Overcoming the distortions of perception (vipallāsa)

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  • Nov 04

    Wednesday Nov 4, 2026 - Monday Nov 9, 2026

     (Start time Wed 16:00 GMT - End time Mon 14:00 GMT)
    The Kairos Centre, London, UK
    John Peacock, Christina Feldman
    The fee does not contribute towards the livelihood of our teachers. You will be invited to offer teacher dana at the end of the course.
    Register
Description

Price options:

1. Single Room: £770

2. Shared Room: £730

Theme: 

A vipallāsa, according to the Buddha, is an inversion, perversion and distortion of our perception that leads to a fundamental confusion about the way things are.

One is confused because of holding wrong views (diṭṭhi-vipallāsa), which leads to distorted perceptions (saññā-vipallāsa), and affects the way that we think (citta-vipallāsa). As a result, we view what is impermanent as permanent; what is painful as pleasant; what is without any fixed self, as containing an unchanging self, and what is impure (asubha) as pure and 'beautiful'.
Understanding the 'distortions of perception' is crucial to beginning to see the world anew and freeing ourselves from the pervasive frustration (dukkha) affecting our lives. This retreat is dedicated to beginning to understand the nature of the distortions, and to learning to free ourselves from them.

The retreat will be divided into mornings of meditation followed by talks in the afternoon on the nature of the vipallāsas, and their overcoming. Dinner will be non-silent allowing for the natural building of community and companionship between students.

Who is it for? 

This retreat is open to everyone who is interested in these themes. 

 

Praise for John and Christina

“The scholarship, life experience, curiosity, and warmth that John offered made this class extraordinarily rewarding for me, in terms of both theory and practice. The discussions during the breakout sessions made for a true sense of community.” 
— previous course participant with John

“I’m so grateful for John’s thorough and insightful teachings. He is a wonderful teacher who has a way of weaving complex ideas into a relatable lesson.”
 —previous course participant with John

"Along this long, winding path, I've greatly appreciated Christina's ability to make the Buddha's teachings more easily accessible but this last month has been special."

"Christina's concise, practice-related overview of the different spiritual powers, followed by sharing with peers in the breakout rooms was very useful, particularly so when she gave us a couple of points to reflect on.

"Much valuable teaching came through her responses to the many practice-related questions that followed the groups too. Not only the words but her constant reinforcement of our capacity to progress was so helpful.” 
— previous course participant with Christina

Event Details

Cost: 

  • This retreat is offered on a dana basis – you will be asked to make an additional monetary donation at the end of the course to support the livelihood of the teacher.
  • If paying a deposit – balance to be paid no later than 4 weeks before the module start
  • A limited number of Bursary places are available for this course.

Additional Information:

  • Participants are asked to contribute 1 hour of work a day, in order to help with the running of the retreat
  • Periods of silent meditation practice, as well as teachings and study. Dinner will be non silent allowing for community building.
  • All meals included – vegetarian food with the possibility of catering for special diets
  • For experienced students

Teachers: 

CHRISTINA FELDMAN is a co-founder of Gaia House and a guiding teacher at Insight Meditation Society, Barre, Massachussetts. The author of a number of books, she has been teaching insight meditation retreats internationally since 1976. She is one of the teaching faculty of the CPP programme, dedicated to the study and application of the early teachings of the Buddha and is engaged in teaching the Buddhist psychological foundations of mindfulness to those training to teach mindfulness-based applications in England, Belgium and the Netherlands. Her most recent book Mindfulness: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Psychology, written with Willem Kuyken, was published in the summer of 2019. 


JOHN PEACOCK is both an academic and a Buddhist practitioner of nearly fifty years. Trained initially in the Tibetan Gelugpa tradition in India, he subsequently spent time in Sri Lanka studying Theravada. After doing a doctorate in philosophy, he taught Buddhist and Western philosophy and then Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol. He went on to be Associate Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, co-direct the Master of Studies programme in MBCT(Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy) at Oxford University, and teach Buddhist psychology on the same course.  John is now retired from academia and continues to teach meditation, as he has done for more than thirty-five years.

Venue: