personal retreat
Mahamudra Centre is a teaching and retreat centre offering the ideal environment for personal, solitary retreat. Whether you are looking for a short period of quiet reflection or a longer, more immersive experience, our peaceful setting supports deep inner work and spiritual growth.
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What is Retreat?
A retreat is a time to step away from the distractions of everyday life—its routines, responsibilities, and attachments—in order to turn inward and focus fully on spiritual practice. Solitary retreat offers a rare opportunity to be with yourself in stillness, to observe the mind, and to deepen your understanding through meditation and contemplation.
Mahamudra Centre has six self-contained retreat cabins, each with a living area, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom facilities. The Centre Manager provides discreet support throughout your stay, based on your needs and preferences, as arranged in advance. Because our cabins are in high demand, we strongly recommend booking well ahead of your planned retreat dates.
Engaging in retreat requires preparation—mentally, physically, and practically. It’s important to create the conditions in your life that allow you to commit fully to the experience. Mahamudra Centre welcomes retreatants from all Buddhist traditions and other contemplative paths. To maintain a supportive environment, all guests are asked to follow the five basic Buddhist precepts and respect the retreat protocols.
We offer three types of personal retreat: Short-Term Retreat, Long-Term Retreat, and Preliminary Practices. Each offers a unique structure to support different stages of practice and intention.
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Learn more about the purpose and benefits of engaging in retreat.
short term retreat
Mahamudra Centre has several retreat cabins available for short-term retreat for those wishing to take time out and rejuvenate in the beautiful and tranquil environment of Mahamudra Centre.
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The cabins are self contained, with kitchen and bathroom facilities. Our centre manager is available on site to assist you during your retreat.
long term retreat
Mahamudra Centre has several retreat cabins available for long-term retreat and the environment here is very conducive - quiet and peaceful.
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The monthly rental is dependent on the cabin and is a special rate to support and enable practitioners to engage in retreat. This includes all utilities except gas and food, which will be billed separately according to individual use. Retreatants may identify sponsors to help defray expenses.
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Retreatants order their own supplies and prepare their own food and our kind manager delivers groceries to the cabins as needed – weekly, or fortnightly. Communication between meditators in strict retreat and staff, including passing on the shopping lists, and managed via a note system that is checked weekly. Of course, more direct communication will handle any emergency situation.
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Those who wish to apply for retreat at Mahamudra Centre please contact the centre.
You will receive an application form to complete. When it is returned the director will contact you to schedule an interview via Zoom or telephone. Applicants will also need to provide reference(s) from a fully qualified Buddhist teacher who can attest to their suitability for intense daily practice in a secluded environment.
ngodro (Tib); sngon ‘gro (Wyl)
The practices that prepare the mind for successful tantric meditation by removing hindrances and accumulating merit. These practices are found in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism and are usually done 100,000 times each; the four main practices are recitation of the refuge formula, mandala offerings, prostrations and Vajrasattva mantra recitation.
The Gelug tradition adds five more: guru yoga, water bowl offerings, Damtsig Dorje purifying meditation, making tsatsas and the Dorje Khadro burning offering practice.
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Prostrations
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Mandala offerings
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Refuge and bodhichitta
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Water bowls
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Guru-yoga
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Vajrasattva 100-syllable mantra
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Samayavajra mantra
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Tsa-tsas
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Dorje Khadro Burning Offering
With a Stupa and private individual cabins, Mahamudra Centre is a perfect setting to complete some or all of your Ngodro.
preliminary practices