To attend this retreat you will need to have been regularly meditating for at least two years and regularly attend retreats, a centre or a group within the context of the Triratna Buddhist Community. You must also be comfortable with extended periods of sitting meditation, Buddhist devotional practice and spending most of the retreat in silence.
In essence, ‘simply being’ evokes effortlessly resting in the flow of embodied presence. Presence is this ‘timeless moment’, where there is no observer nor observed, no subject or object. It is undivided wholeness and is always, unconditionally ‘here’. Yet, we remain ignorant of it owing to the deep conditioning of our self-narratives. Nevertheless, it is what we are and we can never depart from it.
Presence is our ineffable reality, ungraspable by the abstractions of the mind. It is not any-thing, so it can only be evoked by terms like ‘suchness’, ‘just this’ or ‘no-mind’. It knows itself directly as being completely open, spontaneously self-illuminating, energetically alive and intimately, compassionately ‘here’, as all experience. These are all qualities of the five wisdoms (jñāna – undivided knowing) which we’ll explore, along with the Buddhas who imaginally embody them.
Discovering and resting here-now in presence, there is a lightness of touch and being. Our self-stories, conditionings and painful emotions begin to lose their traction and can increasingly be seen and known directly as like phantoms, illusions or dreams – without any true substance. With this, we enter into the wholeness which is our birthright.
Tejananda has been honing his approach to experiential Dharma and meditation for many years as a member of the team at Vajraloka Meditation Retreat Centre in North Wales and at retreat centres around the world. He is author of 'The Buddhist Path to Awakening'.
Covid-secure requirements
We are no longer asking each retreatant to take a lateral flow test before travelling to Rivendell, but we are asking that they bring a test with them in case they fall ill whilst here.
We want those that come to Rivendell to be confident that we are making their stay here as safe as possible.
Concession information
Rivendell has a concessionary rate available for most of its retreats. If you are in need of further financial assistance to help enable you to come on retreat here, please do consider writing to our office team via bookings@rivendellretreatcentre.com explaining your circumstances.
Cancellation policy
All deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable in all circumstances. If you wish to cancel your place on a retreat, we require a minimum notice of 4 calendar weeks before a retreat is due to take place, in order that a refund (not the deposit) will be possible. If you cancel and we can't replace you, you will be required to pay half the total cost of the retreat. Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel, as there may be other people waiting for a place on the retreat to become available. Any refund will still be on the basis that we can the fill your space.
Prices for this event are: £389 - £366 (Conc)