Spring Meditation Retreat at Adhisthana

The Secret Life of the Buddha

The Brixton Buddhist Community is offering the opportunity to come together for a week-long retreat at Adhisthana, a beautiful retreat centre in Herefordshire and the worldwide hub of the Triratna movement. Our vision for this retreat is to let the warmth and friendship of our community infuse our lives and our practice, helping us to go deeper and uncover our own Buddha nature.

The retreat will take place at the beautiful Adhisthana Retreat Centre in Herefordshire. Adhisthana, meaning "blessings," is a truly special retreat centre nestled amidst stunning countryside. As a hub for the worldwide Triratna Buddhist community, it provides an ideal setting for deep practice and reflection. It is also home to the burial mound of Bhante Sangharakshita, the founder of our movement.

On this retreat, we will explore three traditional approaches to the Metta Bhavana, or loving-kindness meditation, transformative practices designed to cultivate positive emotions toward ourselves, others, and the nature of reality.

As we delve into the profound practice of Metta, we’ll also reflect on the secret life of the Buddha, drawing inspiration from his spontaneous acts of compassion toward the diverse individuals he encountered and befriended.

We’ll live communally, sharing the warmth and friendship of the Brixton community as we immerse ourselves in the  vision of love and interconnectedness. The retreat will be led by Prajnaghosa and Shraddhamalini. 

The retreat will include:

• Guided meditations
• Inspiring talks
• Buddhist ritual
• Free time for relaxation, hanging out or exploring
• Storytelling and music round the firepit

Whether you’re completely new to meditation or already familiar with the Metta Bhavana, this week-long retreat offers excellent conditions to deepen your practice in a supportive and serene environment.

Vegan food will be provided.

Friday 30 May - Friday 6 June 2025
At Adhisthana Retreat Centre, Herefordshire
£390 Full Waged / £320 Concession (low income) / £260 Under 25

Booking essential

This retreat is for people of all levels of practice.
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FAQs

What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event?

Adhisthana is located at Coddington, Ledbury HR8 1JL (on Google maps here).

Coming to Adhisthana by road

To download a PDF with detailed driving instructions, click here: Getting to Adhisthana

If you can offer a lift then please get in touch: info@brixtonbuddhistmeditation.org

Trains to Adhisthana

There are frequent trains from Birmingham and Hereford to Colwall or Ledbury, both about 5 miles away from Adhisthana, and a few direct trains from London to Ledbury. You can walk from Colwall which is the closer of the two stations, it takes around an hour and can be done via the roads or over fields using public footpaths. You’re advised to go to Ledbury if you need a taxi due to almost all the taxi companies being Ledbury based, so they actually charge more to pick-up from Colwall. You need to book a taxi in advance by phone to meet you from either station as there isn’t a taxi rank. Ask to be taken to Coddington Court (the taxi driver may know it as Coddington Court School). The fare is approximately £15.

What's included in the cost?

The cost of the retreat includes all food, comfortable accommodation and bedding. Meditation mats, cushions and blankets are provided (you could also meditate on a chair) and there are some yoga mats and blocks available to borrow. Travel is not included in the cost of the retreat, but can be booked separately.

What if I can't afford to come?

We can offer some bursary places on a cost price basis to enable those struggling financially to come on retreat. To enquire about a bursary place, please contact us on info@brixtonbuddhistmeditation.org

Do you need to be a Buddhist?

Although this is a Buddhist retreat, you don’t need to consider yourself a Buddhist to come on retreat.

Living Communally

Living communally is an important and enjoyable element of the retreat. We will eat together as a community and accommodation will be in multiple occupancy rooms within single-sex blocks, with regularly cleaned shared amenities. We require couples to stay in separate rooms. If you identify as non-binary/trans, please contact us at info@brixtonbuddhistmeditation.org to discuss which is the most appropriate accomodation for you.

The team leading the retreat are volunteers who are on retreat as well, not paid staff. In order to enable us all to live together comfortably and to keep the retreat running smoothly, we ask everyone to help out with some simple chores. Our retreats are known for being friendly and harmonious; we ask retreatants to cooperate with one another and to refrain from harsh speech or anti-social behaviour. It is also important that retreatants commit to attending the full period of the retreat to maintain the integrity of the community and atmosphere.

Diet

The food on the retreat will be vegan. Please don't bring any meat or fish with you. We can only cater for specific dietary requests if there are medical reasons for them. If you do need a special diet then we must be notified as soon as possible, ideally when booking, and at least one week before the retreat starts.

What's the refund policy?

If you decide to cancel, we will refund the full cost of your booking minus a deposit of £40 up to seven days before event. With less than seven days before the event we are unable provide a refund, unless we are able to refill your space from the waiting list.

Is my registration fee or ticket transferable?

We can transfer your place to another person up to seven days before the retreat, if accommodation permits. Because of the complexities of running a large retreat we will not be able to transfer retreat bookings with less than seven days to go before the event.

Is there disabled access?

Adhisthana has disabled access facilities. For more information please contact info@brixtonbuddhistmeditation.org