Mahamudra Centre

Mahamudra Centre for Universal Unity is a Tibetan Buddhist retreat centre on 8 acres in the Colville Valley, on New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula. It is surrounded by native bush, farm land and the hills of the Coromandel range. It is a charitable trust affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an international organisation in the Gelugpa tradition. The Centre operates under the guidance of FPMT's Spiritual Director, Kyabje Thubten Zopa Rinpoche.

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.

Its mission is to preserve and spread Mahayana Buddhism by offering ways to learn, meditate and practise the Buddha's teachings. The Centre offers retreats, public talks, courses and prayers for people at every level of experience, from newcomers to meditation to practising Buddhists who want more depth. Its resident teacher, Venerable Khadro, is described as putting time-tested Buddhist wisdom into modern language, with talks and guided meditations that are accessible and practical.

The grounds include a Gompa for meditation, a Stupa with a walkway for circumambulation and a meditation room beneath it, a Dharma Library and a small shop. Self-contained retreat cabins are available for solitary retreat, along with guided mini retreats and self-structured retreats for experienced practitioners. Meals are vegetarian.