Pundarika UK Summer Retreat 2025
Wed 6th – Tues 12th August 2025
The Essence of Wisdom
Dzogchen Retreat with Tsoknyi Rinpoche
** Bookings Open 14th April at 9am BST **
We are pleased to announce that bookings for our summer Dzogchen retreat will open at 9am 14th April 2025 BST. The retreat will be held at the Lord Wandsworth College, Hampshire on the 6th-12th August 2025.
Tsoknyi Rinpoche will teach from the text The Essence of Wisdom, How to Sustain the Face of Rigpa. In this, one of his most popular Dzogchen instructions, Mipham Rinpoche explains how to go beyond the initial stage of the recognition (ngo shes) of the face of rigpa to the subsequent stages of perfecting the strength (rtsal rdzogs) and gaining stability (brtan pa thob) in the nature of mind.
This is an open retreat and Rinpoche will offer the pointing out instructions for those attending in person. We welcome all who share a genuine interest in the extraordinary path of Dzogchen, requiring only a sincere dedication to learn and practise, along with a commitment to attend the full six-day retreat. Please note that the pointing out instructions will only be given to those attending in person.
Once bookings open, you can book and pay for your place on the retreat at the bottom of this page.
Retreat Schedule
| Wednesday 6th August | |
| 2pm – 5pm | Registration |
| 6pm – 7pm | Dinner |
| 7pm – 8:30pm | Welcome and Teachings with Rinpoche |
| Thursday 7th, Friday 8th, Saturday 9th, Monday 11th August | |
| 7am – 7:40am | Meditation |
| 7:45am – 8:45am | Breakfast |
| 9am – 11:30am | Teachings with Rinpoche |
| 11:45am – 12:45pm | Group Interviews with Rinpoche / Meditation Session |
| 12:45pm – 1:45pm | Lunch |
| 3:00pm – 3:40pm | Meditation |
| 4:00pm – 5pm | Q&A with Gerardo Abboud |
| 6pm – 7pm | Dinner |
| 8pm – 8:40pm | Meditation |
| Sunday 10th August | |
| 7am – 7:40am | Meditation |
| 9am – 9:40am | Meditation |
| 10am – 11am | Brunch |
| 1pm – 3:30pm | Teachings with Rinpoche |
| 4pm – 5pm | Group Interviews with Rinpoche / Q&A with Gerardo Abboud |
| 5:15pm – 6pm | Dinner |
| 7pm – 7:40pm | Meditation |
| 8pm – 8:40pm | Tsoknyi Gechak School Presentation |
| Tuesday 12th August | |
| 7am – 7:40am | Meditation |
| 7:45am – 8:45am | Breakfast |
| 9am – 11am | Teachings with Rinpoche |
Cost
- Single room: £700
- Double room (2 persons): £1100*
- Dorm bed: £500
- Offsite no meals: £300
- Offsite with meals: £400
All above costs include the retreat fee. As usual, donations can be made at the end of the retreat.
* This year, people wishing to stay in double rooms must book together. We are not able to receive bookings for single beds in double rooms. The cost of £1,100.00 is the total for 2 people.
Bursaries: we endeavour to make the retreat as accessible as possible and so can provide a limited number of bursaries. To apply please contact bookings@pundarika.org.uk
Location
Lord Wandsworth College
Long Sutton
Hook
Hampshire
RG29 1TA
Transport
We have booked a coach on August 6 to take retreatants from Hook railway station to the venue. The coach will meet the 12:42 train from London Waterloo, arriving at Hook station at 13:48. The cost is £15 per person (which includes a return journey on August 12) and the coach accommodates 53 people. The coach will then return to Hook station and make a second trip to the college, leaving Hook station at 14.45, for anyone the coach was not able to accommodate in the first trip.
We have also booked the same coach to take retreatants to Hook railway station on August 12. The coach will depart from the coach car park at 12:30, to catch the 13:01 train from Hook to London Waterloo. It will then return to the college to make a second trip at 13.30 for anyone the coach was not able to accommodate in the first trip. Later trains from Hook to London Waterloo are: 14.01, 14.31 and then at .01 and .31 past the hour.
You can purchase a ticket for the coach when booking you place on the retreat.
Video Recordings
In-person retreatants will also be able to watch video recordings of the teachings. These will be accessed via the online retreat page of our website. They will be available for two weeks beyond the conclusion of the retreat. The link and password to this secure page will be sent closer to the retreat.
Further Information
For further information about the retreat including our cancellation policy, please click here.
Bursaries and New Young People’s Volunteering Discount
Whilst we endeavour to keep the cost of the in-person retreat as low as possible, we recognise that many find it hard to afford the cost. For this reason, we offer retreat bursaries to assist those in financial need. Bursaries offer a £100 discount off the total retreat fee. To apply for a bursary, contact bookings@pundarika.org.uk providing a brief outline of your circumstances and financial need. Bursaries are only available for the in-person retreat and you are welcome to apply before bookings open. We also offer a bursary of a £150 discount to monastics. Any monastic wanting to apply for this bursary should email bookings@pundarika.org.uk.
To make the retreat more accessible to young people, this year we are introducing a Young People’s Volunteering Discounted Rate. This is available for anyone between the ages of 16-30. The volunteers will assist our various work teams before, during and at the end of the retreat but will be able to fully participate in the retreat schedule. In return, volunteers will pay only £300 to stay in dormitory accommodation. To apply for the Young People’s Volunteering Discounted Rate please email bookings@pundarika.org.uk.
To assist us with our bursary schemes, please consider making a donation to our retreat scholarship fund. By doing so, you will be helping us to make the Dharma accessible to those who may not be able to participate otherwise. To support our bursaries, click on the donate button and select the Retreat Scholarship Fund from the dropdown menu. Thank you!