The Buddhist Retreat Centre, Ixopo, South Africa

07/12/2025

The Four Immeasurable Gifts At Christmas
Teacher: Tsunma Tsondru
Cost: 4 days accommodation +R600 surcharge
Dates: Tuesday 23 December 2025 - Saturday 27 December 2025

Imagine! Imagine all the people, living life in peace - John Lennon

Christmas is a time of the giving of gifts. All birthdays are honoured with gift-giving. Usually these gifts are of ‘things’. Yet the very best gift we can give is not anything tangible or material. It is to definitively take away the suffering of oneself, and of others. And this, after all, is the reason why we give material gifts in the first place. It’s also the reason why we do the myriad things we do in our lives. It’s because we are constantly in pursuit of this (seemingly unattainable) state of being: peace, happiness, contentment, an absence of ‘niggle’. The unlimited and ultimate gift would be to be happy without end, at peace without end, to give happiness and peace to all, without end. The Four Immeasurable Gifts are the ultimate gift. They are boundless equanimity, loving kindness, compassion, and joy. They define a path and practice leading to all-encompassing peace and happiness. They lead us back to our true nature, which is peace.

Take time out at the BRC this Christmas to slow down into the moment and unwrap the Four Immeasurable Gifts. We will discover them through meditation, contemplation, journaling, and by just being present. William (Shogan) will be offering sunrise qigong.

The retreat will be held in an atmosphere of introspection and silence with time for journaling, reflection, and fireside talks.

Total cost of the retreat depends on the type of accommodation selected. Please email bookings@brcixopo.co.za for more information and to make a reservation.

04/12/2025

Join us for a personal retreat mid week. Meditation and qigong are on offer. Alternatively, you may choose to simply enjoy the tranquillity of the space and embrace the art of doing nothing – seriously. This time out offers a slower rhythm, allowing you to step back from the busyness of life and find peace within.

10% discount on midweek self retreats valid until 31/12/2025.

02/12/2025

Transformation Through Mindfulness
Teachers: Nolitha Tsengiwe and Phumla Shongwe
Cost: 2 days accommodation + R400 surcharge
Dates: Friday 19 December 2025 - Sunday 21 December 2025

Through being and accepting what is happening within us, staying with experience and learning to see more clearly we can taste into a mind and heartfulness that is larger than our habits that keep us stuck.

The practice of Mindfulness supports us in discovery of who we are beyond our limiting histories, stories and ideas. Grounding into our bodies through bringing presence to our breath, our flesh and bones, our sensations we come into the shared embodied realm. We may find an aliveness, interconnectedness and sensitivity that is profoundly transformative when we are more embodied.

Drawing on tools from the Buddha's teaching we will embark on this voyage together, in a shared context, with the inner journey of each of us also finding its own inner way. The retreat will be held in noble silence; there will be dharma teachings as well as one to one interviews, guided and silent meditations and sunrise qigong with Shogan.

Total cost of the retreat depends on the type of accommodation selected. Please email bookings@brcixopo.co.za for more information and to book.

Where people of all religions and none come to experience peace and tranquility.

30/11/2025

The Four Immeasurable Gifts At Christmas
Teacher: Tsunma Tsondru
Cost: 4 days accommodation +R600 surcharge
Dates: Tuesday 23 December 2025 - Saturday 27 December 2025

Imagine! Imagine all the people, living life in peace - John Lennon

Christmas is a time of the giving of gifts. All birthdays are honoured with gift-giving. Usually these gifts are of ‘things’. Yet the very best gift we can give is not anything tangible or material. It is to definitively take away the suffering of oneself, and of others. And this, after all, is the reason why we give material gifts in the first place. It’s also the reason why we do the myriad things we do in our lives. It’s because we are constantly in pursuit of this (seemingly unattainable) state of being: peace, happiness, contentment, an absence of ‘niggle’. The unlimited and ultimate gift would be to be happy without end, at peace without end, to give happiness and peace to all, without end. The Four Immeasurable Gifts are the ultimate gift. They are boundless equanimity, loving kindness, compassion, and joy. They define a path and practice leading to all-encompassing peace and happiness. They lead us back to our true nature, which is peace.

Take time out at the BRC this Christmas to slow down into the moment and unwrap the Four Immeasurable Gifts. We will discover them through meditation, contemplation, journaling, and by just being present. William (Shogan) will be offering sunrise qigong.

The retreat will be held in an atmosphere of introspection and silence with time for journaling, reflection, and fireside talks.

Total cost depends on the type of accommodation selected. Please email bookings@brcixopo.co.za to reserve your spot.

27/11/2025

In Buddhism, compassion isn’t optional, it’s integral to ethical conduct (sīla) and the path to enlightenment.

Compassion does not mean grand gestures. Compassion means small, mindful acts every day. Which act will you practice today?

26/11/2025

Shibuie - When Beauty Happens Accidentally: Sumie And Raku – Japanese Brush Painting And Ceramics
Teacher: Ingrid Adams, Sharon Paterson, Bernard Charikobo, Chris Rooke and Shogan
Cost: 4 days accommodation + R500 surcharge
Dates: Friday 12 December 2025 - Tuesday 16 December 2025

Japanese ink painting at the BRC offers a unique approach, encompassing meditation , qigong, ceramics, forest ‘bathing’ , tea ceremony, all materials, and an ambient atmosphere. If you are suffering from stress, anxiety and exhaustion these processes of learning Japanese ink painting will calm and refresh you. Beginners welcome. No painting experience necessary - some of the best paintings have emerged from students who have not had any art training before!

Ingrid will teach the classical Japanese brush painting techniques - Sumie - as these are applied to traditional subjects, such as landscape, bamboo and flower studies - as well as contemporary subjects. We will use the genuine, traditional materials: solid pine-soot ink, a hollowed-out slate to liquefy it, a deer-hair bamboo-stemmed brush and absorbent mulberry paper. Tools will be provided.

Sharon will offer the Raku and explore various glazing and firing techniques. Each retreatant will receive a bisque-fired tea bowl to sumie-decorate and glaze. The kiln will be fired up, after which we will watch the magic as the bowls emerge triumphantly from the scorching heat!

Chris will offer qigong sessions and Bernard will be offering forest walks and introducing 'forest bathing' with traditional Mbira music for healing and harmony. Shogan will be offering a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony on the final evening.

Total cost of the retreat depends on the type of accommodation selected. Please email bookings@brcixopo.co.za for more information and to make a reservation.

Where people of all religions and none come to experience peace and tranquility.

25/11/2025

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23/11/2025

Gardening For Happiness: The Basics of Gardening
Teacher: Chris Dalzell
Cost: 2 days accommodation + R350 surcharge
Dates: Friday 05 December 2025 - Sunday 07 December 2025

Chris Is Back!

They say that 'your life begins the day you start a garden'. If you are looking for some green thumb inspiration and motivation, join Chris for an uplifting weekend of basic gardening tips where you will learn the practice and art of gardening. The weekend will entail plant identification and plant selection of trees, shrubs, ground covers and bulbs. He will show you how to prepare a flower bed and how to lay out your plants, and how to plant trees and other plants and their maintenance. He will also advise on plant propagation showing the different forms of cuttings, seed sowing and dividing large plants and the pruning of shrubs and trees and highlight the importance of soil and how to rejuvenate a nutrient-depleted soil and deal with pest and diseases all this. Experience this – and more. Celebrate the BRC's gardens and its green spaces and listen to Chris’ latest fascinating experiences at Gardens On The Bay in Singapore.

Chris Dalzell was Curator of the Durban Botanic Gardens where he was in charge of special collections. He has studied, lectured and travelled internationally, collecting plant specimens from USA, Canada, Brazil, S.E. Asia, Australia and New Zealand. For many years he guided the South African exhibition at the international Chelsea Flower Show where his stall was consistently awarded Gold and Silver-Gilt Medals. He was appointed Assistant Director for the development of Gardens by the Bay in Singapore from 2010-2012 and recently as Director of Conservatories from 2023-2025. He currently runs his own landscaping business Chris Dalzell Landscapes.

Total cost of the retreat depends on the type of accommodation selected. Please email bookings@brcixopo.co.za for more information or to make a reservation.

Where people of all religions and none come to experience peace and tranquility.

21/11/2025

Nowhere Else To Be – Zen Sitting
Teacher: Shogan Parker
Cost: 2 days accommodation
Dates: Tuesday 25 November 2025 - Thursday 27 November 2025

Nowhere Else To Be is a series of mid-week zazenkai held in Noble Silence at the BRC. Each zazenkai invites us to rest deeply in the present moment and attune to the simplicity and stillness of the unfolding moment. We will return to the basics of practice - stillness, silence, breath. With nowhere else to be and nothing else to do, we settle into what is.

This zazenkai is suitable for those with a regular meditation practice or prior retreat experience who feel ready to spend a day in silence, stillness, and simplicity. It offers a simple, structured, and spacious container in which to reconnect with presence, nature, and the still point within. The emphasis is on returning to what is already here — without distraction, without pressure, without needing to be anywhere else.

Come sit with us - there is nowhere else to be.

William (Shogan) has been practising meditation for nearly 20 years, cultivating stillness and inquiry. He took precepts with Dae Chong, Osho at Poplar Grove and now leads morning and evening zazen at the BRC, weaving verses from the Dhammapada into meditation for reflection and insight. With a keen interest in how the Dharma might evolve in an AI-driven, multiplanetary future, William embraces both tradition and possibility. He also guides qigong in the mornings and offers tai chi in the afternoons, integrating movement into mindfulness. His practice is an invitation - to sit, to move, and to explore the ever-expanding nature of awareness.

Please email bookings@brcixopo.co.za to reserve your spot.

20/11/2025

Get married with a Buddhist flavour, renew your marriage vows, celebrate birthdays or graduations - or go on a pilgrimage! Please contact the BRC for more information about hiring this facility for any function you may have in mind. The BRC can provide (vegetarian) catering and accommodation for 54 people. Additional guests can be accommodated in nearby B&B’s.

18/11/2025

Upcoming December Retreats

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Browse our upcoming retreats here: https://www.brcixopo.co.za/summary-list-of-retreats.html

16/11/2025

Join our retreat next weekend:

Living Ayurveda: The Wisdom of Wellness In Daily Life
Teacher: Helen Altman
Cost: 2 days accommodation + R500 surcharge
Dates: Friday 21 November 2025 - Sunday 23 November 2025

This retreat is an invitation to integrate Ayurveda into your daily lives in simple ways that have a profound healing effect on your health and well-being. Our days will be filled with simple and ancient rhythms - waking and sleeping, movement and stillness, inhalations and exhalations, self-nurturing rituals, nourishing food, stillness and activity.

In Ayurveda the word Dinacharya which comes from the root words 'Dina,' meaning 'day' and 'Charya,' which means 'guidelines' or 'to be founded in.' Thus meaning 'to be founded in the day' or as in Sanscrit defined as "the daily routine". According to Ayurveda one should follow Dinacharya in order to lead a healthy and disease-free life. Ayurveda gives more emphasis on prevention of diseases than treating a disease. The wisdom of wellness in daily life in Ayurveda really provides a map for health and longevity. The small habits that we cultivate regularly actually have deep long-term benefits for yourselves and your families.

Our daily retreat rhythm will include gentle somatic and therapeutic yoga practices, pranayama (breathwork), restorative yoga nidra (deep relaxation), walking meditation, visualisations, guidelines, notes and talks around Ayurveda and living an Ayurvedic lifestyle. The retreat will be held in a quiet atmosphere to allow us to deepen our connection with our Prakriti - essential nature. No previous experience is required and this retreat is suitable for all levels and ages.

Helen Altman, yoga teacher, yoga therapist and Ayurvedic practitioner, has been practicing, teaching and seeped in yogic, Ayurveda and buddhist practices for 40 years. it is the central thread of her life tapestry. She brings a great love of teaching and sharing her large body of knowledge and experience to each workshop in user friendly ways that can easily be integrated into people’s lives.