The Centro de Retiros budista Arya Tara (Buddhist Retreat Center Arya Tara) in Spain has announced that it will hold its sixth annual Buddhist conference, titled “VI Jornadas de Budismo: Mindfulness” in Madrid on 28 November. This year’s conference, to be held in the city’s Alcalá 31 exhibition hall, will focus on mindfulness and meditation. Admission is free and open to all.
Centro de Retiros budista Arya Tara (CRAT) said the conference series was aimed at providing an inclusive platform for sharing Buddhist teachings and fostering dialogue across traditions. The organizers emphasized that the event would be non-sectarian, welcoming all Buddhist traditions.
This year’s program explores mindfulness both as a core Buddhist practice and as a widely adopted secular discipline in contemporary society. “Mindfulness, which literally means ‘being attentive or ‘paying attention,’” CRAT president María Drolma noted, “is a foundational form of calm-abiding meditation (Skt: samatha) . . . in which we train the mind to settle on a single point, such as the breath, with relaxed concentration.”
The Madrid Buddhist conference continues to reflect a broader trend within global Buddhism: the intersection of traditional teachings with contemporary secular contexts. By bringing together academic experts, practitioners, and the general public, the organizers aim to foster understanding and practical engagement with mindfulness as a living tradition.
The event will open with a welcome address by Maria Drolma, who will introduce the theme and speakers.
The first keynote, titled “The Mindfulness Movement Today,” will be delivered by Javier García Campayo, professor of psychiatry at the University of Zaragoza and director of its Master’s degree program in Mindfulness and Contemplative Sciences. Widely regarded as a leading authority in the field, Prof. Campayo has published extensively on mindfulness and related topics, contributing to academic research and public understanding in the Spanish-speaking world.
The second session will feature certified instructors in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Miguel Ángel Conde and Mar Herrero Puertas, both members of the Professional Association of Mindfulness Instructors. Their talks—“Why Do We Sit? Rediscovering the Meaning of Formal Meditation” and “A Space to Choose: Training in Mindfulness and Stress Regulation in Everyday Life”—will explore the role of formal practice and the application of mindfulness in daily life.
Drawing on their backgrounds in coaching, communication, and contemplative disciplines, the speakers will examine the importance of personal development through mindfulness. As Conde notes, the practice can support “restoring personal dignity, strengthening self-esteem, and rebuilding our relationship with ourselves and others.”
The conference program will also explore mindfulness alongside the more analytical practice insight meditation (vipassana). In keeping with the event’s dialogical format, each session will include time for audience questions and discussion.
Centro de Retiros budista Arya Tara is a non-profit association in Madrid. The first Buddhist retreat center in Madrid, it is named “Arya Tara” after arya, a Sanskrit word meaning venerable and Tara, the manifestation of the feminine Buddhist aspect. As a non-sectarian Buddhist retreat center, Centro de Retiros budista Arya Tara is open to all traditions and branches of Buddhism. The center can be reached by email at [email protected].
Centro de Retiros budista Arya Tara noted that they are unable to provide visas for international attendees to the conference.
Born Madrid in 1972, María Drolma holds a BA and MA in Japanology and non-European Art History, and a PhD in East Asian Art History. María first encountered the Buddhadharma in December 2007 in a meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She subsequently took refuge with Geshe Thubten Choden in 2009. Maria has served as secretary (and English-Spanish translator) with the Instituto de Budismo Tibetano Hayagriva in Madrid, and was ordained as a Buddhist nun from 2012–13.
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Centro de Retiros budista Arya Tara
VI Jornadas de Budismo: Mindfulness / Sala Alcalá 31, 28 noviembre 2026, 11h-14h
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