Under 35s Urban Retreat – Every last Saturday of the month
June 6, 2026 - March 24, 2027
MONTHLY URBAN ONE-DAY RETREATS
Every Last Saturday of the Month
In-Person @ E-Vam Institute
About the Urban Retreat
E-Vam Institute welcomes people under 35 to a monthly day of practice. This is a unique opportunity to join an authentic Buddhist community, coming together to:
- set aside one day each month for retreat, reflection, and practice
- practice meditation
- delve deeply into understanding the key concepts of Buddhist philosophy
- connect with like-minded people and enjoy a delicious vegan lunch
Rather than being only about meditation or philosophy, Buddhist practice is multi-dimensional and encourages an integrated approach to spiritual life. The Urban Retreat explores an ‘ecology of practices’ accommodating the full range of human experience, arising from an authentic practice lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Key Practices
The Power of Aspiration
We begin our practice with prayer and aspiration as a powerful means to clarify intention and orient practice.
Tibetan Yoga & Pranayama
Learn a traditional Tibetan breath yoga sequence that is designed to bring body and mind together. This practice introduces us to the Buddhist understanding of what is know as ‘subtle body’.
☸️ The Four Preliminary Reflections
These are powerful contemplations. According to Buddhism, they “remind us of what is really important in life and inspire us to use our time constructively instead of squandering it on meaningless and superficial activities.”
Mindfulness Meditation (Shamatha) – Sitting and Walking
The main practice: “The meditation of tranquillity (Shamatha) teaches us how to become settled and calm and to concentrate so that our minds are not always reaching out, grabbing on to this and that, and becoming scattered.” When the mind is stable and clear, “it becomes possible for wisdom to arise.”
Wisdom: Buddhist Philosophy
Each retreat includes listening to Dharma teachings by Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche IX and group discussions that help clarify our understanding and implementation of Buddhist philosophy and practice.
❤️Practicing Compassion
Each month we alternate between two quintessential Buddhist contemplative practices that cultivate compassion, ethical responsiveness, and care for self and others.
- Chenrezig Practice – A Vajrayana deity practice that integrates body, speech, and mind through mantra and visualisation. Chenrezig represents compassion, and by practising in this way we actively generate love and compassion for ourselves and all sentient beings.
- The Four Immeasurables Practice – are meditations on immeasurable love, compassion, joy, and equanimity. These reorient us beyond egocentric self centered states of being and allow us to relate to the world with openness and understanding. “If we think about immeasurable love, immeasurable compassion, immeasurable joy, and immeasurable equanimity, we will become a loving, compassionate, joyful, and stable person.”
Making use of these practices helps us see through our unhelpful states of mind, so we can connect with a sense of ease that naturally reveals our underlying positive qualities.
*All under-35 courses are delivered by experienced practitioners and students of Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche IX who have engaged in long-term study of Buddhist philosophy.
Timetable (General)
*After the Retreat all have the opportunity to go out together for Dharma Dinner and refreshments! (Optional but definitely encouraged.)
Ticketing