2023 Programme

Dear Friends of Buddhafield North

This year we will be running a meditation retreat, a women’s weekend, and our open retreat.

Bookings for these are now open.

Buddhafield North

Most of us live our lives in a highly artificial way; the demands and addictions of the modern world control what we do and even what we dream of doing. Buddhafield North is the beginning of an escape from this cycle, an attempt to live out the teachings of the Buddha in a way more akin to life the Buddha himself led.

We offer a small programme of outdoor retreats; all activities are held outdoors or under canvas.They are for a weekend or longer; some are meditation retreats, some are for families and children, but all have the common thread of the outdoors, a return to nature, and the teachings of the Buddha.

Meditation Retreat

June 2nd - 9th 2023

Women's Weekend

June 9th - 11th 2023

Open Retreat

July 29th - August 5th 2023

Retreats

A retreat is a period of time spent away from our usual life, spent in conditions that are helpful to our spiritual development.Retreats vary, some are silent and some can have a full programme of activities.

Retreats are not meant to be holidays, in the sense of a period away from home in which to relax, there may be a lot going on! But everything that happens on retreat is aimed at developing in us the twin goals of wisdom and compassion.

On a retreat you may be meditating, studying Buddhist texts, looking after your children (or indeed, someone else’s children!), chopping wood and cooking. All the activities of the day can be carried out in a way that will bring us closer and closer to the mind of the Buddha.

One of the great benefits of retreats for most people is sense of community or of belonging. For a period you become part of a group of people who, to some extent at least, have a common purpose and who care about each other and will attempt to act with kindness towards each other.

Kids Area

This year, we will create kids’ activities together. In the past these have included art & craft, bushcraft, dressing-up, needle-felting, games, night hikes, moor-top bivvies and, of course, the legendary ‘Play’.

There will be a covered area, a structure the children can use, in case of bad weather. A few people have already offered to bring kids’ activities to offer, but we’d love to hear from you if you’re willing to do that too. Thank you.

Camping Tips

Here are some lists of tips the team have come up with, to help make your stay a happy one!

In no particular order…

Any further tips welcome!

Buddhism

Buddhism is often described as a path of practice, leading from where we are now, to a higher state of being, to a more and more positive life. The depths and heights of our being are progressively transformed, culminating, ultimately, in the state of Enlightenment

Buddhism has moved to many different cultures and as it does it takes on the local cultural ‘clothes’; in Japan Zen Buddhism can appear very austere, Tibetan Buddhism is very colourful and flamboyant

But each manifestation of the Buddha’s teachings is intended to take us closer and closer to the state of Enlightenment

In the West

Buddhism has now arrived in the West. In fact all the cultural manifestations of Buddhism have arrived here virtually simultaneously. We now have to make sense of all these different teachings, we have to find a way of using what we have inherited from the East; but it has to be a way that works for us living now in the modern world.

People in the west are often alienated from the natural world, and, in a related way, alienated from ourselves. At Buddhafield North we hope to go a small way to bring ourselves back into touch with nature and more in touch with our deeper selves.

For more on Buddhism visit The Buddhist Centre

Get In Touch

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