Between Sensing & Craving: Vedana

Saturday 11th May 2024, 10.00am - 5.00pm UK time, in person and online

We are happy to welcome Venerable Canda Theri to lead this day of dharma teachings and practice. The theme for the day will be 'Between Sensing and Craving: Vedana'.

Venerable Canda Theri says "Vedana can be defined as feeling, or the hedonic tone of experience, which is either pleasant, unpleasant or "neutral," i.e. somewhere in between. This retreat aims to deepen a practical experience of vedana as the crucial link between our sensory world and the craving and aversion that can arise in response that leads to suffering. By directing mindfulness toward the various feelings that arise in our body and mind, and exploring them with gentle curiosity, we come to understand their fleeting nature. This develops equipoise in the face of life's ups and downs. With diligent practice we find that our reactive tendencies diminish and we have the freedom to respond to people and situations from a place of wisdom and compassion."

The day will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, meditation instructions, dharma reflections and some time for questions. There will be a lunch break of about 1 hour. The day will mainly be in silence. The retreat is suitable for beginners as well as those with experience of meditation practice. We ask that you commit to staying for the full day.

Venerable Canda Theri began meditating in 1996 with S.N. Goenka and spent the next 7 years deepening her practice in India. She ordained as a Buddhist nun in Burma in 2006 and subsequently took full bhikkhuni ordination with Ajahn Brahm. Her approach to meditation focuses on kindness and letting go as a means to deepening stillness and is increasingly informed by the Early Buddhist Suttas. Ven. Canda Theri founded the Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project in 2016 at the request of her teacher Ajahn Brahm - and a nun's monastery has now been established in Oxford.

Listen to talks by Venerable Canda Theri here

Dana: Venerable Canda Theri offers her teaching in the spirit of generosity. We invite you to make a 'dana' donation to to the Anukampa Project of which Venerable Canda Theri is the spiritual director. This is a time of financial uncertainty for many of us, our invitation is to reflect on the value of the teachings and the service to our community that Venerable Canda Theri so generously offers, whilst also bearing in mind your own financial situation when considering what you can offer.

Please note we are unable to process donations for our teachers through Eventbrite.

Booking fee: The fee for online participation is £5/£3 (concessions)and for participation in person is £15/£5 (concessions). The fee covers general running costs of the retreats, including Eventbrite fees, hall hire, teachers’ travel and accommodation expenses. Our teachers receive no payment from the booking fee; instead you will be invited to offer a donation for the teachings in the ancient tradition of dana.

Concessions: We invite you to pay the full rate if you are reasonably able to do so, as this supports the continuation of our retreats. We also offer concessionary rate tickets to those who are unemployed, full-time students, on a low income, or are otherwise finding it difficult to meet the full cost. If you are unable to afford our concessionary rate, for any reason, please contact us on the email address below, as we’d like to ensure that these days are accessible to everyone.

Cancellation and refunds: Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel your place on a retreat – otherwise, someone else may be turned away unnecessarily. Please contact oxfordinsightmeditation@gmail.com to let us know that you can't be there. We offer refunds up to 24 hours before the retreat. Please see instructions here for how to claim a refund.

For those attending online:

Zoom link: This will be emailed to those who have registered one week before the retreat, 24hrs before the retreat and again 1 hour before the retreat begins. Please check your junk mail if you have not received the email.

For those attending in person:

We want to make the retreat as accessible as we can, so there are a number of Covid related precautions that we will be taking at the venue and that we encourage you to take as well:

• We encourage you to attend online if you have any Covid symptoms. You can obtain a refund for your in-person ticket via Eventbrite and then book a new online ticket.
• We encourage you to have a lateral flow test, up to 48hrs before the event. Between the test and the retreat we encourage you to limit your social contact. If you test positive please attend online.
• We will ensure that the hall is well ventilated and will be keeping some windows open, so please dress warmly.

Please arrive for registration between 9.15 and 9.45am.

Venue: Littlemore Village Hall, Railway Lane, Littlemore, Oxford, OX4 4PY

The hall is wheelchair accessible and has an accessible toilet. There is parking available in the hall's private car park close to the front door. Please contact us if you will need any support on the day to enable you to attend.

See here for a map of the location Please allow plenty of time to travel so that you can arrive at the hall between 9.15 and 9.45 for registration.

Public transport: City bus 3A, every 30 mins from the High Street and Iffley Road to The George pub, Littlemore, then 2 mins walk. Also City bus 3, every 11 minutes from the High Street and Iffley Road to Rose Hill Parade, then 11 mins walk. Also City bus 5A every 30 minutes from the High Street and Cowley Road to the Catholic Church, Littlemore and then 5 mins walk. More information on bus times here.

Parking: There is parking for approx 10 -12 cars in the hall's private car park.

What to bring: The hall is heated, but uncarpeted, we will also have some windows open for ventilation. Please bring warm clothing and blankets, and a mat or rug, plus meditation stool or cushions if you wish to sit on the floor. We will ask you take off your shoes when in the hall, so you may also wish to bring slippers or warm socks. There are chairs available, you may wish to bring a cushion or two for padding.

Lunch: will be held in silence. We invite you to bring your own vegan or vegetarian packed lunch. A selection of teas, herbal drinks, dairy milk and plant milk will be provided. There is also a fridge where you can store your lunch.

All are welcome: We are committed to creating an inclusive retreat space. We welcome people irrespective of religious or political beliefs, ethnicity, class, sexuality, gender, age, ability and culture.

Contact: Please get in touch if you have any questions, if you need to cancel, or to change your booking: oxfordinsightmeditation@gmail.com