The Meaning of Retreat
The word retreat in Tibetan literally means to withdraw from the distractions and responsibilities of one’s everyday life and focus internally. This will help the busy mind to become quieter, and to create a space for reflection and meditation.
Within the Buddhist tradition we use retreat to internalize the teachings and to familiarize with the meaning of the teachings. We also retreat in order to do preliminary practices or to fulfill commitments we have with our teachers.
Thosamling is a quiet and inspiring environment, and offers a range of possibilities for a retreat. We will take care of your daily needs, so that you can fully focus on your practice and meditation.
Every year, we organize several group retreats. We have a winter retreat and a summer retreat, in which we take the time to deeply familiarize with certain teachings and/or practices. Almost every fortnight we have a shamatha retreat, in which participants spend 4 days familiarizing their minds with different mindfulness techniques. By participating in one of these group retreats you can experience the benefits of meditating together. The support from other participants can help us move through difficult experiences with ease and gentleness.
If you are new to meditation and Buddhist practice a group retreat is an excellent place to start your inner journey.
You can also choose to do a personal retreat at Thosamling, and we are happy to assist you with that.
If you would like to come with your Buddhist group to Thosamling for a retreat, please contact us well in advance to discuss the possibilities.
You can read here that it means to stay at Thosamling Nunnery in a retreat environment.
For more information, email us at [email protected]