Winter Sangha Retreat
7 Nights, Sunday 27th December 2026 – Sunday 3rd January 2027
Led by Varabandhu and Sadayasihi
“A retreat involves a number of people going to a beautiful, quiet place in the country for a weekend, or a week, or a month… Except for taking turns at cooking, washing dishes, or perhaps some gardening, the participants do not work. Instead they meditate perhaps three or four times a day, they chant together, they take part in pujas, they listen to talks, and they have discussions or study Buddhist texts. In other words, for a time the conditions under which people live are changed; they are provided with conditions that are more conducive to personal development. And in these improved conditions, people change.” Sangharakshita, Complete Works, Vol. 11.
Join us for a week-long retreat at Shubha Vihara, the abode of beauty – where we will experience the life-changing nature of retreats through talks, reflections, meditations, ritual, silence and friendship.
Theme to be announced closer to the time.
When
Sunday 27th December 2026 to Sunday 3rd January 2027
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.
Varabandhu
Sadayasihi
The retreat will be led by Varabandhu and Sadayasihi.
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.
- €490 waged
- €445 low-waged
- €390 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.