CREATIVE MEDITATION

I’m Vajradarshini, a contemporary, down-to-earth Buddhist teacher. I love connecting the Dharma with art and culture, and grounding it in the grittiness of ordinary, everyday life.

Red Ladder Studio is where you’ll find most of what I’m creating — from writings and online workshops to in-person retreats.

I also send out a newsletter every two weeks, focused on creative Dharma. You can sign up below.

You can learn more about me on the about page, and see what I’m currently exploring on the now page.

I’m always happy to connect with people around the Dharma. Feel free to get in touch by email.

BRINGING BUDDHISM TO LIFE

Workshops and retreats

Featured

Apr 10

We have a huge barrel of wine, but no cups

Rivendell Retreat Centre, UK - In much of spiritual culture, we’re encouraged to grow, improve, develop—a path of progress and attainment. But the Buddha also spoke of another way: the path of cessation. A path not of becoming more, but of letting go. Of stopping.

May 9

Spring Gardening Retreat

The Guesthouse, Southern Sweden Our gardening retreats weave together mindful work, meditation, and Dharma study. On this retreat, we’ll take inspiration from the Buddha, who often taught the Dharma through images and metaphors drawn from the natural world.

Jun 18

Living with Ease: A Midsummer Retreat on the Four Noble Truths

The Guesthouse, Southern Sweden Midsummer is a special time of year here in the South of Sweden. The landscape is filled with wildflowers, the garden is at its peak and the long light evenings make the days seem endless. We'll come together in the midst of all this beauty to reflect on the Buddha’s first teaching — The Four Noble Truths.

Jul 11

Open practice weeks

The Guesthouse, Southern Sweden Our open practice weeks are a blend of collective retreat, a solitary, and a holiday! You’re welcome to come on your own or with friends, and you’ll have the freedom to create your own rhythm and programme. You’re welcome to join for week one, week two, or settle in for the full two weeks.

Aug 8

Beauty and Insight: A retreat on perception

The Guesthouse, Southern Sweden The arts offer us new and surprising windows on the world. Alongside Dharma teachings and meditation, we’ll be exploring what art, film, poetry, and music can reveal about the nature of perception.

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Writing

Featured

nonjudgement, acceptance, buddhism, procrastination, resistance, enjoyment, perfectionism, henonism, hedonist

Buddhism for hedonists

nonjudgement, acceptance, buddhism, procrastination, resistance, enjoyment, perfectionism, henonism, hedonist

Sometimes the things that matter most to us are the hardest to do. I’ve noticed that the more meaningful a task feels, the stronger the resistance — as if my longings and my fears are somehow linked.

nonjudgement, acceptance, buddhism, procrastination, resistance, enjoyment, perfectionism, henonism, hedonist

guesthouse, rumi, hospitality, bodhisattva, nonjudgement, acceptance, welcome

Practice a radical hospitality

guesthouse, rumi, hospitality, bodhisattva, nonjudgement, acceptance, welcome

If we can practice a radical hospitality towards ourselves—dropping judgements and just letting ourselves be—others will see this and learn that they too can take a far more generous attitude towards themselves.

guesthouse, rumi, hospitality, bodhisattva, nonjudgement, acceptance, welcome

seeds, garden, habits, growth, reflection, journaling

Learning from the garden

seeds, garden, habits, growth, reflection, journaling

Like the gardener selecting seeds, we can pay attention to what works in our lives, and in our Dharma practice, and choose to “save” the habits, attitudes, and practices that bear the most fruit.

seeds, garden, habits, growth, reflection, journaling

insight, dharmastudy, jameslow, dzogchen, mahamudra, buddhism

7 lessons from James Low

insight, dharmastudy, jameslow, dzogchen, mahamudra, buddhism

Sharing a few nuggets of wisdom offered by the Dzogchen teacher James Low on a recent retreat. The essence of Dzogchen is, ‘do not correct’. How do we make that a practice?

insight, dharmastudy, jameslow, dzogchen, mahamudra, buddhism