ABC sangha retreat

Starts 21 Mar 2026

Mind reactive, mind creative: the central insight of Buddhism

Retreats are where we can get a real sense of the potential of practice, because life gets pared back and the usual demands on our time drop away. They also allow an intensity and consistency of practice to emerge.

The theme of this week-long retreat is the central insight of Buddhism: Conditioned Co-production. And we will be taking a very practical approach to the topic by looking at our own experiences and our ability to change them. In particular, we'll be distinguishing between 'Mind Reactive' and 'Mind Creative', exploring the difference between the mental states and views which bind us to dissatisfaction verses those which release us and lead to something more open and satisfying. By cultivating this helpful trend, we allow ourselves to travel further along a spiritual path that, under the right conditions, eventually leads to enlightenment itself!

You can have a read of the following to give you some sense of what we will be exploring:

Mind Reactive, Mind Creative transcript of Sangharakshita lecture

If you've not been on retreat with us before, we will have a mix of meditation, ritual, Dharma talks, discussion and personal reflection. The retreat will aim to take everyone deeper in their practice, and since friendship is an important aspect of practice, there will be plenty of time get to know each other as well. All this takes place in the wild beauty of Sudarshanaloka Retreat Centre in the Coromandel, near Thames.

Bookings close Wednesday 18 March at 12 noon.

This retreat is for people who have been coming along to the Auckland Buddhist Centre classes and have already learned our two main meditation practices.