NEWS & UPDATES · 14 AUGUST 2026

Our first retreat in South Africa

Sayalay Bhadda Nyani, edited for clarity by Therapeutic Mindfulness.

Retreat participants seated together in meditation. — Participants practising together during the first retreat.

Our first retreat in South Africa felt like a momentous and joyful occasion. For me, it was clear that there was no “I” or “me” making it happen. Everything came together according to causes and conditions.

There was great harmony in the retreat. Things fell into place easily. This did not feel like something that belonged to any one person. It felt like many conditions meeting at the right time.

A retreat participant meditating beyond an open doorway. — A quiet period of individual practice.

We were grateful that Sayadaw could join us on Zoom to teach and answer questions. It gave practitioners here the opportunity to meet him and to feel connected to a wider international community of practice.

I am thankful for Sayadaw’s wisdom, his service to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, and the patience and skill with which he teaches and encourages people. His teaching shows a practical way of practising beyond the limits of tradition and culture: learning directly through cause and effect, and through the ever-changing, selfless and impermanent nature of experience.

Food brought and shared by retreat participants. — Everybody brought and shared food.

I hope this retreat is a beginning in South Africa for the benefit of all. May it help turn the wheels here, so that people can know more happiness, freedom from suffering and right understanding.