GUHYALOKA
Guhyaloka was discovered in the mid-80s by Dolf in’t Velt, a friend of Subhuti’s living in the area. Following three eagles flying high above a track, he was led along a passage through the mountains.
This passage opened out into what we now know as the ‘Secret Valley’.
Guhyaloka was founded to host men’s ordination courses, and as a place of retreat for Urgyen Sangharakshita. The first ordinations took place on 7th September 1987 when Bhante ordained 16 men.
SINCE THEN,
almost 600 men have been ordained in the valley. Hopefully this is just the beginning.
FACING
MAJOR CHALLENGES
Guhyaloka is struggling to fulfil its original vision as a place of ordination, and is no longer fully fit for purpose.
THERE ARE 3 MAIN ISSUES
INSUFFICIENT
CAPACITY
There’s not enough space in the shrine room, kitchen/dining room and accommodation blocks for an increasing number of Private Preceptors and Ordinands.
A need for repair and renovation
Due to weather erosion some buildings are liable to flooding and in danger of collapse.
Environmental inefficiency
Greater water and solar harvesting is becoming essential to meet the challenges of climate change.
BUILDING
FOR THE AGES
To secure Guhyaloka’s future as a place of ordination for generations to come, there will be:
• A new shrine room and a new kitchen/dining area, both with simple, elegant designs, in secluded locations away from the road and making the most of the beautiful views of the valley.
• Conversions of the old shrine room and kitchen/dining area into accommodation blocks and meeting spaces.
• Repairs to the yeso huts to make them weather-proof.
• New water tanks and solar panels to harvest natural resources.
These upgrades will also equip Guhyaloka to expand its activities and offer intensive meditation retreats led by senior Order members at different times of the year.
THE HANDS OF
AVALOKITESHVARA
Can you be a part of making Guhyaloka a place of ordination For The Ages?
We need to raise £850,000 in total
“I brought Bhante up to see the valley, after looking at a few other places. We stood absorbed, on the spot where the Dhardo Stupa now stands, in a ringing silence. Without a word spoken, it was clear that this was to be our Secret World.
Guhyaloka was Bhante’s 60th birthday present from the Order, and most of us gave towards its purchase. Bhante loved it greatly, and he would certainly have wished for it to thrive far into the future.”
SUBHUTI
In the autumn of 2025, we’ll enter the most critical phase of the project – building a new Kitchen/Dining block. To do this, we will need to raise £300,000 of our overall total before the end of 2026. All donations received within that timeframe will fund the structural work and the essential items listed below. Could you help us to buy them?
LOT A Kitchen Appliances (fridge/freezers, dishwasher, cooker, hob) - €8,000
LOT A Kitchen Appliances (fridge/freezers, dishwasher, cooker, hob)
Powered by new solar panels, these appliances will ensure the kitchen meets Spanish hygiene standards, and will make the cook’s life considerably easier, especially with increased numbers attending ordination courses and other retreats in the future.
Needed – €8,000
LOT B Solar Panel System - €5,000
LOT B
Solar Panel System
New technology and equipment to harvest and transform the copious amounts of energy the Valley gets from the sun.
Needed – €5,000
LOT C Rain water tanks and grey water system - €12,000
LOT C
Rain water tanks and grey water system
Extra rain water tanks will greatly reduce the dependence on buying and trucking fresh water in to Guhyaloka. The grey water system will clean soapy water so we can use it on our planned ‘forest garden’, which will be based on permaculture principles.
Needed – €12,000
LOT D Double wood burning stove - €3,000
LOT D
Double wood burning stove
Stay warm as you eat your porridge during the colder months when the wind whips round the Valley, then later on sit round, staring into the flames, as you shoot the breeze with your Dharma brothers.
Needed – €3,000
LOT E Windows and doors, tables and chairs - €12,000
LOT E
Windows and doors, tables and chairs
Stay cool or get warm and dry, then have something to sit on, eat off and look through at meals times, or when just hanging out.
Needed – €12,000
This list of items is not exhaustive – other building supplies are needed – and the pricings are approximates.
“Far from the roar of traffic
Far from the frantic crowd,
I feel my soul expanded
With dreams not disallowed.”
BHANTE
‘Guhyaloka, July 1998’
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