About Us

Chintamani Retreat Centre was founded by Saddhajoti and Mokshasi, who are members of the Triratna Buddhist Order. At present it is directed and ran by a team of people belonging to this same Order, and who conceive of their work as their Dharma practice, putting their energies and enthusiasm in the service of the Three Jewels (the Buddha, the ideal of human Enlightenment; the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha; and the sangha, the spiritual community).

The vision and mission of the Chintamani Retreat Centre are informed by the principles of the Triratna Buddhist Community: the centrality of spiritual community, work as an expression of our Going for Refuge (i.e., our spiritual practice), the importance of supporting the practice of others, the relevance of creating and strengthening spiritual friendships, the value of building contexts for the development of creativity and individuality.

The word ‘Chintamani’ comes from the Buddhist tradition and means ‘the wish-fulfilling jewel’. A popular representation of Chintamani is a brilliant jewel carefully protected between the hands of the Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara, who holds it right in front of his heart. The Boddhisattva Avalokitesara is the embodiment of compassion itself. Chintamani symbolizes the Bodhicitta, the will to Enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. We have chosen this name for our retreat centre because we would like to create a space that contributes to build the conditions for the Bodhicitta to arise.