Home | Heartmind Retreat

FOREST RETREAT

A CENTRE FOR UNIVERSAL DHARMA & SUSTAINABILITY

Heartmind Retreat is a quiet place of spiritual sanctuary and the home currently of dharma priest Hosshin Ananda. Nestled into the forested hillsides of a remote and picturesque Glen on the beautiful Cowal Peninsula in Argyll & Bute, Scotland, the retreat is a small dharma refuge from the modern world surrounded by trees, waterfalls, abundant wildlife and incorporating a hermitage, and hopefully soon a temple and organic gardens.

The forest retreat itself is actually quite small in size and was primarily set up as a not for profit enterprise to provide a sustainable residence for a spiritual practitioner wanting to live their life in the hermit tradition and follow the teachings on the Heartmind, especially from the Xin Xin Ming, and to act as a custodian of the retreat space, for this and future generations of universal focused dharma practitioners to benefit from. The retreat will provide the custodian accommodation to live in, a garden in which to grow food and a temple space from which to conduct prayers, dharma practice and offer guidance and spiritual support to the community of 'Friends'.

The custodian will be supported with a small monthly stipend to help meet their 'independent' living needs, which will be met through donations from the 'Friends of Heartmind' community, and will be specifically to enable the custodian to remain at the retreat and maintain it.

In return, at set times of the year in the retreat calendar, the custodian will make the retreat open to visits from members of the 'Friends of Heartmind' community. Friends get to stay without charge for a couple of days as part of the benefit of being a 'Friend' and supporting the retreat, but donations are welcome to cover costs for longer stays. Donations from the 'Friends of Heartmind' community help support the running of the retreat. They also enable other 'friends' to be able to visit and benefit from spiritual renewal in the spectacular nature of the Glen, and to receive guidance where needed on mindfulness, compassion and meditation practice from the resident dharma practitioner.

For Friends visiting there are a number of work projects to get involved with at the retreat, as well as wonderful walks and sites to see in the local area. At the end of the day to relax there is the Japanese hot tub by the stream or simply reading a book from the library by the fire.

If you are interested in what is happening at Heartmind Retreat and would like to know more about it, you can email us and express your interest. If you want to support the retreat on a regular monthly basis with a small donation and become a member of the online spiritual community of 'Friends' all contributing and sharing the same spirit and vision, then go to the Friends page and sign up to a monthly Paypal donation and get access to our Friends Forum, where you can watch videos dedicated to Friends, chat to other Friends in the forum and receive online support from a whole like minded community focused on the single dharma principle of mindful awareness of the Heartmind in our unfolding lives.

If you don't use Paypal, you can make a monthly standing order and do a bank transfer to Heartmind. In fact, you can make a monthly donation in any form be it cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or Etherium, a food box donation, regular donated goods or services to the retreat. We are open to all forms of support in building a resilient community of Friends and a sustainable retreat, making the space available to friends who may not have the financial means to contribute, but can donate in other ways, as it has always been the intention of Heartmind to make its services available to anyone who needs it in a spirit of reciprocity. If you want to donate in one of these ways then drop us an email and let's chat about what you have in mind.

We are currently in lockdown at the retreat and plans for the above vision have consequently been delayed. However, as soon as it is possible for people to move freely again, 'Friends' are most welcome to arrange a visit to come get some quality time outdoors again and give Hosshin a hand in setting up the retreat. If you haven't seen our latest Youtube update and appeal videos then check them out here. Drop us an email either way and let us know what you think of our project and future plans.