“Beginnings and endings are important” -Sangharakshita

We ask you to commit to attending the entire retreat. It is important that we value the time that we and others are putting aside to be here on retreat. A successful retreat is the fruit of everyone’s wholehearted participation. For the support and benefit of everyone, we ask that all participants arrive for the beginning of the retreat and stay until the end. We also ask you for the duration of the retreat to not to use your car, if you bring one, and to stay within walking distance of the retreat centre.

This creates a strong ‘container’ for the powerful transformative experience that being on retreat can be. A retreat needs to be approached with a degree of care and respect, both for ourselves and for others. We may be surprised at the greater degree of sensitivity we develop when on retreat. Therefore not being present for the whole retreat can have a jarring effect that can lessen the experience both for ourselves and for other retreatants.

Being on retreat is a communal as well as an individual practice. Your wholehearted commitment also supports your fellow retreatants.

We ask that everyone arrives on time for the start of the retreat (5-7 pm on the first day) and plans to stay for the whole retreat. Weekend retreats end between 3 and 4 pm, while longer retreats usually end between 10 am and 11 am.

Please come to the retreat prepared to be fully present, with loose ends tied up as much as possible at work and at home and having made arrangements to enable you to fully attend the entire retreat without distraction.

To get the most from the precious opportunity of being on retreat we ask you not to take excursions, which would not only be disruptive for yourself but also affect others on the retreat. For the duration of your retreat please come prepared not to use your car, if you bring one, and please stay within walking distance of the retreat centre.

Please come to the retreat prepared to be fully present, with loose ends tied up as much as possible at work and at home and having made arrangements to enable you to fully attend the entire retreat without distraction.

Retreats at Rivendell our founded upon the principles of community, generosity and co-operation to create an atmosphere of care and mutual concern. You will be asked to share and help out with light domestic tasks: washing up, chopping vegetables, table laying etc. and to participate in a general clear-up at the end of the retreat.

Many lasting friendships have begun by washing up together at Rivendell!

If you have a medical condition or disability that impacts on your ability to help with the domestic tasks on a retreat, then please tell the office at the time of your booking to discuss your needs.

The content, teaching and structure of our 'Triratna' and 'Triratna Intensive' retreats are designed for people who already practise within the tradition of the Triratna Buddhist Community.

Therefore these retreats are only for people who regularly attend urban and retreat centres run by members of the Triratna Buddhist Order founded by Sangharakshita. You will already have learned the Triratna system of meditation and be familiar with, and happy to participate in, Triratna Buddhist devotional practice and ritual (puja) and be comfortable with extended periods of sitting meditation and time spent in silence. 'Triratna Intensive' retreats require participants to have had a longer period of commitment to Buddhist practice within the context of the Triratna Buddhist Community. To attend these retreats you will need to have been regularly meditating for at least two years, to be comfortable fully particiapating in Buddhist devotional practice and to spend most of the retreat in silence.

While we recognise that some people may already have experience of meditation, Buddhism and being on retreat within other traditions, this may be very different from the way we practise within the Triratna Buddhist Community. So, unfortunately, these 'Triratna' and 'Triratna Intensive' retreats are not suitable for those who do not regularly practise within the context of our movement.

Spending time away from our usual distractions is a very powerful way to support the deepening of meditative calm and insight. Through letting go of the familiar world we give ourselves space from the complexity of life and can come to see our mind and its activity more clearly.

To help you be fully present and to avoid distracting other retreatants, we ask you not to use mobile phones, laptops, I-phones and MP3 players, etc. in the retreat centre or grounds during the retreat.

If in an emergency you need to be contacted on retreat we have an emergency contact telephone line. The answer phone on this line is situated in the actual retreat centre and is checked regularly during the day by a member of each retreat team for the duration of the retreat.

Rivendell is housed in old Victorian rectory which can unfortunately create access issues for some people. We currently have one shared downstairs bedroom, which has the use of a bathroom 9 metres down the hallway. This bathroom has an 8cm step up to the shower which also has a seat and handrails. This bathroom also has a toilet with handrails.

Wheelchair ramps can be put in place, if needed, as outside access on all external doorways is up one or two steps. There are handrails on all steps. Some doorways inside the house are 70cm wide. The shrine room is situated in a separate building 12 metres from the main house. The garden is on a hill and is accessible via steps with handrails. The main lawn directly outside the house is accessible to wheelchair users.

For hearing aid users there is a hearing loop installed in the shrine room and main lounge.

Please speak to a member of the Rivendell team at the time of your booking for more detailed information and to discuss your needs whilst on retreat.