Led by: Paramananda, Satyamuni, Maitrisuri and Cittamoksha
Location: Bowerwood, Nr. Broadhembury, E. Devon
Deposit amount: £130
Experience level: Experienced meditators - at least three years
Age group: Adults
Total suggested cost (excluding deposit): standard:£500, supported:£330, donation tier (helping others to come on retreat):£840
Vehicle Pass: Car:£15, Live-in- 6m and under: £30, Live-in- over 6m: £30
See our FAQ for an explanation of the deposit/ dana/ donation tier system. Please do read this is you think that you will not be able to afford the retreat or you are not sure about the deposit/dana/ donation tier system in any way. We have suggested donation amounts to guide you and they relate to what it costs us to run a retreat. However you are free to give as little or as much as befits your circumstances.
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The world is permeated by psyche and there is a kinship between our psyche and the world’s psyche. If we understand psyche as participatory, then to be intimate with the world is to be intimate with ourselves...
Paramananda teaches a soulful approach to meditation, infused with poetry and myth, and at the same time grounded in connection to the body, land, place and each other. This two week intensive meditation retreat offers an opportunity to be in the world in a different way than we normally are, opening to nature, both inwardly and outwardly. Living and meditating together in silence we will explore how our body is grounded in relationships to place, and how the same is true of our psyche, opening the way for re-enchantment of our world.
Please note that this year's retreat is 1 day longer than usual offering a little more spaciousness.
What is this retreat and who is it for?
This retreat is aimed at sincere meditators who practice regularly. It is ideal for those with substantial meditation experience within the Triratna Buddhist community, e.g. three or more years.
At the same time, we can facilitate those who are newer to meditation, or new to Triratna, to participate. If you have:
then we can support you to take part. If either of these apply, please tell us on the booking form. If you are uncertain if this is the right retreat for you, please do get in touch.
What to expect
The retreat will largely be held in silence but at the same time involves a significant aspect of living in community through working, living and practicing together. The daily timetable will be something like this:
6 am - rise
6.30 – 8 am – meditation
8.15 am Breakfast
9 – 10.30am Morning circle and work period
11 am – 1pm Teaching and practice session
1 pm lunch
3 pm bodywork
4.30 – 6pm practice session
6pm Dinner
8-9pm Evening ritual
Leader Bios
Paramananda
Paramananda is an inspirational and much loved Buddhist teacher who has written a number of books on Buddhism and the craft of meditation, including ‘A Deeper Beauty’, and mostly recently ‘The Myth of Meditation: Restoring Imaginal Ground through Embodied Buddhist Practice’.
He worked for a number of years as a psychiatric social worker and did voluntary work in the community for the Samaritans, in drug detox, and in a hospice. His time is now dedicated to teaching.
Satyamuni
Satyamuni returned to the Total Immersion in 2023 after a gap of 3 years. For 10 years this retreat was her context to practise more deeply within a community in greater harmony with the land. In the gap, she spent 2 years in the Spanish mountains in a women’s community also supporting meditation and ordination retreats. Satyamuni also spent 14 months mainly in retreat with communities of practitioners (in Wales, Spain, New zealand, England) as well as on solitary retreat in Lapland.
Satyamuni originally trained as a social psychologist and researcher before retraining as a clinical and forensic psychologist and psychotherapist. Her focus was on more appropriate, timely and responsive therapeutic pathways into and out of secure psychiatric care. She now practices full time as a Dharma practitioner contributing to communicating the teachings in any way that is helpful.
Maitrisuri
Cittamoksha
Things to note