We are delighted to confirm that this will be 3 day in person retreat led by Ven Canda
Full details and booking link will follow nearer the event.
We expect that it will also be possible to attend this event online via zoom.
No Mud, No Lotus: Transforming Suffering to Joy
Despite all our best efforts and the promises that society gives, our lives are never quite right! Furthermore, in our pursuit of happiness we often end up with more stress, anxiety and discontent! Yet what if the suffering we experience could be a doorway to liberating joy?
This retreat will explore the Buddha’s teachings on suffering and happiness – the two most pressing concerns of humankind. We will learn how to relate to the difficulties of life in a way that fertilises our spiritual path, setting in motion a causal sequence from suffering to Enlightenment.
In the Upanissa Sutta the Buddha describes this as a natural process full of happiness and joy that we can experience directly. From inspiration, to the joy of living ethically and the refined blisses of meditation, together we will discover how we can rise from the mud to experience the flowering of insight!
The retreat includes Dhamma reflections, guided meditations and Q&A and is suitable for all levels of experience.
Booking:
Biography (and a new monastery!)
Ven Canda began meditating in 1996 with SN Goenka and practiced intensively in India for many years. In 2006 she was ordained in Burma as a Buddhist nun and in 2012 went to Australia to train further with Ajahn Brahm and receive full (bhikkhuni) ordination.
Ven Canda’s teachings emphasise kindness and letting go as a way to deepen samadhi (stillness) and empower the path to Enlightenment. Her approach is warm, engaging and richly informed by the pragmatism and compassion of the early Buddhist texts.
In 2016 Ven Canda founded Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project with Ajahn Brahm – a UK charity aimed at establishing Britain’s first Forest Monastery where women can take full bhikkhuni ordination. In 2022 the charity took a major step towards this aim by procuring its first property – now a thriving city monastery where people come to practice.
You can read more about this pioneering project here: www.anukampaproject.org