Padmaloka Buddhist Retreat Centre
Padmaloka Buddhist Retreat Centre (UK), Lesingham House, Surlingham, Norfolk, is a Buddhist retreat centre for men. The centre is part of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), a Buddhist movement that aims to make the teachings of the Buddhism available in the modern world. Padmaloka, originally known as Lesingham House, was first established in 1976 by Sangharakshita, the founder of the FWBO and of the Western Buddhist Order (WBO). Padmaloka soon became the WBO’s first permanent retreat centre. The name Padmaloka means ‘Realm of the Lotus’ in Pāli, padma meaning lotus, and loka meaning realm, place, or abode.
Padmaloka is run by a resident community, with 13 men currently living there. Some members of the Padmaloka community are full time teachers and retreat leaders. Others look after the day to day running, such as gardening, cooking, administration, and maintenance. The community engage in work as spiritual practice, very much in the spirit of the Zen tradition. This involves the practice of mindfulness; being aware of yourself, of the work itself, and of other people.
The teaching at Padmaloka places great importance on ‘Going for Refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha’. The meditation practices taught at Padmaloka are the Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapana), the Metta Bhavana (Mettā) and Just Sitting (Shikantaza). Padmaloka also teaches the Sadhana forms of meditation to Ordained WBO members.
There are two main focus’s of worship at Padmaloka, the shrine room and the Stupa. The stupa contians some relics of Dhardo Rimpoche. Rimpoche was a teacher of Sangharakshita. It’s inscriptions read Cherish the Doctrine. Live United. Radiate Love – which was Dhardo Rimpoche’s moto.
Address: Padmaloka, Lesingham House, Surlingham, Norwich, NR14 7AL
Tel: +44 (0)1508 538112
Email: info@padmaloka.org.uk