About Us
retreat buildings
Started in 1985, Taraloka is a Women’s Buddhist Community and Retreat Centre set on the Welsh/Shropshire border. It was a run-down farm when we bought it and has been gradually renovated, rebuilt and adapted over the years with the help of many different women with many different skills. The importance of providing a context for women in which the practice of meditation and Buddhism could be developed and deepened was a strong motivating factor for everyone.
Twenty-three years on our aim is the same. Women come here and explore what meditation can bring into their life; learn something about the relevance of Buddhist teaching to contemporary life; and experience themselves in a different setting to usual. We try to bring friendliness and a sense of ease to our retreats. Have a look at our ‘Comments’ page for some impressions of what our retreatants think about us.If you’re not sure about coming on a retreat and live fairly close to us, then come to our Open Day and have a look around. In 2006 Taraloka was named ‘Retreat Centre of the Year’ by The Good Retreat Guide. We were very pleased about that and we’re even more pleased that it’s happened again in 2008!
Taraloka is a Retreat Centre of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, which seeks to establish Buddhist principles in the modern world. The name ‘Taraloka’ means ‘Realm of Tara’. Tara is an archetypal female figure representing the Enlightened qualities of Compassionate Action.
