Avatamsaka Sutra: Entry Into The Realm Of Reality | Dhammasavana Retreat

The Avatamsaka Sutra: Entry Into The Realm Of Reality is a Dhammasavana retreat, a week-long residential spiritual workshop at Adhiṣṭhāna in Ledbury, England. It is led by Sona and Prajnanita and is open to Order Members, in a mixed group of men and women.

The retreat takes its subject from the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Mahayana Buddhist scripture whose final chapter, the Gandavyuha, is known as the Entry into the Realm of Reality. The Dhammasavana format, a retreat given over to hearing and reflecting on the Dharma, suits a text of this kind. It is held within the Triratna Buddhist Order's programme at Adhiṣṭhāna, which offers retreats for those wanting to deepen their understanding and practice.

What to Expect

The retreat is residential and runs for seven nights, with everyone living on site for the full week. The Avatamsaka Sutra is the focus of the days, and the retreat is built around studying and listening to the Dharma together as a community of Order Members. The leaders, Sona and Prajnanita, guide the week as a team.

The material does not set out a daily timetable, so there is no fixed schedule to describe here. What can be said is that this is a retreat for immersion in a single text and its vision, rather than a drop-in event or a general introduction to Buddhism.

About the Leaders

Sona and Prajnanita lead this retreat together. Both are named as the team for this event, and Prajnanita also appears among the leaders of several other retreats in the Adhiṣṭhāna programme, including a seminar and an immersion retreat on the theme of Stop and Realise.

The Setting

Adhiṣṭhāna stands near Ledbury, in Herefordshire, England, and is a residential retreat centre of the Triratna Buddhist Order. This retreat is held in person and is residential only.

Before You Go

This retreat is for Order Members, and it is mixed, welcoming both men and women. If you are not an Order Member, a different retreat in the Adhiṣṭhāna programme may be a better fit, since many of them are open to anyone who has learnt Triratna meditation.