The Pyre of Being Men's Retreat 2026

Led by: Muditajina, Viryadeva & team
Location: Bowerwood, Nr. Broadhembury, E. Devon
Deposit amount: £85
Experience level: Men and those who have been socialised as men with some experience of meditation
Age group: Adults
Total suggested cost (excluding deposit): standard: £350, supported:£250, donation tier (helping others to come on retreat):£650
Vehicle Pass: Car: £15, Live-in- 6m and under: £30, Live-in- over 6m: £30

See our FAQ for an explanation of the deposit/ dana/ donation tier system. Please do read this if you think that you will not be able to afford the retreat or if you are not sure about the deposit/dana/ donation tier system in any way. We have suggested donation amounts to guide; these are structured to relate to what it costs us to run a retreat. However you are free to give as little or as much as befits your circumstances.

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The Buddhist path is one of transformation- turning the energies that obscure and bind us, such as suffering, confusion, and fear, into forces of joy, contentment, kindness, and compassion.
The Pyre of Being is the fire within, burning away impurities and illuminating the way. On this retreat, you are invited to bring your whole self to offer to the pyre. Together, we will build a fire of transformation.

Throughout the retreat, we will journey with myths and legends of Padmasambhava, ritualising our process as we deepen. Padmasambhava, the great tantric master, is said to have trained in the cremation grounds – places of fire, death, and transformation. Surrounded by burning pyres and the reminders of impermanence, he confronted fear directly, turning the terrifying into a source of awakening. The cremation grounds were not places of despair for him, but crucibles of freedom, where demons became allies and obstacles became fuel for liberation. In the flames, Padmasambhava revealed the truth: nothing is fixed, all can be transformed.

This retreat offers a chance to camp among the trees, live simply, and reconnect with the elements. Together we create community, learning to step out of fear, and into wholeness, openness and vulnerability; beyond whatever prevents us from walking the path to liberation.

Our days will include:

• Daily meditation and chanting
• Ritual and mythic storytelling
• Vegan organic meals
• Time for friendship, and community
• Outdoor showers and woodland sauna

Looking for a longer experience?

This retreat and our Total Immersion are running back-to-back in 2026. If you would like to book for over three weeks’ worth of retreat, that’s wonderful and we warmly invite you to do so. There is a one-day gap between the events. If you are staying for both and would like to support the retreat team in the preparation and set-up, we will gladly accept your help and host you for free. If you’d like to stay for the day but continue doing your own practice and activities, we are still happy to feed and host you but would ask for an extra Dana contribution of around £10 per day to cover costs. In either case, we would ask you to continue to stick to retreat behavioural guidelines during the gap.

Click here to find out more and to book the Total Immersion 2026

Things to note

• We have an extensive Retreat FAQ page here. Please read this thoroughly and, if you have a question that isn’t answered, get in touch.
• If you are bringing a vehicle to a retreat and it is staying on-site, you need to buy a vehicle pass. This helps us to manage the number of vehicles on our sites as space is very limited. Please do not bring a vehicle if the relevant pass is sold out. Please liftshare where possible or use public transport.
• We offer pick up from Honiton train station for this retreat.
• As this is a gendered retreat, you may also wish to learn more about our approach to gender diversity and gendered retreats here.