Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, Hemel Hempstead

A tranquil monastery and a temple of Buddhist worship for contemplative reflections following Theravada practices, as is done Thailand, Sri Lanka and many other countries. Clearly a well managed, well organised place, where opportunities are available to offer alms to monks, with retreats available for learning Buddhism and meditation practices. Retreats are very much in demand, and can be booked on line in advance.

Ineffable - how can you put this experience into words? I stayed on a silent retreat this month and it was just simply wonderful. I felt so welcome, so entitled to be in this monastery although this tradition is very new to my life. I thoroughly enjoyed 5 days of silence, of working meditations, seated and walking meditations, the food was absolutely delicious, so much choice and flavour, the accommodation was warm, clean, comfortable and the facilities were brilliant. I arrived at my house on Tuesday and since I got home I have been getting up at 5:30AM as I would on retreat, and I follow the schedule of having a cup of tea and then a 1 hour sitting meditation and a working meditation around the house. This retreat has given me the structure I needed in my life to look after my own health and wellbeing as a meditation teacher, I often didn't take care of myself. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Feeling so blessed to have had the opportunity to stay here and i'm looking forward to my next visit, Louise