The story of me - A weekend on the first three fetters
This retreat is hosted by The Buddhist Centre Online please book with them
Frustratingly, Buddhism doesn’t offer many answers to the obvious question, why are we not already enlightened?
How did we come to be so painfully separated from reality?
The teachings on the 10 fetters offer us one answer to that question.
Ten fetters — ten illusions we've each built and now live inside — keep us bound to a story of separateness, a sense of being one small, embattled, self in a sea of threat. The good news is that each of these illusions can be seen through, one at a time, the same way the Buddha saw through them himself.
This weekend we work with the first three, the ones closest to home:
self-view, the quiet, constant habit of identifying — this is me, this is mine — that puts a separate "I" at the centre of every experience before we've even noticed it happening.
Doubt, which isn't the innocent, curious kind, but the fetter that stands guard over self-view, turning us away just before we get close enough to see through it.
And dependence on rites and rituals, the routines, roles, and habitual ways of being that make the self-story so real — until it's hardened into a performance we forgot we were giving.
These three don't operate alone. They lean on each other, hold each other up, and together form what one teacher calls "the moat of ignorance" — the ring of defence we've each dug around ourselves without quite meaning to. Working with them isn't a matter of gaining some new insight from far away. It's closer to retracing our own steps: looking honestly at how we built this particular story of "me," so we can start, gently, to let it go.
Retreat Format
Across the weekend we'll move between teaching, meditation, movement and writing practice — using your own words to find the exact shape of the story you've been carrying, and to catch the first glimpses of what's underneath it. No prior experience with the fetters is needed, just a willingness to look closely at something very close to home: yourself.
First daily session (2 hrs): USA & Canada PST 1:00 am | México CST 2:00 am | USA & Canada EST 4:00 am | IE & UK BST 9:00 am | Europe CEST 10:00 am | India IST 1:30 pm | Australia AEDT 7:00 pm | New Zealand NZDT 9:00 pm
Second daily session (2 hrs): USA & Canada PST 7:00 am | México CST 8:00 am | USA & Canada EST 10:00 am | IE & UK BST 3:00 pm | Europe CEST 4:00 pm | India IST 7:30 pm | Australia AEDT 1:00 am (next day) | New Zealand NZDT 3:00 am (next day)
Third daily session (1 hr): USA & Canada PST 11:00 am | México CST 12:00 noon | USA & Canada EST 2:00 pm | IE & UK BST 7:00 pm | Europe CEST 8:00 pm | India IST 11:30 pm | Australia AEDT 5:00 am (next day) | New Zealand NZDT 7:00 am (next day)
Attend any or all conversations in Zoom.
This event will be recorded and may be published online for others to access. Only the leader's video will be used except where users consent to appear spotlighted in a public conversation. Private conversations in breakout rooms will not be recorded.
Suggested donation:
£90-50 | $120-65 | €105-60
Get one ticket and come to any session you wish!
Like all our events, this retreat is offered by donation rather than charging a compulsory ticket price. We want to do this because we never want money to be an obstacle to taking part in a supportive community, and we know many people are struggling financially. The amount we suggest reflects the huge amount of work and love that goes into putting on events we hope will benefit everyone attending. If you can, please donate today. Thank you!