Guhyaloka

Opportunity to join the community

The resident community of Guhyaloka would like to welcome two new members to join.
To find out more or to apply, contact us.

Summer Ordination Retreat 2023

Triratna ordination retreats are by invitation only.
The summer one is on 2 May – 17 July 2023.

Autumn Retreat 2023

Reconnecting with my ordination

This retreat will take place on 2-30 September 2023.

Help support Guhyaloka

We would like to make Guhyaloka fit for the future and need substantial funds for this project. To find out what exactly we are planning to do to maintain and develop this amazing place and how you can donate click here.

Our Activities

Community retreats

You are welcome to live with the community and enjoy the valley all year round!
You could either help us with our daily work (+/- 3 hours a day), in which case you’ll be welcomed free of charge, or you could just relax in our company, in which case we ask for a donation of €110/week.

Working retreats

Working retreats are run every year in February-March. This is your chance to live together as a community of practice for 1-4 weeks and at the same time actively support Guhyaloka.

Reunion retreats

Since the anniversary of the first Ordination Courses we have hosted short reunion retreats in the summer months. If you are interested in us hosting a retreat for your year please get in contact.

Solitary Retreats

Darsendo

Darsendo is close to the retreat centre and offers beautiful, expansive views down the valley towards the sea. The sunsets of autumn are famous.

Almendra

Set deep in the pine woods that fill the valley, this cabin is the most secluded of the three locations, disturbed only by the occasional grunt of wild boar.

Jnanakhadga

Jnanakhadga is a modern, spacious cabin with a shaded patio area overlooking Moorish terraces thick with gorse, flowers and wild rosemary.

Arthasarana

Arthasarana is the largest ‘cabin’ – a kilometer away from Guhyaloka – and set in 9ha (22acres) of open terraces and rocky mountain slopes.

Book a solitary

About Guhyaloka

Although one can see the Mediterranean from some parts of the property Guhyaloka is situated in a very secluded mountain valley in the province of Alicante in Spain. The community members have chosen to live a simple life away from the business of the world and modern social life and at the same time to provide facilities for men who also want to leave their normal world behind for anything from one to twelve weeks, so as to deepen their spiritual practice. This can be done either alone in one of our four solitary cabins, or with others by joining the community for a while, or by coming on one of our other type of retreats.

An important function of Guhyaloka is to host the annual Ordination courses during which fifteen or so men, after several years’ training, join the Triratna Buddhist Order.

Guhyaloka is for men only but at Akashavana, which is also in Spain, there are similar facilities for women to engage in intensive retreats, especially when they are ordained.

Uttaraloka

Uttaraloka is a “forest hermitage” in a neighbouring valley. Manjuvajra, a long time member of the Triratna Buddhist Order lives there as caretaker and invites others to join him to live a simple life as part of a small community away from the ‘world’ – the complexities and distractions of normal life.