Where do we turn when we come up against difficulties in life?

In the space of this retreat, led with warmth and depth, we will be learning about a traditional teaching called the four mind turning verses. The subjects of these four reflections can bring us into a direct relationship with: the deeply precious opportunity afforded by our human life; the truth of death and impermanence; karma, or the fact that our actions have consequences for ourselves and others; and the many disadvantages of this conditioned, unsatisfactory, worldly existence.

All of these might be called ‘the facts of life’ from the Buddhist perspective. They are wake-up calls, jolts to our complacency, articulations of the troubling voice of reality as it impacts on our immediate experience. As we go through them we are saying to ourselves, ``Remember, reflect, wake up to the truth, turn your heart towards freedom!”

We’ll explore these reflections with guided meditations, short talks and discussions and within an atmosphere of community, connection and care for each other - all held in the wild and beautiful landscape of Balquhidder Glen.

No previous experience of meditation or Buddhism is assumed, so this retreat is suitable for complete beginners as well as being a good refresher for people with some experience. For more information, read the retreat information sheet. 

Are you new to Dhanakosa? Watch our short film to get a sense of the centre, landscape and what it's like being on retreat here. 

The retreat will draw on the inspiration of Padmasambhava, Tantric Guru, who was invited to Tibet to transform the deeper, more unruly forces of the mind. Padmasambhava is seen to be both a historical and mythic figure within Buddhism. He was a renowned Yogi, Dharma Teacher, Shaman, and Healer. 

We will bring Padmasambhava to life through talks and Buddhist devotional practice. Through meditation, silence, and ritual we will explore both the energetic and receptive elements of his teaching. 

On the basis of mindfulness and metta, and with the support of silence and ritual, we will explore the practice of ‘just sitting’ where we open to direct experience and the heart of awareness.

For more information, read the retreat information sheet. 

On this retreat we will be exploring our relationship to the landscape and the world around us.  There will be minimal technical photography teaching on this retreat with the emphasis being very much on photography coming out of meditative experience and our connection to nature.

We will focus on the importance of going beyond just looking, to really seeing with our whole heart, mind, and body. Using all our senses we will explore the world around us at Dhanakosa before we try to create images, in big views or in more intimate details. Using inspiration from Buddhist tradition and meditation techniques, we will set a tone for the retreat where awareness can naturally feed into the creative process.

For more information read the retreat information sheet.

Where do we turn when we come up against difficulties in life? 

In the space of this retreat, we will be learning about the preliminary practices of reflection on what are called the 4 mind turning verses. The subjects of these four reflections can bring us into a direct relationship with: the deeply precious opportunity afforded by our human life; the truth of death and impermanence; karma, or the fact that our actions have consequences for ourselves and others; and the many disadvantages of this conditioned, dissatisfactory, worldly existence. 

All of these might be called ‘the facts of life’ from the Buddhist perspective. They are wake-up calls, jolts to our complacency, articulations of the troubling voice of reality as it impacts on our immediate experience. As we go through them we are saying to ourselves, ``Remember, reflect, wake up to the truth, turn your heart towards freedom!” 

We’ll explore these reflections with guided meditations, short talks and discussions. No previous experience of meditation or Buddhism is assumed, so this retreat is suitable for complete beginners as well as being a good refresher for people with some experience.

For more information read the retreat information sheet.

On this retreat we will be exploring our relationship to the landscape and the world around us. There will be minimal technical teaching on this retreat with the emphasis being very much on photography coming out of meditative experience (whatever that turns out to be!).

We will focus on the importance of going beyond just looking, to really seeing with our whole heart, mind, and body. Using all our senses we will explore the world around us at Dhanakosa before we try to capture it photographically whether in big views or in more intimate details. Using inspiration from Buddhist tradition and meditation techniques, we will set a tone for the retreat where awareness can naturally feed into the creative process.

For more information read the retreat information sheet.

The retreat will draw on the inspiration of Padmasambhava, Tantric Guru, who was invited to Tibet to transform the deeper, more unruly forces of the mind. Padmasambhava is seen to be both a historical and mythic figure within Buddhism. He was a renowned Yogi, Dharma Teacher, Shaman, and Healer.

We will bring Padmasambhava to life through talks and Buddhist devotional practice through meditation, silence, and ritual we will explore both the energetic and receptive elements of his teaching.

On the basis of mindfulness and metta, and with the support of silence and ritual, we will explore the practice of ‘just sitting’ where we open to direct experience and the heart of awareness.

For more information read the retreat information sheet.