marpahouse, Author at Marpa House

Retreat Fund Scheme: Application window opens on 1st Feb.

by marpahouse | Jan 16, 2026 | Retreat Fund Scheme

Making Retreat Possible for Everyone

The next opportunity to apply for the Marpa House Retreat Fund Scheme opens on 1st February.

This scheme is designed to make retreats at Marpa House accessible to everyone, regardless of financial circumstances.

Retreat at Marpa House offers a unique chance to settle the mind, deepen spiritual practice, and enjoy a transformative experience. We recognise that the cost of retreat can be a barrier for some, which is why the Retreat Fund Scheme exists — to support those experiencing financial hardship or living on very low incomes to do retreat.

Applicants can receive support for either full or semi-retreat days and may choose to part-fund their retreat, with the scheme covering the remainder. Each successful applicant may receive support for up to seven retreat days, and all applications are treated in strict confidence. Full details on the scheme’s rules and an application form are available below.

We look forward to receiving your applications from 1st February until 28th February.

We also warmly welcome donations from anyone who wishes to help others access retreat. Your contribution helps ensure that Marpa House remains a place of practice and spiritual growth that is open to all. To donate or find out more, please contact trustees@marpahouse.org.uk

SCHEME RULES

APPLICATION FORM

Retreats at Marpa House

ELIGIBILITY OVERVIEW

To be eligible for the scheme, you must be able to demonstrate that you satisfy one of the following criteria:

You are in financial circumstances, meaning it would be unreasonable to pay to do a retreat at Marpa House
You are a full-time student
You receive means-tested benefits
You are volunteering as long-term staff at Marpa House.

ADDRESS

Marpa House,
Rectory Lane, Ashdon,
Saffron Walden, Essex
CB10 2HN
United Kingdom

CONTACT

T: +44 (0) 1799 584 415
E: mail@marpahouse.org.uk

“One sky, one mind”
Kyabje Chime Rinpoche

DONATE

Marpa House is conducted by The Dharma Trust, a company limited by guarantee (no. 04332473) and registered with the Charity Commission (no. 1090628).

LATEST NEWSLETTER

We are recruiting!

by marpahouse | Jan 14, 2026 | Recruitment

We are looking for a Centre Manager and a Cook

We have been developing a new staffing model at Marpa House as part of our wider long-term plans to support the Spiritual, Organisational and Physical (buildings and grounds) well-being and future of the house.

We are now ready to begin recruiting for the two key roles at the heart of Marpa House: Centre Manager and Cook.

Please click the button below to find out more and to apply for the roles.

FIND OUT MORE

ADDRESS

Marpa House,
Rectory Lane, Ashdon,
Saffron Walden, Essex
CB10 2HN
United Kingdom

CONTACT

T: +44 (0) 1799 584 415
E: mail@marpahouse.org.uk

“One sky, one mind”
Kyabje Chime Rinpoche

DONATE

Marpa House is conducted by The Dharma Trust, a company limited by guarantee (no. 04332473) and registered with the Charity Commission (no. 1090628).

LATEST NEWSLETTER

Winter 2025 Newsletter

by marpahouse | Dec 14, 2025 | Newsletter

Download the latest Marpa House newsletter

The Marpa House newsletter for winter 2025 has now been published. We want to share the digital version with you here.

2025 has been an incredibly special and busy year, and many of the events from May onwards are covered in this issue, including the visits of Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Lama Kunga Dorje, and Dorzin Lama Lungrik Nyima Rinpoche.

It also includes details of our programme until May 2026, news, poems, and some interesting dharma articles.

If you’d like to contribute to a future newsletter with an article, poem or review, please get in touch with us. Likewise, if you’d like to receive our newsletter by post, please get in touch.

We hope you enjoy reading it. Thank you to everyone who has contributed.

DOWNLOAD HERE

A Book for Rinpoche and his Sangha

by marpahouse | Dec 8, 2025 | Books

By Angelika Peatson

For many years now, I have been fortunate to receive teachings from Rinpoche, with Summer camp locations ranging from Füssen in Germany to Baerenthal in France, and other locations such as Marpa House, Kamalashila and Todtmoos-Au. And, of course, the beautiful (and sometimes a little bit chilly) Marpa House garden in a marquee – not to mention places in between; London, Berlin, and Vienna. Well-treasured and happy memories – definitely among the very best of my entire life.

All these unique and special encounters, plus the odd personal meditation experience, have inspired and accompanied me for almost four decades, motivating me to translate the gist of it all into poetry. Celebrating 50 years of Marpa House at Easter 2025 seemed a good occasion to finalise and print it.

The booklet has been generated and compiled with the generous help of Lorenz Dobrot, Walter Hentschel, Andy Peaston, and Dieter Frank – who sent hundreds of the most elaborate flower photographs taken by him to choose from. In this way, I was lucky enough to embed a few of my Dharma poems in between, in English and German.

The book was a modest golden jubilee gift to our most revered, beloved and precious teacher, which can also be shared with the whole Sangha.

The booklet is available at Marpa House for a suggested minimum donation of £15. All proceeds (after covering the printing) go to Rinpoche’s centres and projects. Share, donate, read and enjoy!

Angelika Peatson

A Huge Thank You!

by marpahouse | Dec 3, 2025 | Volunteering

It has been a wonderful year at Marpa House

As the year draws to a close, we would like to send a huge thank you to all the helpers and staff who have kept Marpa House open and so busy this year.

It has been a special year, and one with a significant landmark – the incredibly moving 50th anniversary celebrations. A weekend that deepened further our love and gratitude to Rinpoche for his inspiration and care, and for providing us with this very special and sacred place to practice and share meaningful moments.

We also had very special visits to the house by Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Tulku Pasang Rinpoche, Lama Kunga Dorje, Dorzin Lama Lungrik Nyima Rinpoche, Venerable Sean Price, Lama Alasdair, Lama Klaus, John Howard and David Crawford. Also, thanks to Sophie Muir, who started the year by leading us into 2025 with her New Year retreat. Our fantastic event team of volunteers has made these visits so blessed and beneficial for all who attended. You can see photos from some of these events here.

Our virtual shrine room continues to thrive, and we are deeply grateful to our dedicated Umzes, who lead our regular online pujas. This means we can all join in and practice together, regardless of our location or personal circumstances. If you would like to join us for Green Tara, Chenrezik or Calling the Lama from Afar, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for more details.

We must also extend a huge thank you to everyone who has led a monthly Sunday meditation day, helped out on staff or covered at the house during 2025, for short periods or longer stints. These include (in no particular order, and with apologies for any omissions): Eva Ward, Janet Scott, Steffi Druege & Dieter Frank, Ruoyun Hui, Sue Sternberg, Payton Pitchford, Beth Laurels, Jaki Deere, Cherry Cooke, Dominique Simpson, Sarah Playden, Sarah Harrington, Pema Clark, Natasha Bolce, Mike Stone, Gudrun Schmidt & Brian Richardson, Iris Treibl, Maree Kearns, Loes Verbiesen & Jigme Radovic, Anne Westley, Imogen Hayman, Hartwin Busch, Iwona & Donald Reilly, Dan Bradley, Denby Birks, Horst Mueller, Udo Blumensaat, Joost Mooerbeck, Ulrike Heusne, Walter & Sascha, Emily Coates, Noriko Barter, Levi Reed, Keith Howell, Elizabeth Noakes, and, of course, Gabrielle McCarthy.

And finally, a big thank you to everyone who has visited, stayed at, or been on a retreat at the House, or attended a teaching this year, either in person or online.

We look forward to seeing you in 2026.