To attend this retreat you will need to have been regularly meditating for at least two years and regularly attend retreats, a centre or a group within the context of the Triratna Buddhist Community. You must also be comfortable with extended periods of sitting meditation, Buddhist devotional practice and spending most of the retreat in silence.
“Moments of grace when action falls away, but more than just a witness - the distance collapsed, a dark star, trusting its own dark light”. From the poem ‘Perhaps’ by Paramananda
Sometimes in our striving to develop ourselves and ascend to the ‘light’ we can risk leaving behind what is most precious in us. Increasingly aspects of our culture can encourage us to overcome or reject the parts of ourselves which do not conform to the stereotypes of our superficial growth-obsessed world. The mysterious and paradoxical alchemical image of the ‘Black Sun’ suggests that there is a hidden light in the depths. When we come more fully into relationship with what, at first, may seem negative aspects of the mind, we can open to new possibilities for building resilience and compassion in a sometimes difficult world. This retreat will support us to sit with our naked experience with love and interest, in the light of this ‘Black Sun’. With extended periods of sitting practice, silence and Buddhist ritual.
Please note: Before attending this retreat you will need to have been regularly meditating for at least two years. This retreat runs from Friday pm to Monday pm.
Paramananda has been teaching meditation and leading retreats for over 30 years and is author of three books on meditation: Change Your Mind, A Deeper Beauty and The Body.
Prices for this event are: £240 - £220 (Conc)