The Quick Way to Wisdom
February Sangha Retreat
3 Nights, Friday 30th January – Monday 2nd February 2026
Led by Vajrashura, Rijumuni, and Sadayasihi.
On our first Sangha retreat in our new retreat centre – Shubha Vihara, ‘The Abode of Beauty’ – we will be evoking the beauty of Enlightenment manifesting as White Tara.
White Tara, a central figure in Tibetan Buddhism, is said to be ‘the quick way to wisdom’ as to meditate upon her is to be quickly drawn on by her beauty, the beauty of Awakening.
Dwelling with the stillness of her moonlight radiance, the centredness of her meditative posture, the kindness of her mudra or gestures, and the compassion of her overflowing heart, we will swiftly walk the path to the heart’s release that is bodhi, awakening.
And we may even start to create between us threads of the bodhicitta, the desire for all beings to attain complete liberation from suffering.
So come on our February long weekend retreat to get a taste of the kind of utterly different heart and mind retreats can give rise to – come to have an experience of the mind of White Tara.
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We will practice all this in our beautiful new retreat centre Shubha Vihara, in Co. Tipperary – exploring the theme through talks, reflections, meditations, ritual, silence, and friendship.
When
Friday 30th January to Monday 2nd February 2026
Where
This retreat will take place in our very own retreat centre Shubha Vihara, in Ballycorrigan, Ballina, Co. Tipperary. It’s approximately 2 hour’s drive from Dublin City. See below for a Google Map.
This retreat is for Sangha regulars and people who have a meditation practice of the Mindfulness of Breathing and Metta Bhavana meditation practices.
Rijumuni learned to meditate in 2002, having come across the Dublin Buddhist Centre more by accident, than by design. He was Ordained in 2017, most likely the first Buddhist to have been ordained in the island of Ireland.
Sadayasihi learned to meditate in 2007 in the Dublin Buddhist Centre while she was training to be a solicitor, having had an interest in Buddhism since she was a teenager. She was ordained in 2016 and is current chair of the charity that runs the DBC, as well as leading a study group and teaching classes.
Vajrashura started practicing yoga and learnt to meditate while in university doing a Masters in High Performance Computing. He firstly did these through university societies, and then in the Dublin Buddhist Centre. He has worked as part of the Centre Team since 2002 and in 2007 he joined the Triratna Buddhist Order.
Since ordination, he’s been one of the DBC’s main teachers, leading many courses, retreats, and events each year, and is concerned with helping people go more deeply into meditation and Buddhism. He also is helping coordinate the new retreat centre project and looks after the DBC finances.
We asked previous retreat participants what the highlights were for them. They answered:
All dishes are vegan, but don’t let that put you off. We’ve astounded by many omnivores on our retreats who admitted they had no idea vegan food could be so tasty and filling!
Every meal is cooked from scratch, and there is always enough for second helpings. No one ever goes hungry on our retreats.
Shubha Vihara is an approximately 2 hour and 15 minute drive from Dublin City Centre.
There is usually there an opportunity to car pool, subject to availability. If you can offer lifts, let us know on the booking form.
Buses can be taken to Limerick (UL) and then Ballina where pickups can be arranged. You can also get the train to a nearby town (Birdhill) and a taxi for the rest of the trip.
Cost
We do tiered pricing, depending on the circumstances.
- €340 waged
- €300 low-waged
- €240 unwaged or student
You can pay a deposit of €75 to secure your place.
What to Expect
All bedrooms are shared with fellow participants, typically with three to five retreatants per room. There are no single rooms at this venue.
Sharing a room is a meaningful aspect of the retreat. Many find it enriching to live simply alongside others, fostering a quiet sense of connection, mutual support, and community. This spirit of shared living reflects some key elements of Buddhist practice — simplicity, awareness of others, and compassion.
A €75 deposit per person of this payment is non-refundable under all circumstances.
If you wish to cancel or transfer a booking please notify us as soon as possible at info@dublinbuddhistcentre.org
Cancellation:
- If you wish to cancel your place more than 14 days prior to the retreat starting, a full refund minus the deposit will be offered.
- If cancellation occurs within 14 days of the retreat starting no refund will be available.
Transfers
- At least 14 days before the retreat starts: we will transfer your place to another residential retreat if there are places available on the alternative residential retreat.
- 14 days or less before the retreat starts: we may be able to transfer your place to another residential retreat if there are places available on the alternative residential retreat and we can fill your place on the original retreat.
- If the residential retreat you wish to transfer to costs more than your original booking you will need to pay the difference at the time of transferring in order to secure your place.
- We will refund the difference if the residential retreat you wish to transfer to costs less than the original booking.
- We will only transfer a booking once and no transfer will be possible once a residential retreat has started.