In conversations with Bhante during his later years, it was obvious that he had no desire for an elaborate monument. If he did have a preference, he said, it would be for something simple, something that not only referenced the early Buddhist tradition but also that of our own ancient, indigenous traditions. In early November 2018 over a thousand people attended Urgyen Sangharakshita’s funeral. After the burial, with the sun setting through rising clouds of incense, many quietly and continuously circumambulated the burial mound.

That circumambulation continues. Our most sacred shrine is circled by community members, pilgrims, visitors and retreatants. We encourage people to use and spend time in the memorial garden – chant, meet friends or simply exist within the adhisthana of the Triratna mandala of practice, through time and across space.

If you would like to include circumambulation of the burial mound within your retreat you are welcome to make use of our ‘burial mound box’ containing candles, incense etc.

The Main Shrine Room has capacity for 150 people. The shrine wall is a visual representation of the whole Triratna Buddhist Movement. Alcoves contain small statues of the Buddha (rupas), each ritually placed in the shrine-wall from centres, groups and chapters worldwide. The small rupa above the head of the main Buddha was donated by Bhante Sangharakshita.

The Refuge Tree Shrine has a capacity for approximately 25-30 people. The large image is a painting by Chintamani, an artist in the Order, which depicts the Triratna Refuge Tree. After Sangharakshita had died and before he was buried, he was laid out in this room at the foot of the tree so people could come and sit with him.

The Padmasambhava Shrine has a capacity for approximately 12-15 people. The grand rupa of Padmasambhava was gifted to Adhsithana by Prakasha and Srisambhava. The Shrine room also has a painting by Chintamani, of Amitabha holding up a lotus as in Sangharakshita’s vision in the cave.

The Yoga Studio is a beautiful first floor room which is light and spacious and is used as a shrine room regularly for events and the local drop in class. It has capacity for 45-50 (50 being quite tight). This room is not accessible for wheelchair users or people who are unable to climb stairs.

All the shrine rooms have shrines already set up for retreatants when an event is set to use them, and we have a range of rupas and images that you can use for your retreat.

The morning meditation is the time of day when all those at Adhisthana gather together to practice. The rhythm of coming together, of chanting and meditating everyday, regardless of event or who is here maintains a consistency of shared purpose and continuity both now and into the future.

It can be delightful to look across the shrine room in the morning and see an unexpected familiar face.

The programme is meditation 7-7.50am and 8-8.30am, starting the first sit with the Tiratanavandana. There are copies of the Tiratanavandana available if there are members of your retreat who won’t know it by heart. Newcomers who haven’t been taught the Mindfulness of Breathing/Metta Bhavana may be able to attend a separate meditation with instruction (depending on availability).

Formerly called the Urgyen Annex, Urgyen House was Bhante’s home for the last five-and-a-half years of his life. After his death the house underwent some conversion work, opening an exhibition space exhibition showing articles associated with Bhante’s life and work. His living room and bedroom however have been kept exactly as they were in his lifetime.

It is possible to visit Urgyen House and visit his rooms and the exhibition. As his bedroom and living room are kept locked, speak to a member of the Adhisthana office team to arrange to open them if you would like retreatants to have the opportunity to see these rooms. The exhibition and shrine room are available to access with a code.

For many who did not get a chance to meet Bhante, it is a precious opportunity to be able to go and spend time in Urgyen House. Being able to see his rooms, and spend some time absorbing the atmosphere of the place can have a very strong effect.

At the heart of the site, the library was the inital reason Adhisthana was purchased. Bhante’s vision was of a library to preserve his legacy as teacher and founder, and to house all the books he had collected and written. There are 11,000 books in Bhante’s collection alone.

There is also a lending library, which is the largest collection of Buddhist books in the UK, outside of universities. Retreatants at Adhisthana are able to borrow books from this collection while they are staying.

When initially purchased there was little more than a field behind the buildings. Over the years this has been transformed into an amazing display of colour and life. There are multiple ponds, a sunken garden, a fire pit, swathes of woodland, a wildflower meadow and the Swales – a series of stepped ponds which are our natural waste water treatment system.

A new planting design from Chris Beardshaw began in 2022, and seeing how the gardens continue to grow and change is a pleasure whenever visiting Adhisthana.

There are lots of lovely walks around here – Oyster Hill is a popular one, but there are plenty of other routes too. In the reception building is a large number of maps and walking cards with routes plotted out that you can easily follow. We ask people to avoid walking through Coddington Village, but there are lots of other options!

Being on retreat at Adhisthana means you can hold an event within the context of the wider Triratna mandala. Coming together every morning to meditate in the main shrine room, it can be delightful to look up and see an unexpectedly familiar face opposite you. Your retreat is supported by the current of practice that flows here, and you can tap into that and benefit from it as well as contributing to its richness.

Behind the memorial garden is a firepit, which we can get set up for you, just get in touch with the office team. Retreats and events sometimes hold fires on the first or last evening of the retreat (although don’t feel limited to that). It can ber beautifully incorporated into rituals, cultural evenings or just as a social evening!

We are delighted to be able to offer the option to camp for those who want to. If you want a more outdoorsy retreat then it can be a really lovely way of having your own space. You are welcome to set up you tent or campervan on a suitable part in the field (on the hard standing by the oak trees for vans, or behind the gardeners shed and the pond for tents).