In his first lecture on the levels of Going for Refuge given in 1978, Bhante Urgyen Sangharakshita described the level of Effective Going for Refuge in terms of the secret or esoteric Refuges of the Buddhist Tantric tradition, which are the Guru, the Yidam and the Dakini.
He tells us in the lecture that for Tantric Buddhists the emphasis is on direct experience, so their concern is to find the Refuges in one’s actual, direct spiritual experience.
In this retreat we will explore how the direct experience of the Refuges relate to Effective Going for Refuge and therefore to ordination. We will explore what the Guru, the Yidam and the Dakini mean now for the Triratna Buddhist Order and those who have asked for ordination.
In particular, we will be studying Bhante's lecture Levels of Going for Refuge.
Details and Timings
The retreat starts with dinner on the first day at 6:30pm and finishes on the final day at 10.00am.
Health and Hygiene
It is vital that you don't come on retreat if you have any symptoms of Covid-19, including a cough, loss or change of smell or taste, a temperature, or any other cold or flu-like symptoms; or if you have been in contact with anyone who has within the past 14 days.
We ask that you take two Lateral Flow Test, one 48 hours before arrival and a second within 24 hours of the retreat starting.
If you haven't taken one by the time you arrive at Padmaloka, we will ask you to do one upon arrival and you will have to wait for the result before entering the buildings.
You can order them free from the UK Government here: Lateral Flow Tests, or from most pharmacies.
We will be observing enhanced hygiene protocols during the retreat, details of which you can find in our Padmaloka Risk Assessment, which is accessible from the Coming on Retreat page.
We will be taking every measure we can to prevent the spreading of Covid-19 during retreats, but despite this, there will remain a risk to those who attend; please consider this when coming on retreat.
If you are unable to attend the retreat due to illness or local lockdown measures then your booking can be transferred to the online aspect of the retreat, or to a future retreat.
Banner and thumbnail image: edited painting by Aloka ©
