A day of practice in the Mahasi Vipassana tradition with Bhante Bodhidhamma

Saturday 29th June 2024, 10.00am - 5.00pm UK time, in person

We are happy to welcome Bhante Bodhidhamma to lead this day of dharma teachings and practice. The day will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, meditation instructions, dharma reflections and some time for questions. There will be a lunch break of about 1 hour. The day will mainly be in silence. The retreat is suitable for beginners as well as those with experience of meditation practice. We ask that you commit to staying for the full day.

Bhante Bodhidhamma started training in Soto Zen in 1977, then in the Mahasi Theravada Tradition with Sayadaws U Rewata Dhamma, U Janaka and U Pandita. In 1986 he ordained, subsequently spending eight years at Kanduboda Mahasi Meditation Centre in Sri Lanka. He has been teaching in England, Ireland and internationally since 1998. From 2001- 2005, he was the Resident Teacher at Gaia House. He founded the Satipanya Buddhist Retreat in Wales, a meditation centre devoted to the Mahasi tradition.

Listen to talks by Bhante Bodhidhamma on Dharmaseed

Dana: In the spirit of generosity, our teachers offer their teaching freely, we invite you to make a 'dana' donation to the Satipanya Buddhist Trust, where Bhante serves as Spiritual Director. There will be an opportunity to offer dana on the day if you are participating in person. Alternatively please go to https://www.satipanya.org.uk/donations/ to make an online donation. To learn more about Satipanya, please visit https://www.satipanya.org.uk/

Please note we are unable to process donations for our teachers through Eventbrite.

Booking fee: The fee for online participation is £5/£3 (concessions) and for in person participation is £15/£5 (concessions). The fee covers general running costs of the retreats, including Eventbrite fees, hall hire, teachers’ travel and accommodation expenses. Our teachers receive no payment from the booking fee, instead you will be invited to offer a donation for the teachings in the ancient tradition of dana.

Concessions: We invite you to pay the full rate if you are reasonably able to do so, as this supports the continuation of our retreats. We also offer concessionary rate tickets to those who are unemployed, full-time students, on a low income, or are otherwise finding it difficult to meet the full cost. If you are unable to afford our concessionary rate, for any reason, please contact us on the email address below, as we’d like to ensure that these days are accessible to everyone.

Cancellation and refunds: Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel your place on a retreat – otherwise, someone else may be turned away unnecessarily. Please contact oxfordinsightmeditation@gmail.com to let us know that you can't be there. We offer refunds up to 24 hours before the retreat. Please see instructions here for how to claim a refund.

For those attending online:

Zoom link: This will be emailed to those who have registered one week before the retreat, 24hrs before the retreat and again 1 hour before the retreat begins. Please check your junk mail if you have not received the email.

For those attending in person:

We want to make the retreat as accessible as we can, so there are a number of Covid related precautions that we will be taking at the venue and that we encourage you to take as well:

• We encourage you to attend online if you have any Covid symptoms. You can obtain a refund for your in-person ticket via Eventbrite and then book a new online ticket.
• We encourage you to have a lateral flow test, up to 48hrs before the event and where possible we encourage you to limit your social contact between the test and the retreat. If you test positive please attend online.
• We will be socially distanced when sitting in the hall.
• We will ensure that the hall is well ventilated and will be keeping some windows open, so please dress warmly.

Venue: Littlemore Village Hall, Railway Lane, Littlemore, Oxford, OX4 4PY

Please arrive for registration between 9.15 and 9.45am.

The hall is wheelchair accessible and has an accessible toilet. There is parking available in the hall's private car park close to the front door. Please contact us if you will need any support on the day to enable you to attend.

See here for a map of the location Please allow plenty of time to travel so that you can arrive at the hall between 9.15 and 9.45 for registration.

Public transport: City bus 3A, every 30 mins from the High Street and Iffley Road to The George pub, Littlemore, then 2 mins walk. Also City bus 3, every 11 minutes from the High Street and Iffley Road to Rose Hill Parade, then 11 mins walk. Also City bus 5A every 30 minutes from the High Street and Cowley Road to the Catholic Church, Littlemore and then 5 mins walk. More information on bus times here.

Parking: There is parking for approx 10 cars in the hall's private car park.

What to bring: The hall is heated, but uncarpeted, we will also have some windows open for ventilation. For your comfort please bring warm clothing and blankets, and a mat or rug, plus meditation stool or cushions if you wish to sit on the floor. We will ask you take off your shoes when in the hall, so you may also wish to bring slippers or warm socks. There are chairs available, you may wish to bring a cushion or two for padding.

Lunch: will be held in silence. We invite you to bring your own vegan or vegetarian packed lunch. A selection of teas, herbal drinks, dairy milk and plant milk will be provided. There is also a fridge where you can store your lunch.

All are welcome: We are committed to creating an inclusive retreat space. We welcome people irrespective of religious or political beliefs, ethnicity, class, sexuality, gender, age, ability and culture.

Contact: Please get in touch if you have any questions, if you need to cancel, or to change your booking oxfordinsightmeditation@gmail.com