Smritiratna first took up Buddhist practice in 1977 at the age of 21 while studying Developmental Psychology at Sussex University. At 27, he began training in earnest with the FWBO and entered the Western Buddhist Order in 1991.
In 1996, he came to Scotland, joined the Dhanakosa project and spent five years on-site, teaching and house-keeping. In 2001, he gave up house-keeping to concentrate on study, contemplation and teaching. He now lives in a forest hut near Dhanakosa. He still leads Dhanakosa retreats and continues to delight in introducing meditation to newcomers.
These retreats combine introductory meditation teaching with yoga. The supportive atmosphere of the retreat allows us to develop and deepen both practices, and understand how the two augment each other. Both meditation and yoga teaching will be suitable for complete beginners.
For more information read the retreat information sheet.
The four love meditations from the Buddhist tradition cultivate metta (loving kindness), mudita (sympathetic joy), karuna (compassion) and upekkha (a wise and loving serenity). This retreat begins with simple mindfulness and appreciation then goes on to explore these four meditations. Each one taps into our intrinsic humanity then responds courageously to whatever life presents.
For more information read the retreat information sheet.
We begin this retreat just after the Winter Solstice, the darkest time of the year. Folk have been marking this special time since the deep past. For us, the coming of the light signifies faith in awareness prevailing over ignorance, humanity prevailing over inhumanity. This retreat is an opportunity to gather and affirm that faith through ritual, shared communication and especially silent meditation.
These are meditation retreats and will be conducted mostly in silence. They will normally have between 5 and 7 hours a day of sitting meditation.
Qi Gong is rapidly becoming growing in popularity as a practice which helps to generate more energy and vitality, and promotes self healing and inner harmony and can improve levels of health considerably. Many people benefit from having a movement practice to accompany and support their sitting meditation practice.
Gautama became Buddha by awakening to a radically different way of perceiving himself and the world, attaining a perspective that freed him from the pain that comes from the unenlightened mind’s faulty assumptions about who we are and how peace can be found. On this retreat we’ll explore how both shamatha and vipashyana practices can help us to see as the Buddha did — to know the mind of the Buddha.
For more information read the retreat information sheet.
These retreats combine introductory meditation teaching with yoga. The supportive atmosphere of the retreat allows us to develop and deepen both practices, and understand how the two augment each other. Both meditation and yoga teaching will be from first principles and will be suitable for complete beginners.
These retreats are open to all. They are suitable for both beginners and those with more experience but no previous experience is assumed. All these retreats include introductory meditation teaching and periods of silence.
The four love meditations from the Buddhist tradition cultivate metta (loving kindness), mudita (sympathetic joy), karuna (compassion) and upekkha (a wise and loving serenity). This retreat begins with simple mindfulness and appreciation then goes on to explore these four meditations. Each one taps into our intrinsic humanity then responds courageously to whatever life presents.
These retreats combine introductory meditation teaching with yoga. The supportive atmosphere of the retreat allows us to develop and deepen both practices, and understand how the two augment each other. Both meditation and yoga teaching will be from first principles and will be suitable for complete beginners.
These retreats are open to all. They are suitable for both beginners and those with more experience but no previous experience is assumed. All these retreats include introductory meditation teaching and periods of silence.
These retreats provide an excellent short introduction to both meditation and Buddhism. They will introduce you to two simple traditional meditation practices and give you a grounding in the basic principles of Buddhism. They are an ideal situation in which to take a fresh look at yourself and your life.
For more information read the retreat information sheet.
We begin this retreat just after the Winter Solstice, the darkest time of the year. Folk have been marking this special time since the deep past. For us, the coming of the light signifies faith in awareness prevailing over ignorance, humanity prevailing over inhumanity. This retreat is an opportunity to gather and affirm that faith through ritual, shared communication and especially silent meditation.
These are meditation retreats and will be conducted mostly in silence. They will normally have between 5 and 7 hours a day of sitting meditation.
