Padmaloka Projects

Padmaloka is funded by the people who come here for retreats and we’re good at keeping our running costs low. At the same time we’re always trying to upgrade our facilities.

These improvements happen because many people give us donations or regular standing orders. If you would like to help then please get in touch. If you would like to set up a standing order contact us here.

Current donations will help us to continue upgrading the accommodation with new beds and mattresses, and we will soon be able to commission a new Bodhisattva painting for the shrine room. 

Shrine room paintings

As Buddhism establishes itself in the west it will develop it’s own form of iconography just as has happened throughout Buddhist Asia. Padmaloka has a special relationship with Aloka, a Buddhist artist who used to live in the Padmaloka community. Aloka thinks this development of a western Buddhist art will probably take 200 years or more. He is one of the people who is starting this process, drawing on more than 30 years experience as a Buddhist and an artist to produce images that can inspire, challenge and transform us. We have commissioned Aloka to produce a series of Buddha and Bodhisattva images for our shrine room.

The most recent is a wonderfully rich 12ft by 6ft image of the red Buddha, Amitabha, that we have hung on the western wall of the shrine room.

New Toilet Block

From the sublime to… our retreat toilet block has needed a major overhaul since about 1985. Somehow toilets never quite make it to the top of our priority list. Until now. The whole block is now being completely stripped out, renovated and replaced, including central heating, new toilets and sinks and velux windows. May all who use it in the future do so in warmth and comfort!

New Beds

We have replaced all the metal bunk beds. These were reminiscent of an age of youth hostelling, national service and ginger beer. Excepting one room, for nostalgic reasons, all of these beds have been replaced with new wooden bunks that are longer, wider, higher, have ladders and new mattresses. And look better. Zzzzzzz

Yoga Room Floor (Dorm G)

The flooring in the yoga room has been replaced with good quality laminate wood. It’s nice and flat for head-stands and has an asthetic touch to meditate on! Once the paint work is finnished we’ll install some shelving and sort the heating out.

Community Lounge Flooring

During the April 09 working retreat the carpet in the community lounge was taken up and laminate wood similar to dorm G was put down. After 10 years or so of continual wear & tear on a cheap carpet, it was time the community lounge floor was replaced. It looks really good especially since the room was redecorated on the Going for Refuge retreat in March.
We are now looking at installing a small kitchenette for tea and toast making facilities… Watch that space!