How to Transform Your Life: Guided Retreat

This guided meditation retreat in Monbulk, Victoria, takes place over four days at Kadampa Meditation Centre Australia in the Dandenong Ranges. It is built around the book How to Transform Your Life by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, a much-loved text of Kadampa Buddhism, and is led by Gen Kelsang Rabten, Resident Teacher of the centre. It suits anyone who wants space, fresh air and a quiet mind, whether or not they have meditated before.

The meditations drawn from the book aim at peace and inner strength, and at loosening the self-sabotaging mental habits that tend to hold us back. The retreat is fully catered, so the days can stay simple.

What to Expect

The retreat runs from a Friday evening to a Monday lunchtime. It opens on Friday with registration at 5.30pm, dinner at 6pm and an introductory session at 7.30pm.

Saturday and Sunday follow the same rhythm, with four teaching and meditation sessions each day:

- Session one, 9 to 10am
- Session two, 11am to 12pm
- Lunch at 1pm
- Session three, 2.30 to 3.30pm
- Session four, 4.30 to 5.30pm
- Dinner at 6pm

In the evening, from 7.30 to 8.45pm, there is an optional Wheel of Feast and Joy practice. On Saturday it is held with tsog.

Monday is a gentler close: two morning sessions, from 9 to 10am and 11am to 12pm, then lunch at 1pm, which ends the retreat.

About Gen Kelsang Rabten

Gen Kelsang Rabten is Resident Teacher of KMC Australia in the Dandenong Ranges and of KMC Melbourne in the city centre. He was ordained in 1994 and has studied for 30 years under Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. He has taught at centres around the world, including in Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia. He is described as embodying the modern Kadampa way of life, bringing a warm heart and a joyful attitude to sharing Buddha's teachings and the practice of meditation.

The Setting

The centre is at 25 McCarthy Road, Monbulk, among forests, flower farms and mountain views. It is a quiet place to step back and look at your life afresh.

Accommodation is optional and chosen when you register. The choices are:

- a pre-erected tent with a single bed and linen
- a female or male shared dormitory
- camping
- a campervan space on site
- staying offsite and coming for the sessions and meals

Linen and towels are provided for the pre-erected tent. Dormitory guests receive a sheet, pillow and pillow slip, and bring their own sleeping bag and towel. Campers and campervan guests bring all their own equipment.

Lunch and dinner are included for everyone, and breakfast is included when you book accommodation. All meals are vegan, with some non-vegan extras such as yoghurt on the side. Meals are mostly wheat free or gluten free, but traces of wheat or gluten can occur, and bread may be served as a side. Allergen-free meals cannot be guaranteed and individual dietary requirements cannot be catered for.

A shuttle from Belgrave station is available for pick-up or drop-off, arranged in advance with the centre and charged per person per trip.

Before You Go

The retreat is open to all levels. No prior meditation or Buddhist study is required. Teaching is in English.

Accommodation is not included unless you select it at checkout. Bookings close 24 hours before the retreat begins, and a waiting list is available if accommodation sells out. If you are camping or bringing a campervan, pack everything you need. If you are in a dormitory, remember your sleeping bag and towel.