Freedom of Open Awareness
With Upekshanandi and Rijumitra
April 30 - May 7, 2027
Formless meditation invites us to discover the freedom that becomes available when the mind is no longer confined by habitual patterns of grasping and resistance. As awareness settles into its own natural spaciousness, qualities of presence, clarity and sensitive responsiveness begin to emerge with increasing ease.
On this retreat we will explore formless meditation as an expression of confidence in awareness itself. Supported by Triratna system of practice, silence, ritual and Dharma reflection, we will cultivate a mind that is spacious without becoming diffuse, clear without becoming rigid, and deeply receptive to the unfolding of experience.
This retreat is suitable for meditators who wish to deepen their exploration of formless practice within the context of the Buddha’s path of wisdom and compassion.
Leaders
I enjoy meditative exploration, reflection, and time in nature, and I’m continually struck by how transformative these can be. I also appreciate finding ways to stay relaxed, open, and receptive while living a full and engaged life. I was ordained in 2017 in the Triratna Buddhist Community, and my training for ordination took place while living at Dhānakosa between 2013 and 2019, a period that deeply supported the development of my practice and understanding of the Dharma. I first came to Vajraloka Buddhist Retreat Centre in 2013 for a Heart Sutra retreat, an experience that had a profound impact on…
Learn more about Upekshanandi
I have been living at Vajraloka for some twenty years years now having moved from working at the Leeds Buddhist Centre for twelve years in 2005. Both meditation and Vajraloka are very important to me. My first longer retreat was a Brahmaviharas Retreat I attended at Vajraloka in 1992, where I realised that I did not have to accept my habitual ways of being and that different possibilities were available to me. Not long after that retreat I left my career job and started a new way of life working for Triratna. I enjoy helping people recognise that they can…
Learn more about Rijumitra