Theme of the Spring retreat is Awakening the Heart with True Love.
Wisdom and compassion are the core components of Buddhist teachings and practices. We have love for ourselves and well as for others, as stated in the Discourse on Love1, “Just as a mother loves and protects her only child at the risk of her own life, cultivate boundless love to offer to all living beings in the entire cosmos.” The Bible said, “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”2
True Love, which consists of loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), joy (mudita) and equanimity (upekkha), was
called the Four Immeasurable Minds or the Four Devine Abodes (Brahmaviharas). Loving kindness is to bring happiness to others, compassion is to help make other suffer less, joy is to be happy with our own and others’ happiness, and equanimity is to love with no discrimination. In Manifestation-Only teachings, the Four Devine Abodes are four wholesome seeds in our store consciousness. They are already in us. We practice to awaken them and bring them into our daily activities
In this retreat, we will have the chance to learn the teachings and practices of mindfulness to awaken True Love in us. Practicing True Love helps us to transform the unwholesome seeds like hatred, jealousy … thus enable to live peacefully and in harmony with ourselves and others. We will practice mindfulness as a way of life, where everything we do like breathing, walking, eating, smiling …. is an act of mindfulness. We will enjoy the beautiful sky, the trees, the walking path, the flowers around us. We will listen to Dharma talks and participate in group sharing on how to live fully in the present moments, to deal with negative emotions, and to cultivate togetherness, making our presence a precious gift to each other.
The tentative schedule is as follows:
| Date/Time | Fri. Apr 3 | Sat. Apr 4 | Sun. Apr 5 | Mon. Apr 6 | Tue. Apr 7 |
| 5:15 | Wake Up | ||||
| 6:00 | Sitting & Slow Walking & Reading Discourse | Outdoor walking, sitting & breakfast | |||
| 7:00 | 10 Mindful Movements & Walking Meditation | ||||
| 8:00 | Breakfast | ||||
| 9:15 | Working Meditation | ||||
| 10:30 | Dharma Talk |
Questions & Answers Closing Circle |
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| 12:30 | Lunch |
Lunch
Farewell & Happy Continuation of the practice at home. |
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| 14:00 | Total Relaxation | ||||
| 15:00 |
1500 – 1730 Registration / Check in |
Group sharing | |||
| 17:00 | Exercise | Hiking | Exercise / Consultation | ||
| 18:00 | Dinner | ||||
| 19:30 | Dharma Talk | Introduce “Touching the Earth” | Introduce “Beginning Anew” | Be-In | |
| 21:30 | Rest – Noble Silence | ||||
Language: English with Cantonese / Mandarin Translation
Accommodation and cost: Accommodation for this retreat is limited to dormitory-room. Participants will be housed in dormitories (bunk beds). Pillows, bed linens, and blankets are provided. The cost per person is listed below (in HK Dollars).
| Room Type (5 days, 4 nights) | Dormitory (HKD) |
| Adults | 2,500.00 |
Working Meditation: Because the retreat is held in the monastery, all the preparation and cooking will be done by the monastics and some volunteers. During the retreat, we need help from participants in preparation works like setting up the meditation hall and dining hall, washing up after meals… Participants will be grouped into Dharma discussion groups and will work together in the same groups to help with the retreat.
How to register: on a first-come-first-served basis. Please go into the registration link for registration. Registration is not confirmed until we receive your payment within five days after you register. If payment is not received within five days, your registration will be cancelled. For means of payment, details will be sent along with the confirmation email within three working days to those who completed online registration.
Closing date for registration: March 20, 2026. When you paid and received confirmation, your cancellation is subject to a 20% cancellation fee. Payment is not refundable for cancellation after March 20, 2026.
If you found there is any mistake in your registration, please email us with the correct information. Please do not register again.
For enquiries, please contact us by e-mail: retreats@pvfhk.org.
Note: We shall communicate with you mainly via email. Please check your email mailbox regularly as not missing any message.
Footnote：
1 Metta Sutta, Sutta Nipata 1.8
2 1 John 4:16