Online New Year Weekend Retreat with Ajahn Canda: Releasing Resentment, Rediscovering Joy

As the new year opens before you, old weight often lingers: the resentment you've carried, the regrets that resurface, the joy that feels just out of reach. This Online New Year Weekend Retreat with Ajahn Canda offers something rare—a chance to examine these patterns not as obstacles to overcome, but as material for genuine inquiry and transformation. Over this contained weekend, you'll work with a teacher and community dedicated to helping you understand how holding onto grievance creates suffering, and how releasing it opens you back to life's texture and beauty.

Rather than dismissing difficult emotions, this retreat treats them as doorways. Through seated and walking meditation, Dhamma talks rooted in Buddhist philosophy, and guided reflection, you'll investigate practical methods for working with emotional residue. The emphasis falls on cultivating forgiveness, gratitude, and a deeper reverence for the natural world—subtle shifts in perception that reshape your entire experience. As a home-based retreat, you join a contained sangha from your own space, choosing to observe either the Five or Eight Precepts as your practice allows, balancing group guidance with personal inquiry.

What to Expect

This weekend unfolds as a structured container for deep practice. You'll begin with foundational meditation instruction and Dhamma talks that ground Buddhist philosophy in the emotional landscape you're navigating. Walking and sitting meditation sessions create the rhythm of your days, punctuated by periods of personal reflection where you work directly with resentment, regret, and disappointment as they arise. Ajahn Canda guides the inquiry, offering both traditional Buddhist perspectives and practical tools for investigation. By the retreat's close, you'll leave with a clearer understanding of how forgiveness works in the body and mind, renewed access to joy, and a concrete practice to carry forward.

About the Artist

Ajahn Canda is a Buddhist monk and meditation teacher trained in the Theravada tradition. He brings decades of practice and teaching experience to help Western practitioners access the depths of Buddhist philosophy in ways that are grounded, accessible, and directly applicable to contemporary life. His approach honors both the classical teachings and the lived experience of his students, creating space for genuine transformation.

Venue & Logistics

This retreat takes place entirely online from your home. You'll need a quiet space, a cushion or chair for meditation, and a reliable internet connection. Wear comfortable clothing that allows you to sit and walk freely. The retreat runs Saturday, January 2, 2027. Whether you're observing five precepts or eight, bring an open heart and a willingness to meet your own resistance with kindness.