Alfoxton Park - Devils, Dragons and Devoted Demons

Devils, Dragons and Devoted Demons

Stories from the treasury of the Buddhist tradition

17th - 20th September 2027

For 500 years after the Buddha died, the Buddhist tradition was maintained and spread orally. Storytellers would move from village to village and at night, by the light of the fire, they would tell of the magical feats of the Buddha and his disciples. The stories centre around the heroic transformations of ordinary people that take place over lifetimes, and they also involve mythical creatures and strange happenings. When Buddhism came to the West, these tales were often dismissed as folklore, but they can teach us timeless truths about who we are, and how we can live our lives.

Vajratara and her team will be telling those stories in the old way, as stories, not lectures. In that telling, we will explore the images and potent moments that move us, and subtly transform our mythic life.

The retreat programme will involve silent mornings, meditation, story telling, ritual and whatever emerges sitting by the fire.

Suitable for those with an experience of meditation within The Triratna Buddhist Community.

Facilitation Team

Vajratara

Vajratara lives at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre where she helps train women for ordination into the Triratna Buddhist Order. She was ordained in 2004, and has spent her Order life teaching the Dharma and being a friend to those who want to take their Buddhist practice deeper.

She has a particular interest in the ancient storytelling tradition of Buddhism, told in the old way. The ancient texts: the stories and poems, songs and teachings are her particular passion. You can find many of her talks on freebuddhistaudio.

Jyotica

Jyotika was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2000. He has worked for Dharma Life magazine, as Subhuti’s Personal Assistant, as Secretary to the College of Public Preceptors, and more recently has project managed the refurbishment of Shubha Vihara. He now lives at Alfoxton Park.

He finds the Dharma – the teaching of the Buddha – endlessly fascinating. Simple teachings like ‘friendship is the whole of the spiritual life’, and ‘seek the wisdom that has faith as its goal’, which he’s been contemplating for over 25 years, still move him. He loves meditation and has a passion for writing and telling stories and fairy-tales.

Timings & travel

Timings

Please arrive between 3pm and 5pm on the first day. Dinner is served at 6pm. The retreat will finish by midday on the last day.

Travel

The nearest railway stations are Bridgwater and Taunton. We are about 1h 15min from Bristol by car.

The 15 bus leaves Bridgwater at 16:50 during college term dates and stops at the Plough Inn in Holford. We are a 15min walk from there.

Please get in touch for further advice with public transport, or for help arranging lifts / carpools.

Make sure to put "Coach House 2, Alfoxton Park" into Google Maps. Other variations will take you to Alfoxton House nearby which is not us. Otherwise use grid reference 51.165187, -3.220080.

The What3Words for our car park are ///soup.candy.huddling

Accommodation & Food

Accommodation

This is a camping retreat - bring a tent or live-in vehicle. Toilets, showers and a sauna are available. Warm and waterproof clothing are advisable, along with gloves and boots or wellies. You may also wish to bring a torch and hot water bottle.

We have limited accommodation indoors for those with specific needs. Please let us know when you book if this is the case for you.

Food

We serve a vegan menu using mostly organic fruit and vegetables, from Riverford and our own walled garden. We are able to cater for most general food intolerances, such as gluten free, but not for all diets. See 'Accessibility and Special Diets' below.

Accessibility & Diets

We are committed to Alfoxton being a fully accessible venue and are working hard to achieve this. However, while the renovation work continues, visitors with specific mobility or accommodation needs may experience barriers to accessing all areas of the building and land. Please get in touch about any significant accessiblity requirements.

It is not possible to cook for people with highly sensitive allergies: if you are a coeliac or have any other medical condition which could seriously jeopardise your health or your experience then please get in touch to discuss a potential self-catering plan with our Kitchen manager.

Please contact us about either of these before submitting your booking request.

Costs

Alfoxton Park is a charity and works on the principle of Dana or a 'gift economy'. Read more about Dana here.

A £108 deposit will secure your place on this event. You will be invited to make a donation to Alfoxton when you attend.

If you are an Triratna Order member and need financial support to pay a retreat deposit, you can apply for a grant from the Abhayaratna Trust.

Technology, Alcohol & Drugs

All of our events are alcohol and drug free.

During the meditation retreats we ask you to turn off your mobile phones and other devices and not contact people outside of the retreat.

For all other events and workshops we ask you to be mindful of the use of devices and stay present, in order to make the most of your time here.

Any Questions?

Check our FAQ page or send us an e-mail at events@alfoxtonpark.org.uk

Header photo: "Jakar tsechu, Ging Tsholing Cham, ging " by Arian Zwegers, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Cropped.

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