Dhyāna and Insight

On this retreat, I will be offering embodied approaches to dhyāna (jhāna) that people have found to be helpful and effective. This may well involve questioning both our own views and approaches, as well as some of what the tradition has to say about dhyāna.

Dhyāna is far more than samatha, or mental calm. Recognising the liberative potential of the first dhyāna was the key to the Buddha’s own awakening and he taught dhyāna as inseparable from insight. Only later did the tradition come to regard the dhyānas as ‘just’ states of concentration.

The dhyānas are, rather, states of deep, embodied mental unity, integrated with awareness of the foundations of mindfulness (satipatthana) and the factors of awakening (bojjhanga). Dhyāna is where insight takes place.

In practice, we’ll ask, ‘what, in our experience, is actually helpful?’ By becoming alive to the energetic immediacy of body experience, resources for entering dhyāna can be discovered as already present – just waiting to be noticed. We’ll explore this in direct experience and delve into the relationship between body, dhyāna and liberative insight.

What to expect

The sessions will be a mix of Dharma input, practice, interaction and inquiry.

First daily session (2 hrs): USA & Canada PST 12:00 midnight | México CST 2:00 am | USA & Canada EST 3:00 am | IE & UK GMT 8:00 am | Europe CET 9:00 am | India IST 1:30 pm | Australia AEDT 7:00 pm | New Zealand NZDT 9:00 pm

Second daily session (1.5 hrs): USA & Canada PST 7:00 am | México CST 9:00 am | USA & Canada EST 10:00 am | IE & UK GMT 3:00 pm | Europe CET 4:00 pm | India IST 8:30 pm | Australia AEDT 2:00 am (next day) | New Zealand NZDT 4:00 am (next day)

Third daily session (1.5 hrs): USA & Canada PST 11:00 am | México CST 1:00 pm | USA & Canada EST 2:00 pm | IE & UK GMT 7:00 pm | Europe CET 8:00 pm | India IST 12:30 am (next day) | Australia AEDT 6:00 am (next day) | New Zealand NZDT 8:00 am (next day)

Attend any or all conversations in Zoom.

This event will be recorded and may be published online for others to access. Only the leader's video will be used except where users consent to appear spotlighted in a public conversation. Private conversations in breakout rooms will not be recorded.

Suggested donation:

£175 / $230 / €205 for the whole retreat, or drop in for £35 / $45 / €40 per day.

Get one ticket and come to any session you wish!

Like all our events, this retreat is offered by donation rather than charging a compulsory ticket price. We want to do this because we never want money to be an obstacle to taking part in a supportive community, and we know many people are struggling financially. The amount we suggest reflects the huge amount of work and love that goes into putting on events we hope will benefit everyone attending. If you can, please donate today. Thank you!

Led by Tejananda. He has been teaching and leading retreats for many years at Vajraloka Retreat Centre in Wales, UK, one of Triratna’s earliest and foremost centres of in-depth meditation practice. He also teaches around the world, with a special connection to the Dharma community in and around San Francisco in the USA.