Vajraloka Retreats

Retreat Title: Emptiness and the Heart Sutra

Led by Led by Tejananda

‘All things are by nature void’
Buddhist practice is aimed at fully awakening to the actual nature of things.
Prajnaparamita, one of the most important Mahayana schools, calls this awakening ‘the perfection of wisdom’. Yet the Heart Sutra, a Prajnaparamita text, asserts that there is no wisdom and no attainment - in fact, there is not even any
non-attainment! As such apparent paradoxes suggest, when it comes to
things-as-they-are, words and concepts have their limitations as well as their
undeniable uses.
We will explore all this on this retreat through the three levels of wisdom - first
getting a clear basic understanding of the teaching, then allowing the mind
to quieten and reflecting experientially on the emptiness of self, and of all
phenomena. And finally, seeing that this is always pointing us back to the beauty
and simplicity of direct experience and resting in simplicity in a completely
uncontrived way.
As well as brief practical introductions to the main themes of the sutra, the retreat will include led reflective meditations pointing to the emptiness of self in the five skandhas, plenty of time for personal practice, and recitations of the sutra itself.

This retreat is suitable for people who have been meditating for at least 3 years

Start Date: 13th May 2016
End Date: 22nd May 2016
Deposit: £70
Price: £360 (Full Price) / £324 (Conc Price)

This retreat is nearly full. Please ring or email to confirm a place is available before trying to book.