Retreat - Three Perfections: Patience, Joyous Effort & Ethics

Ven. Thubten Chödron in The Netherlands (April 16 in Amsterdam & April 18 - 20 in Loenen)

This event is fully booked. Please send an email to jacqueline [at] maitreya.nl to be added to the waiting list

We are so honored that Ven. Thubten Chödron is touring Europe and will be giving us the extraordinary chance to receive her wonderful teachings both at our center in Amsterdam and in Loenen. 

In a world sometimes overwhelmed by anger, resentment, and restless desire, the timeless wisdom of the Bodhicharyavatara by the brilliant Buddhist scholar Shantideva offers profound guidance for living with clarity, compassion, and purpose. This extraordinary text illuminates the qualities we need to perfect in our own minds, the qualities so needed to be in and to face today’s world.

Patience is the antidote to anger, the strongest of the destructive emotions that is so dominant in our world at this moment, joyous effort fuels our perseverance on our path to become Bodhisattvas; awakened beings with a deep sense of duty to alleviate suffering and benefit all beings. Ethical discipline forms the very foundation of spiritual progress. In times of crisis—whether political, environmental, or social—ethical principles help us make wise, compassionate decisions rather than reacting with fear or greed. His Holiness the Dalai Lama often said that if more people prioritized ethics over self-interest, the world would be a more compassionate, just, and peaceful place.

Under the guidance of Ven. Thubten Chödron, this weekend retreat will be a rare opportunity to explore these teachings through her insightful commentary and meditation & discussion. Join us for a deeply enriching experience—one that nurtures wisdom, inner strength, and connection. With comfortable lodging and nourishing vegetarian meals included, this retreat offers not just knowledge, but a true retreat for the heart and mind.

 

A pioneering Buddhist teacher, writer and Abbess of Sravasti Abbey Monastery

Venerable Thubten Chodron is an author, teacher, and the founder and abbess of Sravasti Abbey, a pioneering Tibetan Buddhist training monastery for Western nuns and monks in the US. She graduated from University of California, LA and did graduate work in education at the University of Southern California. Ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun in 1977, she has studied extensively with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche, and other Tibetan lamas. She received full ordination as a bhikshuni in 1986.

Venerable Chodron teaches worldwide and is known for her warm, practical, and humorous explanations of how to apply Buddhist teachings in daily life. She is also involved in prison outreach and interfaith dialogue. She has published many books on Buddhist philosophy and meditation and assisted His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the writing and publication of The Library of Wisdom and Compassion, a ten-volume series of teachings on the Buddhist path that was completed in December 2024. 

Visit thubtenchodron.org for a media library of her teachings, and sravastiabbey.org to learn more about Sravasti Abbey. 

Teaching topics 

• Wednesday April 16: Public talk ‘Letting go of worldly concerns’. Online and onsite. More information will follow soon.
• Weekend April 18 – 20: The perfections: patience, joyous effort and ethics, from the Bodhicharyavatara of the famous Buddhist scholar Shantideva. Online and onsite. 

For whom are these teachings

Venerable Chödron emphasizes the practical application of the Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. The evening teaching is suitable for everyone. For the weekend some familiarity with the basic concepts of Buddhist thought is recommended to get the most out of this experience. 

Practical information

Dates & timing:

• Weekend retreat 18 – 20 April 
• Arrival Thursday night (April 17) between 19.00 and 20.30 hrs. (no meal will be served). Practical information at 21.00 hrs.
• Start teaching Friday April 18 at 09.30 hrs. If you would like to arrive on Friday morning make sure you arrive latest at 9.15 hrs and please send a message to loenen@maitreya.nl that you will be arriving on Friday. 
• The retreat will end at lunchtime on Sunday.

Other practicalities: 

• Language: English 
• Recordings: The teachings & meditation will be recorded (audio and video) and provided to you. 
• Last-minute registration: Please also send an email to loenen@maitreya.nl, to ensure we can send you the necessary information in time to join the talk or weekend.

Donation

Dāna (generosity) is one of the cornerstones of the Buddhist path. By virtue of their generosity, the Buddha and the ordained sangha offer us the teachings, and in exchange, the lay community supports Dharma centers and the monastic community. This interdependence is essential for us to share the Dharma and continue our work to benefit all sentient beings. With your donation we support our teachers in their cost of living and we uphold our Dharma center.

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