Going for Refuge requires the activation of our strongest and deepest emotions. If we are to make any real progress in transforming ourselves, we must transform our emotional life. To transform the depths, we need to activate faith and imagination, opening ourselves fully to ‘the mythic context’ of our lives, with its symbols, images, colours, and stories. In many ways, the Mythic Context is the retreat that makes sense of all the other ordination training retreats. The central practices of the retreat are the Going for Refuge and Prostration Practice and doing nothing in particular. We recommend you attend this retreat later in your training.

Preparation for the retreat
Please arrive having read Aloka's booklets 'The Refuge Tree as Mythic Context' and 'What Is Myth?' , which you can order from the bookshop here.

Details and Timings

The retreat starts with dinner on the first day at 6:30pm and finishes on the final day at 10.15am.

Banner and thumbnail image: rupa by Aloka © from the Padmaloka Stupa courtyard