Summer retreat with Stephan Pende

A spacious and healing meditation retreat north of Stockholm in beautiful nature close to a big river.

“Dwelling deep within our heart, and within the hearts of all beings without exception, is an inexhaustible source of love and wisdom. And the ultimate purpose of all spiritual practices, whether they are called Buddhist or not, is to uncover and make contact with this essentially pure nature.” – Lama Yeshe

Tibetan Masters have for centuries developed a time-tested, logical, sequential and practical road map to help guide spiritual seekers on the path, from suffering to liberation. This unique teaching came to be called Lam-Rim, or gradual Path to Enlightenment, and has been transmitted by Tibetan Masters like His Holiness the Dalai Lama into our modern times.

During the retreat we will explore in depth different aspects of these teachings and meditations, which are remarkable relevant for our daily life and relationships. The retreat is suitable for beginners of any background who want to start their journey with profound and easy to apply techniques and experienced students who want to deepen their practice. The journey will be a balanced mixture of guided meditations, walking meditation, short lectures, discussions, silence and mindful movements.

You will learn time-honoured ways for experiencing and resting right now in your natural state of inner peace, the ultimate source of lasting happiness.

All teachings are in English.

About the teacher:

Stephan Wormland, born 1965 in Germany, has studied and practiced meditation in multiple traditions for over 30 years. He has a master’s degree in clinical psychology, trained in Gestalt therapy and worked for 6 years in a psychiatric hospital.

He lived as an ordained monk in the Tibetan tradition for 11 years and, during that time, served as the director of Nalanda Monastery in the south of France and spent a total of 5 years in group and solitary retreats. The main teacher of Stephan is Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT).

He has received teachings and guidance from great Tibetan Masters of the four schools like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, Sogyal Rinpoche, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, Kirti Thenshap Rinpoche, Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, and Choden Rinpoche. He has practiced and studied with foremost Western teachers like Peter Fenner, Alan Wallace, Rob Preece, Alex Berzin, Pema Chodron, Robert Thurman, and Ken McLeod.

He has been the resident teacher of the Center for Visdom og Medfølelse in Copenhagen for many years and currently teaches meditation in Buddhist Centers around Europe. Since 2009 he has been studying Radiant Mind with Peter Fenner and completed the Nondual Teacher Training and he is a program adviser of the Potential Project.

PLEASE NOTE: This retreat takes place in Dharmaghiri retreat center, Sala (see directions below)

Retreat Schedule

Friday (arrival day)
16:00  – Arriving and settling in
19:00 – 20.00 Dinner
20:00 – 21.00 Introduction and short practice

Saturday, Sunday, and Thursday
07:00 – 07.30 Meditation
07.30 – 08.00 Break (preparing breakfast)
08.00 – 09.00 Breakfast
09.00 – 11.00 Meditation and walking meditation
11.00 – 11.30 Break 
11.30 – 13.00 Mindful movement – Group 1
13.00 – 15.00 Lunch and lunch break
15.00 – 17.00 Meditation and walking meditation
17.00 – 17.30 Break
17:30 – 19:00 Mindful movement – Group 2
19.00 – 20:00 Dinner
20.00 – 21.00 Prajna paramita Practice

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (Precepts) 
06:30 – 07.00 Precepts
07:00 – 08:00 Break
08.00 – 10.00 Meditation and walking meditation
10.00 – 10.30 Break (preparing lunch)
10.30 – 11.30 Mindful movement – Group 2
11.30 – 15.00 Lunch and lunch break
15.00 – 17.00 Meditation and walking meditation
17.00 – 17:30 Break
17:30 – 18:30 Mindful movement – Group 1
18:30 – 20.00 Break
20:00 – 21.00 Prajna paramita practice

Friday (departure day)
07:00 – 07.30 Meditation
07.30 – 08.00 Break (preparing breakfast)
08.00 – 09.00 Breakfast
09.00 – 11.00 Meditation and walking meditation
12.30 – 13.30 Lunch and lunch break

13:30-14:30 Cleaning the rooms and premises 

Mahayana Precepts

For three days during the retreat we will be taking the Mahayana Precepts (see this document) to increase the depth of the practice. This means that we will be eating only one meal per day (lunch at around 11:30). If you are unable to follow such a diet for medical reasons, you will need to provide for the an extra meal (dinner, breakfast will be available to prepare) yourself those three days.

Silence

Most of the retreat will be in silence. We also encourage everyone to keep their mobile phones turned off during the entire retreat. We are so used to escaping into distractions, so during the retreat it is very beneficial to keep those to minimum!

Collective cooking

We will not have a retreat cook this summer, so all participants are expected to take turns in preparing and cooking meals.  

Cancelling your participation

If you cancel your booking 3 weeks prior to the start date, we keep 200 SEK as an administrative fee. If you cancel later than 3 weeks prior to the start date, we keep the entire donation unless we can find a replacement.

To bring: Sheets, duvet covers, pillow cases, towels, toiletries, books, pens etc. Meditation cushions and stools available at Dharmagiri, bring your own if you have particular wishes about what you want to sit on.

Allergies/diet/health: Is there anything we need to know about your health? Do you need special diets or are allergic to something? Are you vegan? Do you snore? (So ​​we can take that into account when we make room placement…)

How to get to Dharmagiri

Retreat Center By car From Stockholm it takes about 2-2.5 hours by car. Click this link for Google maps directions. Take road E18 to Enköping, before entering Enköping, take road 70 toward Sala. At the first roundabout at the entrance to Sala, go straight. At the second roundabout, follow signs to Saladamm (over the railroad tracks). After Saladamm it is straight ahead. About 27 km from Sala turn right at the sign for Bännbäck. Drive straight for approximately 3 km. Just after the sign V. Bännbäck look for houses to the right on a little hill.  There is a mailbox with a wagon wheel opposite the entrance.

By train or bus There are trains to Sala from, for example, Stockholm and Arlanda. It is also good to come from the south via Västeras. Search train times at www.sj.se. Train Stockholm – Sala costs approx 110-125 SEK single ticket, 2nd class, non-refundable. From Arlanda tickets are more expensive, there is a surcharge for stepping on / off. If you cannot arrange to be picked up at the train in Sala you can take the bus to Möklinta. From there also needed pick-up by car, but it’s closer Dharmagiri and may be easier to arrange a ride from there. Times for bus 63 Sala Travel Centre – Möklinta found on www.vl.se.

Here you can read testimonials from participants from the previous retreats:

During a most difficult period in life it has been of great value to put it all on pause and walk more clear on the path of practicing for a while. To sit with whatever it is. And doing it together with others under the leading of a great teacher can be most healing. – Inger W-Forss

“Novelty is having new experiences of ourselves in the world”. I knew beach holidays, I knew hiking trips. I knew dining and clubbing in cities, I knew dinner parties and long conversations, but I didn’t know I could be silent and digital free for a week and feel absolutely relaxed and inspired. – Gu Jian

I regained faith in essence-love through being with/in it. I found new ways of vitalizing my practice through movement. – Anonymous

Great teacher, great place, warm and safe atmosphere. Worth to do at least once a year. – Anonymous

It’s very hard to write a short testimonial about a profound, personal experience. What I can say is that giving yourself time, in silence, with others, under the guidance of an experienced teacher is an investment in your wellbeing and therefore for others. It is really a unique gift. – Anonymous

A life saving experience! I found something I didn’t know I ́d lost! – Anonymous

A silent week in beautiful nature with meditation, yoga, long walks, good food and swimming, what more do you need? – Anonymous