Women's Intensive Long Weekend Retreat

This Women's Intensive Long Weekend Retreat is a meditation retreat for women who already have a regular practice within the Triratna Buddhist Community. It is led by a team of Order Members and held at Vajrasana Retreat Centre in Walsham le Willows, Suffolk, England. Over a long weekend, it offers a chance to take your understanding of Buddhism and meditation deeper, in the company of other women practitioners.

What to Expect

The retreat is built around meditation, discussion groups, ritual and Dharma talks. A sequence of teachings on meditation runs through the days, with space to reflect on insights from the Buddhist tradition. This is a chance to deepen connections in the sangha and refresh your inspiration.

The retreat begins on the Thursday evening at 19:00 with arrival, settling in and an introduction to the retreat community. The full programme starts the next day. The wake-up bell rings at 6.30am, and breakfast, lunch and dinner are communal, at set times. Days include meditation, talks and ritual in the shrine room, small discussion groups led by a team member, a short work period, and free time for rest or walks in the countryside.

As the retreat goes on, there is more meditation and longer periods of silence, which gives room for reflection. Saturday is the deepest day, with longer meditation periods, extended silence and talks on aspects of the Buddhist vision, and bedtime is by 10pm. The retreat ends on Sunday at 15:00 after final sessions of meditation and reflection.

Retreat life is simple. It is not a holiday or a spa, though most people come away refreshed and inspired.

Who Leads the Retreat

The retreat is led by a team of Order Members from the Triratna Buddhist Community, working with the London Buddhist Centre. The centre is in Bethnal Green, East London, and was founded in 1978 by Urgyen Sangharakshita, who also founded the Triratna Buddhist Community in London in 1967. Its teaching draws on the breadth of the Buddhist tradition and stresses that Buddhism is practised within a living spiritual community.

Everyone on the team, including the leaders, is a volunteer who is also on the retreat. The leaders set the programme and guide it, while the rest of the team looks after the practical side and the cooking.

The Setting

Vajrasana is a retreat centre in rural Suffolk, near Bury St Edmunds. Retreats here are usually for up to 60 people. Accommodation is in shared single-sex bedrooms of two to four beds, in blocks with shared toilet and shower facilities. Rooms do not have locks on the doors. A shared four-bed room with an accessible bathroom and space for wheelchairs can be allocated on request. Single rooms are rarely available and are arranged only in cases of a health condition, so it is best to ask the centre early.

Three vegan meals are served each day, and toast, biscuits, fruit and hot drinks are available by self-service at any time. Medical dietary requirements can usually be accommodated where the menu allows.

An optional return coach runs from the London Buddhist Centre in Bethnal Green, departing at 16:30 on the Thursday. Vajrasana also has car parking, though no electric vehicle charging. By train, regular services run from London Liverpool Street to Stowmarket, and from there a taxi takes you to the centre. Taxis are best booked well in advance, as availability is often limited.

Before You Go

You should have at least six months of regular meditation practice within the Triratna Buddhist Community and be familiar with the Mindfulness of Breathing and Metta Bhavana practices.

The price covers shared accommodation, three vegan meals a day, self-service snacks and hot drinks, the full retreat programme, and use of the shrine room and grounds. The coach is an extra. Food brought from outside is not permitted, other than for medical requirements arranged in advance. Electronic devices, alcohol, recreational drugs, news media and work are not part of retreat life. To support the communal atmosphere, please book only if you can attend for the full duration.