Vipassana Retreat
17 - 27 August 2023
with Ven. Zopa
Registration is closed
10-days retreat at Nalanda
“Relying on an extremely stable mind and the analytical capacity of our own mind, we can learn a lot about reality. We will be able to eradicate all faults that cause mental disturbances and, in this way, transform the erroneous vision we have of ourselves, others and the world around us, and thereby live our life with a deeper joy and purpose.”
About this retreat
Vipassana is an ancient Buddhist meditation technique that goes back to the Sathipatanna sutra in the Pali Canon.
Literally, it means ‘higher’ or ‘special seeing’.
Based on a mind of meditative stabilization, Vipassana is a meditation practice which carefully investigates the essential aspects of our body and mind; their impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and lack of a master-self.
The wisdom and mindfulness that is generated through the practice intends to liberate our mind from mental disturbances that cause ourselves and others suffering. It reduces and potentially eliminates our grasping to a false self, our clinging to fleeting experiences and our unhelpful emotional reflexes of anger, craving and so on.
When practiced correctly and over a long time, vipassana helps us to live our live with more mental spaciousness and calm and love for others and ourselves.
During the Nalanda Vipassana Retreat you will learn:
- How to practice Vipassana meditation and calm abiding (concentration) meditation
- How to do walking meditation
- Strengthen and refine your meditative practice if you already have one
- How to develop a daily meditation practice which you can bring with you home
Please be aware that a 10 day Vipassana retreat can be intensive. It involves many sessions of sitting meditation, strict silence and sharing a relatively small space with other participants for a prolonged time.
Translations
Venerable Zopa instructs in Spanish. Interpretations in English and French will be available. Please bring your own FM radio with earphones if you need translation to English or French.
In order to create the best possible conditions for a fruitful retreat we ask all participants to be mindful of the following rules:
- Silence: After the first session until the last session all participants must observe strict silence. Speaking is only allowed in the ‘Question and Answer sessions’ and in case of emergency.
- No cell phones or other electronic devices (like tablets). Cell phones will be collected at the beginning of the retreat and returned at the end.
- Sessions: Participants must try to attend all sessions.
- Food: All meals are vegetarian or vegan. We offer breakfast, lunch and a light dinner.
- Karma yoga: Participants must perform a light task every day, for example, cleaning or dishwashing.
- Punctuality: It is very important to arrive on time for all sessions. A wristwatch or something similar will be useful.
- No books: Don’t bring books with you, not even if they are related to Vipassana. The fewer distractions the better.
- The five basic precepts: We ask you to refrain from killing, stealing, lying, taking intoxicants (including cigarettes), and engaging in sexual activity while staying at Nalanda.
Click here to download the PDF schedule for Vipassana Retreat 2023.
- If you cancel before 2 August, we will refund 100% of your payment.
- No refund after that.
The refund policy applies unless you cancel due to an illness or injury, whereby we will ask for medical certification, or unless you cancel due to the passing away of a loved one.
This policy is in place because by registering and then cancelling you might stop someone else from attending the retreat as well as cause the monastery unnecessary costs.
For questions: events@nalanda-monastery.eu
About the teacher
Venerable Lobsang Zopa is a Spanish monk who was ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India. He is a recognized teacher by the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Buddhism (FPMT) and was a residential monk at Nalanda Monastery from 2006 to 2021, where he studied the fundamental texts of Tibetan Buddhism.
Venerable Zopa has a Master degree in Mindfulness in the context of health and research from the Complutense University of Madrid. And certified in MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction).
Author of the book “Silencia tu mente, enciende tu corazón: Guía espiritual para transformar tu vida (Prácticos)”. Published by Planeta (19 October 2022).
He currently lives in Spain regularly teaches meditation courses in several countries around the world.
Retreat fees
- Single room 500€
- Double room 460€
- Dormitory tent 420€
- Individual tent 400€
- Individual camping van 400€
- Only food 225€
- Ordained Sangha 150€
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