Conditionality and the Nidanas | Immersion Retreat
8 – 17 May | Led by Vessantara + team
“…the very first step on the Path consists in acquiring a clear understanding of the various doctrines which express, in one way or another, the central Buddhist principle of universal conditionality. This understanding, at first merely rational, is gradually transformed under the pressure of spiritual practice into insight, and at the eighth stage [of the Eightfold Path], the stage of deep meditation, the disciple realises in his own spiritual experience the truth which in the first stage he had comprehended intellectually through its doctrinal symbols.”
– Sangharakshita, from A Survey of Buddhism
Understanding and gaining insight into conditionality is a central plank of Buddhist practice – and a key to freedom. This retreat will help clarify and expand your vision of conditionality and show how to deepen it in insight meditation so that it becomes personal experience.
We’ll explore the theme through teaching, guided meditations and evening devotional practice. The teaching will approach conditionality from various angles – including the nidana chain – to help our understanding of this vital theme become fluid and subtle. We’ll also use a range of meditation methods to support conditionality becoming the natural lens through which we see life.
The retreat will mainly be in silence. As with Vessantara’s previous retreats, the aim is to offer a rich and satisfying meditation experience, while also providing teaching input that offers new tools and insights to carry forward into your future practice.
Vessantara attended the 1975 seminar in which Bhante first introduced meditation on the nidanas to the Order.
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vessantara
Vessantara has assisted the development of several Buddhist centres, including retreat centres in England, Wales, and Spain and has extensive meditation experience, having gone on a three year retreat. He has written several books, among them ‘Meeting the Buddhas’, as well as some beloved pujas such as the ‘Midnight Star’ puja to Tara.