Chenrezig Weekend Retreat ~ Awakening the Heart of Compassion

The Chenrezig Weekend Retreat, Awakening the Heart of Compassion, is a weekend Tibetan Buddhist retreat at Mahamudra Centre for Universal Unity in the Colville Valley on New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula, in the Waikato region. It is held in the Gelugpa tradition, centred on Chenrezig, the Buddha of compassion, and is hosted by the Centre, an FPMT-affiliated retreat centre.

The Centre describes its retreats as a chance to step back from daily life, rest, and reconnect with what matters. Most of its retreats are open to people from all walks of life, whether they are new to meditation or deepening an existing practice. A weekend focused on compassion suits anyone drawn to cultivating a kinder, steadier heart.

The Place

Mahamudra Centre sits on 8 acres in the Colville Valley, surrounded by native bush, farmland and the hills of the Coromandel range. It is a quiet, rural setting well suited to meditation and reflection.

The Centre began in the early 1980s, when Colville locals Roy Fraser and Sally Barraud saw the chance to build a retreat centre and bring Tibetan Buddhist teachers of meditation to the area. On the advice of their teacher, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, they bought a local farmhouse and land. With the help of many volunteers and community members, they turned it into the retreat place it is today.

About the Centre

Mahamudra Centre for Universal Unity is a charitable trust affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an international organisation in the Gelugpa tradition. It operates under the guidance of FPMT's Spiritual Director, Kyabje Thubten Zopa Rinpoche. Its retreats are led by teachers the Centre describes as skilled and compassionate, offering space for rest, clarity and insight.

Before You Go

The Centre welcomes both newcomers and experienced practitioners to most of its retreats, so no prior experience is needed to feel at home in this tradition of compassion practice. Throughout the year the Centre also offers other in-person retreats, including silent meditation and Vajrasattva purification, as well as online teachings and trainings, if you would like to continue your study after the weekend.