New Year Retreat 2022: Meditation, Contemplation and Devotion | Taraloka | Buddhist Retreat Centre For Women

Wednesday, December 28, 2022 to Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Retreat Team:

and Team

Retreat Type:

Leave the busyness of the world and come to this quiet place and peaceful landscape. Turn to stillness, silence, inspiration and the true significance of New Year. Practise sitting and walking meditation, reflection and contemplation, together with deepening awareness. Supported by presentations, meditation guidance, special ritual, and the wisdom of the Dharma.

*Please read and ensure you are able to comply with Taraloka's COVID 19 precautions BEFORE booking your retreat. *

Year’s end, all

Corners of this

Floating world, swept

(Basho)

Over the years, the New Year meditation retreat at Taraloka has felt a special retreat. The solstice has passed, the light is lengthening and, deep within, the earth is quietly renewing itself. It is a natural time for contemplation.

Together, we will meditate, be with the landscape and share devotional practice in the presence of beautiful shrines. We will open to the depths of mindfulness and metta. An important part of our practice will also be relaxing and simply being with our experience. We thus begin to let go of our busy lives, together with the tension and mental proliferation that take us away from how things more truly are and from how we more deeply are. Supported by special ritual, this retreat is also an opportunity to reflect on the old year, to move on from what might be burdensome and to open to appreciation, gratitude and beauty.

We will gradually move into about six hours of varied practice each day and about three and a half days of continuous silence. Of course, we will say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new: particularly through an imaginative evening of ritual and devotion. There will be the support of presentations, meditation reviews and guidance, the inspiration of the Dharma....and of a cheerful, companionable fire each evening.

It is surely one of the very best ways to begin the New Year.

Everywhere

the first bird of the year

has sung a valentine

tuned to the last winter star.

(Kathleen Raine)

Suggested donation (in addition to the booking fee): £360 waged / £245 unwaged

Booking Fee:

£80.00

Paying for your retreat

Taraloka runs on generosity.

To book a retreat you pay a booking fee. This is the only charge made for coming on retreat. As far as possible, we don't want anyone's financial situation to stop them from coming to Taraloka.

At the end of your retreat, you have the opportunity to give money towards Taraloka. If you are able to donate, you are giving to another person who otherwise could not afford to come on retreat. And you are helping to give the gift of Taraloka to the women of the future.

Suggested donations

Our suggested donations (in addition to the booking fee) for 2024-25 are (waged/unwaged)

Weekend retreats (£195 / 135)
Long Weekend (3 nights) (£225 / 160)
4 night retreats (£255 / 175)
5 night retreats (£285 / 195)
Week retreats: (£365 / 250)
9 night retreats (£410 / 290)
12 night retreats (£465/ 310)

There will be an opportunity to make your donation at the end of the retreat. Donations can be made by credit/debit card, cheque or cash.

Those who cannot afford our suggested donations are free to contribute what they can.

Running on generosity is radical – thank you for being part of that.

For more information see what does it cost and a flow of generosity