Camp Information

10 - 18th August 2024

You are warmly invited to participate in our annual BuddhaDharmaSangha camp – a gathering of dharma friends new and old. The camp is a wonderful opportunity to practise Dharma in the time honoured way of the Buddha – together with a like minded Sangha; the community, co-created by each of us; held by and being part of the wider community of the natural world.

The days will include Insight and Samatha Meditation and movement, as well as relational and community practices.

We will devote time for sharing our experience in seeking to apply the dharma to our lives and the world, exploring ways to nurture spiritual companionship.

There will be space for formal practices, dharma teachings, sharing groups, rituals as well as time for enjoying our being part of the natural world and hanging out with others, walks, swimming in the river, nights around the campfire, star gazing, songs, stories and… whatever we decide to create!

Camp Rhythms

A typical day on camp looks like this:

Sitting meditation
Breakfast
Morning teachings and practices
Camp Gathering
Lunch
Open time
Afternoon teachings and practices
Dinner
Dharma teachings and Community activities
Open time around campfire, songs, stories, star gazing…..

This schedule is somewhat flexible as we respond to the current conditions and the changing needs and circumstances of our community.

General Camp Guidelines

Everyone who attends the camp commits to supporting the cohesiveness of the camp community by engaging in the practices and teachings offered; attending daily Camp Gatherings and small group sharing meetings; and contributing to the work of camp life. We also hold an atmosphere of silence throughout the mornings until the Camp Gathering in order to support our practice.

In order to create the possibility of deepening into common-unity, and to support the running of the camp, we ask that all participants commit to staying for the whole duration of the camp. We request that no drugs, alcohol are brought to the camp.

These are essential parts of what makes the BuddhaDharmaSangha Camp such a unique and wonderful field of spiritual practice and community.

The Beautiful Venue

This secluded site is on south east edge of Dartmoor National Park, Devon and exudes both the peace and wildness of the moors. It is surrounded by hills, trees and bordered by the bubbling ‘Holy Brook’. We are within easy walking distance of the River Dart with its swimming places and wooded walks, as well as the open moor and its magical wildness. We bathe in the stream and use specially made compost loos. We have a large Yurt for practicing in and several geodomes for smaller meetings.

Costs

Costs for the 2024 camp including food:

Adults: £315 - £485
Adults aged 18 - 24: £230 - £350
Young people (3 - 17): £190 - £260
Children under 3 are free

All prices are on a sliding scale, please pay what you can afford within these amounts.

The teachings are offered free of charge and at the end of the camp we are invited to offer Dana (donations) to the teachers.

We are a not-for-profit organisation and do our best to keep costs as low as possible.

We are committed in our aims to make the camp and Buddhist teachings available to all that want them, alongside our need to make the camp financially viable. We have a limited number of work exchange places available to people who can help us out with aspects of the camp such as the kids area, the kitchen and managing the site whilst on the camp. We also aim to offer a limited number of bursary places at a reduced rate to people who would otherwise be unable to join us due to their financial circumstances. Please contact us for further details.

Donations/Dana

In the tradition of the Buddha, the dharma teachings are considered precious and beyond price.
The camp teachers Yanai, Kirsten, Brad and Catherine, share their experience and understanding without being paid from the camp fees for offering the teaching. They rely upon the generosity and financial support of those who value the teachings to live in this way. “Dana” means generosity and sharing what we have, to support that which we value. Participants on the camp will be invited to offer dana to the teachers in this spirit.

Arrival and Departure

In order to create a deepening into common-unity, all participants are requested to arrive by 5pm on Saturday 10th August and stay until the ending of the camp at midday on Sunday 18th August.

If you would like to attend the camp and this is not going to be possible for you, it is important that you email us before you book to see if we can accommodate this.

Children and Adolescents

We welcome families in all their forms. Children and teens are very welcome on the camp and are the future of our community. We have a dedicated kids/teen team who offer sessions of organised activities and games for children aged three to seventeen, allowing their parents/carers to attend practice sessions in the morning and the afternoon.

Food

We cook communally using mainly local organic vegetables and vegetarian wholefoods. The cost of the food is included in the price of the camp and we try and cater for special diets as much as possible.

Dogs

Unfortunately we cannot allow dogs on the site. There is a woman living a hundred yards or so from the site who takes in dogs if this is of interest.

If you're coming to the camp for the first time you may find it useful to read this

You may also find it useful to look at our Further Answered Questions

To book your place click here