The Challenge

108 prostrations every day for 108 days. From 11th November to 27th February.

The Cause

We live in a world in which sacred places are being eroded and destroyed. We see this with our forests and other ecosystems, but also across cultures and institutions. I believe we must push back against these forces and create sacred places.

Guhyaloka can be translated as the secret realm. It's a retreat centre situated in the mountains in Southern Spain, nestled amidst pine forests and ancient rock formations. It is a beautiful valley that has provided the context for the transformation of many men's lives.

Since the late 1980s, Men's Ordination Courses have been run there. Ordination into the Triratna Buddhist Order essentially means commitment to the three jewels - the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha - in the context of the Order that Urgyen Sangharakshita founded. Ordination is an orientation of one's life towards value.

The Ordination Courses at Guhyaloka offer a unique setting for men to live in a genuine community, to live very simply and focus on the essentials of their lives so that they can grow. These men return to their homes, to their families, to their jobs, to their communities, enriched and deepened by their initiation and their time in the mountains.

Guhyaloka seriously needs our help to surmount some existential challenges. These are all articulated on the Guhyaloka for the Ages Page. But in brief, the buildings are in desperate need of renovation, the capacity is insufficient and the current water usage is unsustainable with a changing climate.

Why prostrations

The idea came to me as I was reflecting on how much I care for Guhyaloka and want it to prosper and as a result of some study I was leading on becoming a true individual. To prepare for the study, I was reading about Chatral Sangye Dorje, who was one of the great Buddhist teachers of the 20th century and one of Sangharakshita's teachers. He saw prostrations as part of an indispensable mix of practices called the Mula-Yogas which purify the mind. Just as a white cloth with stains removed can absorb dye, so a purified mind can be receptive to the Dharma.

In doing a prostration, your whole being is involved. You are giving expression to your devotion and reverence for an ideal that is sublime and that you wish to move towards. It is an expression of going for refuge to the three jewels - the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.

I was fortunate enough to be on the 2024 Ordination Course at Guyhaloka. I can therefore say from personal experience what a truly remarkable place it is. I am deeply grateful that Guhyaloka exists and I long for many other men to be able to go there. I have included a couple of pictures from my course (thanks Dharmachanda), but in order not to give too much away for those who may visit I have not included pictures of the more significant features.

Even if you aren't a man, or a Buddhist I hope you can connect with the sense of value that Guhyaloka offers the world and the importance of supporting such places.