The word ‘Chintamani’ comes from the Buddhist tradition and means ‘the wish-fulfilling jewel’. A popular representation of Chintamani is a brilliant jewel carefully protected between the hands of the Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara, who holds it right in front of his heart. The Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara is the embodiment of compassion itself. Chintamani symbolizes the Bodhicitta, the will to Enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. We have chosen this name for our retreat centre because we would like to create a space that contributes to build the conditions for the Bodhicitta to arise.

Chintamani may also be thought of as a Mandala, a sacred spot. We can all walk into a Mandala, but not without being transformed. A Mandala is ‘a symbol of the harmony and integration of the different levels or aspects of our being’. Building a Mandala is ‘taking any aspect of reality and surrounding it with beauty, it is an harmonic arrangement around a central point’. We conceive this central point as the Three Jewels (The Buddha: the ideal of Enlightenment; the Dharma: the teachings of the Buddha; and the Sangha: the community of human beings that follow the path to Enlightenment).

We would like Chintamani to be an open forum for interaction and dialogue between the different segments of the Buddhist world. We welcome members and teachers of all the different sanghas and Buddhist communities.