The Sunday Mindfulness Meditation Retreat

Amid all our diversities, we have common aspirations—the aspiration to be happy, to be peaceful, to be free from worry, stress, anxiety, anger, and many other difficult emotions. Unfortunately, we oftentimes feel stretched, worried, anxious, stressed, and fearful and we keep running from our own shadows. We feel worried about what the future holds for us. We end up running from life at home, life at work, and think we will find a solution to our unhappiness elsewhere but it still escapes us. Practicing meditation can help you navigate through all these emotions in a calm and balanced way. Through meditation, we connect directly to a more peaceful and calm mind and let go of all the sources of our worry, conflicts and confusions. As a result, we become happier in our lives and bring the benefit of joy in other people’s lives as well.

At the Sunday August 26th retreat, participants had an opportunity to develop and improve their mindfulness skills in meditation and learned how to apply mindfulness in their daily lives with a step-by-step guide on meeting difficult emotions with mindfulness. The retreat was suitable for both beginners and those experienced in meditation.

The retreat was guided by Bhante Buddharakkhita, the Abbot and Founder of the Uganda Buddhist Centre. Bhante gave instructions on mindfulness meditation of walking, sitting and standing and then the participants had a chance to practice each one. He also gave a talk on “Meeting Difficult Emotions with Mindfulness” which was followed by a question and answer session that brought about great discussions.

At the end of the retreat, a walk to feed the hungry was also arranged and participants expressed their support and courtesies to people affected by poverty, hunger and malnutrition.