditions. So dependent arising gives us a framework both for thinking about the ways in which suffering and unsatisfactoriness arises in life, but also about how we can give rise to the conditions for deepening wellbeing and liberating insight. In this retreat, Dhivan will share his years of study and practice with this teaching in a practical way, combining study and discussion with meditation and reflection.

Dhivan is the author of This Being, That Becomes: The Buddha’s teaching on conditionality, published by Windhorse Publications (2011), and this book would make good preparatory reading for the retreat. You can get a taste of Dhivan’s more scholarly work on dependent arising at https://www.saet.ac.uk/Buddhism/DependentArising. This retreat however will be much more down to earth and practical in its approach.

Our popular annual 7-day non-residential retreat at the Bristol Buddhist Centre is open to all Mitras and Order members in the region, plus those who have completed an introductory course at the Centre and regularly attend classes. Please take time to read Dhivans book before the retreat. Although the hope is you will take time to participate in the whole event, you are invited to attend as much or as little as you can fit into your life. All meals are provided and there will be space in the programme to simply hang out in the Centre with Sangha.

Daily Programme for Rains Retreat (Except first Friday which is Introduction and
ritual 7.30 – 9pm)
7.15 Doors open
7.30 Meditation
8.45 Breakfast
10.30 Session one: study/discussion/meditation
12.45 Break
1.00 Lunch
3.00 Daily Bodywork and/ or making sessions
4.00 Tea break
4.30 Session two: study/discussion/meditation
6.15 Dinner
7.30 Devotional activities
9.00 Finish
Come to as much or as little as you can manage. If you can come to the whole
retreat that would be wonderful. Dhivan is an inspiring teacher and is excited to be
offering this very open and flexible retreat programme to accommodate your
availability.
To make this retreat as open and welcoming as possible for you, you are invited to
join or leave the programme at the beginning of any event on any day. There will
also be a quiet space in the lower shrine room available throughout the retreat and of
course you are very welcome to just come along and hang out in the Centre. We will
be cooking every meal for you in the Centre. To help prepare the right amounts
please sign up on the sheets in the Centre for all meals you would like. If you are
unable to come to the Centre to sign up please send an email to Info@Bristol-
buddhist-centre.org to request meals. There are also tasks to sign up to in order to
keep the retreat running smoothly.
Dhivan will be providing a retreat booklet for all participants for the morning and
afternoon sessions. He also reminds us to prepare by reading his book This Being, That Becomes: The Buddha’s teaching on conditionality, published by Windhorse Publications (2011).