PATH OF SERENITY – CALM ABIDING
with Martin Horan
Onsite and Online
We look forward to welcoming you to our 2025 Easter retreat, to be led by Martin Horan. Martin is a long time student of the Society’s Spiritual Head Venerable Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden.
RETREAT INFORMATION
The retreat is suitable for beginners and experienced meditators alike.
There will be six meditation sessions each day. The first session will commence at 7am on Friday 18 April and the retreat will finish after lunch on Monday 21 April. The retreat will be held on-site in the beautiful environment of the Peaceful Land of Joy meditation centre. Participants also have an option to attend online.
WELL BEING AND TRANSFORMATION
For all of us, developing a calmer mind is key to our well-being. And within the Buddhist system, a calm mind is also the gateway to deep transformational change. Whether our aim is to bring more space and clarity into our lives, or to work on ourselves more broadly, cultivating our qualities of compassion, resilience and wisdom, calm abiding is a foundational practice.
CLEAR AND PRACTICAL GUIDANCE
The teachings on calm abiding are wonderfully clear and practical. They describe the methods to cultivate single pointed meditation and what experiences we can expect as we deepen our meditation. They explain how to interpret those experiences and how best to identify and respond to any obstacles. They describe the various stages of single pointed meditation in detail, so we have clear sign posts of our progress.
The instruction in this retreat is based on Venerable Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden’s authoritative text – Path to Enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism. Geshe Loden’s explanation of calm abiding in this text was one of the first, and remains one of most detailed, English language guides to the practice.
WHAT TO EXPECT
There will be 6 one hour meditations each full day (three on the final day). In these sessions there will be:
- step by step instruction in how to develop calm abiding
- guided meditations, where we will put the theory into practice
- reflection on the bigger picture – how calm abiding supports our inner transformation.
OPTIONS FOR ATTENDANCE
On-site attendees can choose to stay at the centre. Accommodation is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. Participants are also able to attend onsite on a daily basis. However, living onsite gives the fullest retreat experience.
The retreat is fully catered and there is ample opportunity during the session breaks to stroll and enjoy the peace of the centre’s beautiful gardens.
REGISTER FOR THE RETREAT
There are a number of ways you can attend the retreat. You can live-in, attend but not live-in, or attend on-line. For all options, you will need to register below.