Vajragupta grew up in Bromley, London. He studied psychology and sociology at Aston University, and first came in contact with Buddhism in Birmingham in 1990. He was ordained in 1994 and given the name ‘Vajragupta’, which means ‘secret, or hidden, diamond-like truth’. He was director of the Birmingham Buddhist Centre from 1997 to 2005, and still teaches Buddhism and meditation at classes and retreats across the Midlands. He is author of Buddhism: Tools for Living Your Life, The Triratna Story and Sailing the Worldly Winds, all published by Windhorse Publications. He enjoys nature and wild places, and also loves gardening, poetry, and the visual arts.

Sukhema was born in Illinois and has been living in Glasgow since 1981.  He has been leading retreats at Dhanakosa since the early nineties when it first opened. His day job is teaching tai-chi in healthcare settings including the Maggie Cancer Care Centre  where he also facilitates a therapeutic writing group.

His passions are poetry,dance, drama, gardening and wild swimming. He's the editor for Playspace Publications , a published poet and researcher for Art in Health.

Linda France is based close to Hadrian’s Wall, near Hexham in Northumberland. Since 1992 she has published seven poetry collections with Bloodaxe, Smokestack and Arc, including The Gentleness of the Very Tall, The Toast of the Kit-Cat Club, book of days and You are Her. She has worked on numerous collaborations with visual artists and musicians, as well as public art projects. Linda also edited the ground-breaking anthology Sixty Women Poets (Bloodaxe 1993).

She is also a practising Buddhist, and has led retreats at Dhanakosa several times. She recenly won the National Poetry competition

http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/npc30/npc2013/npc2013firstprize

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/mar/29/linda-france-national-poetry-competition-maggie-sawkins-ted-hughes-award

Open to all, these retreats 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.