Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion
Led by UK Lay Dharma teachers Dene Donalds and Teri West, and aspirant Dharma teachers Rehena Harilall and Anthony Leete.
This is how to contemplate our conditioned existence in this fleeting world:
Like a tiny drop of dew, or a bubble floating in a stream;
Like a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
Or a flickering lamp, an illusion, a phantom, or a dream.
So is all conditioned existence to be seen.
– The Buddha, The Diamond Sutra
The Diamond Sutra, a mainstay of the Mahayana tradition, is widely valued as a central text for study and practice, due to the insights it offers into dualistic thinking and wrong views. The “diamond” of the title is capable of cutting through all obstacles on the road to freedom from illusion.
Through the Diamond Sutra we find ways to look at the world in its wholeness, through the lenses of impermanence and interbeing. We can thus encounter a deeper reality; develop a deeper reverence for the environment and an appreciation of the value of harmonious communities, families, and relationships, to be better equipped to act in the world skilfully and effectively.
During the retreat there will be an opportunity to receive a transmission of The Five Mindfulness Trainings.
About the Dharma Training Program
Originally the DTP was seen as a training programme for those practitioners who wanted to deepen their practice as a group. People were encouraged to sign up to all three DTP sessions in a year so that a sangha could be created amongst participants and spiritual friendships nurtured during these retreats. We would like to encourage you to consider the programme in this way if that is possible for you.
The Dharma Training Programme operates in England over a weekend in February, a long weekend in May and a five day retreat in October. We would be delighted to welcome you at all three. Additionally, every other year there is a DTP retreat in Scotland, offering a further option. The next Scottish DTP retreat will be in 2026.
Upcoming dates for 2025:
7 – 9 Feb 2025 | Purley Chase, Warwickshire
Reconciliation and Beginning Anew
Led by UK Lay Dharma teachers Murray Corke and Angie Searle
23 – 26 May 2025 | Brierley Retreat Centre, Yorkshire
Topic and teachers tbc
24 – 28 Oct 2025 | Sidcot School, Somerset
Topic and teachers tbc
