Comments from Visitors to Taraloka

"A well-organised and integrated retreat. Highly recommended to anyone remotely interested in study, meditation and ritual - and how they can complement each other.
Excellent food, too, and lovely open fires in the lounge. "
S., Jewel Ornament Themes January 2008

"A big thank you for making my first retreat welcoming and informative. I'm sure anyone visiting Taraloka for the first time would greatly benefit from their experience, I learnt that I needed to stay longer than a weekend. The next time will be for a longer stay."
J., Voicing the Sangha October 2007

"Thank you so much for a wonderfully nourishing week spent with you all at Taraloka, doing meditation and creative writing. My health is precarious and I feel really safe and nurtured there with you all: from Hazel's good, healthy food; the well designed disabled facilities; and the easy welcoming attitude of everyone. I loved the quietness and the writing and will send you my poems when they are out!
Thank you for existing and making women like me welcome; your being there makes such a difference to me, and the Buddhist approach to life and death helps lead the way. If my health holds good, I hope to come back next year."
T., Writing into Being August 2007

"Remembering the pleasure of meditation,
I forget to grasp after things;
Remembering pleasure is transitory,
I return to the breath."
R., Practising Wisdom May 2007

"Thank you for the retreat.
The three days of silence has been an unusually rich experience. Though I've been on retreats with long silence before, I came back with the ability to listen to silence for the first time.
There are lots of things to reflect upon. But I think the most important thing I realised is how important it is to keep practising and appreciate awareness, and keep in touch with my spiritual friends."
S., The Great Matter April 2007

"Enjoyed the light touch and humour that you brought to the Great Matter. Love and thanks, E"

"A time of faith and confidence in this as a path which takes me closer to truth." G.

"Learnt that a blossom doesn't have to be blossom - it just is ... thank you all." A.

"I very much enjoyed leading this retreat and was challenged by Hakuin's uncompromising teachings ... the lotus which grows in fire; Great Doubt; Great Joy; the life of activity and the life of calm. It has given me food for thought about how to deepen my own practice as I move from being on retreat here to being back in the community (only across the car park!) involved in running Taraloka and all that requires in terms of activity.
One thing which we slipped up on in this retreat was that our brochure didn't make it clear enough that I would be taking the retreat into a period of nearly three days' silence. I very much appreciated how our less experienced retreatants responded to that. Thank you! One thing I'll do very soon is write something for our website about silence on retreat because most of our retreats do introduce periods of silence, sometimes silence overnight until after breakfast, sometimes longer periods of silence, as in this case."
Kulaprabha, retreat leader, The Great Matter April 2007

"It was a wonderful retreat, thank you to the team and everyone that was on it, had a wonderful, inspiring as well as at times challenging time! I would recommend it to anyone!"
J., Communication from the Heart March 2007

"Gave me increased confidence about being in the Order!"
K., Teaching the Bodhicaryavatara February 2007

"Now that I'm safely home again I just wanted to send you my thanks again for the retreat. It was my first time and hopefully won't be my last.
I arrived feeling slightly apprehensive and wanting 'mothering', but discovered 'sistering' in a big way and came away feeling wonderfully re-energised. My heart was filled up. I chanted all the way up the M6!
So THANK YOU for all the hard work, the support, the teaching, the delicious food, the metta."
I.C., Christmas retreat 2006