Amoghavira first encountered Buddhism in 1979 while struggling through a mathematics degree at Glasgow University. Ordained into the Western Buddhist Order in 1982 he then started working at the Glasgow Buddhist Centre. 

He worked for 2 years at the Sydney Buddhist Centre in Australia from 1988, and on his way back to Britain in 1990, spent 3 months in Kathmandu helping run meditation and Buddhism course there. Falling in love with Nepal, he’s been a regular visitor there ever since.

In 1996, he moved to Dhanakosa to help with retreat leading here, which he’s been doing ever since. He loves being in the mountains and this has led to a passion for landscape photography and he now lives in the village of Callander, about 15 miles from Dhanakosa.

Sraddhadharani first began practising Buddhism in Manchester in the late '90's. A desire to explore her practise more deeply away from the distractions and demands of busy urban life lead to her moving to the Scottish Borders, where she has lived for the last 16 years with her partner and various dogs and cats. Her interest in and commitment to Buddhism continued to develop and thrive, helped by the beauty and peace of the surrounding landscape, as well as the many opportunities available within the Triratna Buddhist Community and she was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2013. She has a particular interest in meditation and has been co-facilitating a Meditation Group in her local village hall for the last 8 years. She also works as a dog walker and massage therapist and enjoys using ritual and ceremony as a way of bringing people together around shared values and experiences.

 

Diana Barnard has been practising Shiatsu since 1995 and for the last 13 years has worked as a therapist for Penny Brohn Cancer Care, supporting clients and their families. She has been leading Shiatsu, Qi Gong and meditation retreats at Dhanakosa since 1999.

She recently qualified in 2013 as a Cranial Sacral Therapist at the Karuna Institute, a Buddhist based training centre in Devon. Her website

An ideal first regulars retreat. These retreats take themes from our introductory programme and introduce a stronger Buddhist context through meditation, teachings, up to 3 days of silence, ritual and chanting.

Open to anyone who has done an introductory retreat or has been attending a local Buddhist centre, is familiar with Buddhist practice and is looking to take it a bit deeper.