The Human Buddha
With Ananta and Candradasa
November 15 - 18, 2024
RETREAT BY INVITED PRESENTER
“The Buddha was born as we are born.
What the Buddha overcame, we too can overcome.
What the Buddha attained, we too can attain.”
These verses (from Triratna’s ‘Threefold Puja’) perfectly capture something of the essential American ideal. They spring from the same great spirit as the words of the Constitution, Gettysburg Address and Proclamation of Emancipation that have framed what we mean, at our best, when we speak of freedom and liberty. As a human aspiration they set us on a path that can turn such lofty ambitions into actual change and transcendence.
On this weekend we’ll explore how our experience as fellow human travelers can meet the huge challenges we’re presented with: personal, cultural and political. And how the Buddha’s message of practical hope, radical responsibility and deep kindness can help us make a difference in society and build a better America for those to come.
Led by Candradassa and Ananta, this 3-day residential retreat is offered in the context of meditation, reflection and community as key aspects of practice to support transcendence, freedom and awakening.
“The healing food, meticulous surroundings, respectful staff and the deep, deep sense of community were transformative. This retreat helped me rediscover what matters to me in life.”
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
- Instruction and support from highly experienced teachers
- A supportive and friendly community of practitioners
- A thoughtful balance of meditation, yogic practices, contemplation, ritual and rest periods
- Q&A with teachers
- Extensive meditation practice
- Access to individual meditation support if needed
- Delicious all-vegetarian meals with locally sourced ingredients
- Option to extend stay on Personal Retreat
- Extensive library of dharma books
- Expansive wooded grounds with beautiful walking paths, flora, and fauna
- Single rooms for all (option for couples to share)
OPEN TO ALL
Meditation: This retreat will be most suitable for people with meditation experience. Beginner instruction will not be offered during the retreat, but individual support will be available as needed.
Mindful Movement: no experience needed, very accessible.
SCHEDULE
(subject to change)
Friday, November 15
| 3:00 PM | Check in begins |
| 5:00-5:45 PM | Pre-retreat Meeting (Library) |
| 6:00-7:00 PM | Dinner (Dining Room) |
| 7:15-7:30 PM | Welcome (Library) |
| 7:30-8:00 PM | Large Group Introduction (Milarepa Hall) |
| 8:00-9:00 PM | Evening Practice (Milarepa Hall) |
| 9:00 PM | Silence until after breakfast |
Saturday, November 16-Sunday, November 17
| 6:30-6:50 AM | Movement (Practice Pavilion or Milarepa Hall, weather dependent) |
| 7:00-8:30 AM | Morning Practice (Milarepa Hall) |
| 8:30-9:30 AM | Breakfast (Dining Hall) |
| 10:00 AM-12:15 PM | Morning Dharma Teaching & Practice |
| 12:30-1:30 PM | Lunch (Dining Hall) |
| 2:30-3:30 PM | Free time, Group Healing, Movement (Milarepa Hall) |
| 3:30-5:45 PM | Community Dharma & Small Group Sharing (Milarepa Hall) |
| 6:00-7:00 PM | Dinner |
| 7:30-9:00 PM | Evening Practice (Milarepa Hall) |
| 9:00 PM | Silence until after breakfast |
Monday, November 18
| 6:30-6:50 AM | Movement (Practice Pavilion or Milarepa Hall, weather dependent) |
| 7:00-8:30 AM | Morning Practice (Milarepa Hall) |
| 8:30-9:30 AM | Breakfast (Dining Hall) |
| 9:30-10:00 AM | Packing |
| 10:00 AM-12:00 PM | Morning Dharma Teaching & Practice (Practice Pavilion or Milarepa Hall, weather dependent) |
| Intention Setting | |
| Closing Circle | |
| 12:00-1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM | Checkout and Departure |
Teachers
With 25-years of practice experience within the Triratna Buddhist Community, Ananta has received guidance and inspiration from many incredible teachers. He has spent over three years on retreat, and undertook ordination training in 2007, being ordained (spiritually reborn) as Ananta—he who is boundless. A leading teacher of Triratna New York and of the Triratna US & Canada Men’s ordination training team, he has been guiding meditation sessions and retreats since 2005. He also trained and became a certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teacher through the Mindfulness Center at Brown University, and has studied other mindfulness modalities such as for pain,…
Learn more about Ananta
Candradasa was ordained in 2001. He is from Scotland and has lived in New Hampshire since 2006. He is a founding member at the Portsmouth Buddhist Center and is also the Director of Dharmachakra, which produces Free Buddhist Audio and Triratna’s main web platform, The Buddhist Centre Online. Candradasa’s name means “Servant of the Moon,” referencing the Bodhicitta in Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara: ‘It is the heart’s waxing moon, cooling the heat of passion.’ He tries – sometimes successfully – to live up to this. A published poet, Candradasa is also the author of Buddhism for Teens: 50 Mindfulness Activities, Meditations, and Stories to Cultivate Calm…
Learn more about Candradasa
