Tejananda

Tejananda has been practising meditation and dharma since the mid-70s. He was ordained by Sangharakshita in 1980 after which he participated in the setting-up of the FWBO Bristol centre and was centre chair for six years. After several years working for the Karuna Trust in Oxford, he joined the team at Vajraloka in 1995. His book,’The Buddhist Path to Awakening’ was published by Windhorse around that time.

Since then he has been leading and supporting retreats at Vajraloka and at other retreat centres in the UK and worldwide. Although no longer living at Vajraloka, he remains part of the wider Vajraloka mandala and is deeply committed to Vajraloka’s long-standing objective of helping create conditions for people to take their dharma and meditation practice deeper.

Tejananda’s website www.tejananda.net lists all of his forthcoming retreats, including online retreats for the Buddhist Centre Online and ones that he is running himself.

Upcoming Programs by Tejananda

Emptiness and the Heart Sutra

February 6 - 13, 2026
“Form is only emptiness, emptiness only form” - The Heart Sutra is one of the most well-known and loved of all Buddhist texts. Whatever could practising this involve? Going deeper, we’ll open to our direct experience of the body, senses and skandhas. We’ll begin to discover how the emptiness teaching of the Heart Sutra can compassionately awaken us to our deepest nature, Prajñāpāramitā, from which we are never truly apart. TRIRATNA INTENSIVE for regular meditators with 2 years+ experience of retreats, centres or groups.

Dhyana Through the Body - reevaluating dhyana

November 27 - December 4, 2026
This retreat explores embodied approaches to dhyana, encouraging participants to question some traditional interpretations and personal assumptions. Rather than viewing dhyana as merely concentrated calm (samatha), we’ll explore it as a deeply unified, embodied state integrated with mindfulness and the factors of awakening. Through experiential practices involving body, breath, and awareness, participants will discover resources for dhyana already within their experience. TRIRATNA INTENSIVE for regular meditators with 2 years+ experience of retreats, centres or groups.