Zen & Tea Retreat
with Wu De
- Limited availability -
September 7 - 16, 2026
10-day Silent Retreat
with Wu De in collaboration with Casa Cuadrau
This is a retreat rooted in Zen — in the kind of stillness that modern life rarely permits and the practice of presence that a dedicated period of silence can cultivate.
Join us for ten days to discover the ancient tradition of Zen and Tea in the mountains of the Spanish Pyrenees:
- Meditate daily at dawn and dusk.
- Attend tea ceremonies with Wu De and have time for group tea practice.
- Receive Dharma talks on Zen, the Way of Tea and conscious living.
- Walk daily in silence through the ancient Pyrenean landscape on meditative hikes.
- Observe Noble Silence for the full ten days — no phones, no conversation, just presence.
Words from Global Tea Hut
The last years of Zen and Tea retreats at Casa Cuadrau have changed the lives of so many:
I still feel the positive ripples of holding myself upright with determination, as well as the supportive echoes of being witnessed by the stars, the elder peaks of the Pyrenees, the grace of Tea, Wu De’s precise sword of truthful love and the camaraderie of my fellow meditative voyagers. The commitment and eternal hum of all these have stayed with me.
— Bridget Nielsen, USA
“Being steeped in the wisdom of the discourses, sipping tea, sitting in Zazen, immersed in silence, surrounded by the living magic of Nature — every breath, every step, every word Wu De shared resonated. The quiet hikes. The Qi that breathed through the mountains as morning mist. It was all so deeply meaningful. I came out of the retreat feeling like a new person.”
— Moss Rowsell, Canada
Overview of Retreat Activities
Each day at the retreat follows a gentle, unhurried rhythm. There is no urgency. The structure is strong enough to support deep practice, and loose enough to allow the experience to be your own.
Noble Silence
Noble silence is silence of body, speech, and mind. It is not just about abstaining from speech but about cultivating a deep sense of presence, awareness, and mindfulness that permeates every aspect of our being and should be adhered to for the entire duration of the retreat. This is a tech-free retreat, mobile phones and devices will be deposited at the start of the retreat and returned at the close.
Meditation
Morning and evening meditation sessions form the backbone of the retreat. Any meditation practice is acceptable—from any tradition, so long as it is quiet. Whether you come with an established practice or are beginning here, the hall is a shared space of refuge and discipline. For this retreat, please follow along with meditation instructions whenever they are given in the meditation hall. A gong signals the beginning of each session — arrive promptly, settle in, and let the sitting do its work.
DHARMA DISCOURSES
Wu De offers Dharma talks throughout the retreat — discourses on Zen, practice, the life of tea and the deeper questions that arise when we turn our attention inward. These are not lectures in the academic sense but invitations: teachings that land differently in silence, that take root slowly, and that retreatants often report still unfolding months after they return home.
Tea Ceremony
The tea ceremony in this tradition is one of service. The ceremonialization of tea is an act of service to others through the preparation of tea. Cultivating a meditative mind and brewing tea with your heart are at the core of every tea ceremony. The tea ceremony is about creating a space of equality where host and guest are one, and where we can feel connected to ourselves, others, and Nature.
Tea Classes
All tea lessons are life lessons. It is important to fill and empty our bowls as we receive the lessons and wisdom of tea and then integrate them into our daily lives. These tea classes will cover more practical and linear information about tea in general that will complement the deeper teachings experienced in the tea ceremony.
Meditative Hiking
Meditative walks and hikes through the surrounding Pyrenean landscape is an essential practice in our retreat. They help us to understand, through experience, our deep connection with nature. In each breath and each step, we experience that the energy that exists inside us, is the same as the energy that exists all around us. Nature is our greatest teacher here.
There will be a daily 90-minute walk to open the senses and cultivate mindfulness, and one full day is dedicated to a longer immersion in the mountains, with the opportunity to explore the vastness of Ordesa National Park and the surrounding areas.
Facilitators
Wu De
Wu De is a Zen-ordained teacher, author and Chajin (tea person) who has practised and taught The Way of Tea (Cha Dao) for over twenty years. He spent his formative years living and practising in meditation centers in India, Burma, Thailand and Japan, where he worked closely with a Zen teacher who often used tea ceremonies as a way of conveying Zen wisdom. After being ordained in the Soto Zen tradition, he began studying gongfu tea under Master Lin Ping Xiang in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Wu De is the founder of Global Tea Hut, a quarterly magazine dedicated to Tea and Tao. He teaches and inspires the ancient relationship between Zen and tea to communities across the world. His writings, classes and retreats have reached over 100,000 people in more than 75 countries. At the heart of everything he offers is a single orientation: that stillness, presence and the Way of Tea are not separate things, and that tea, at its deepest, is always a vehicle for what is most essential.
Daniel Benito
Co-director of Casa Cuadrau, Dani is a yoga and meditation instructor and mountain guide, as well as an ecological builder.
From a young age Dani felt deeply connected to the mountains and it was in the Pyrenees and the Himalayans where he discovered hiking to be a powerful meditation practice and a way of deepening his connection with nature.
Dani completed his yoga teacher training with Bharat Shetty (RYT 500) and his meditation practice is based on Buddhist teachings, inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh (Zen) and S.N. Goenka (Vipassana).
Duration
The retreat starts on Monday, September 7th. Check-in is from 14:30 to 16:00 followed by orientation, a light dinner, and the opening of the retreat.
The retreat finishes on Wednesday, September 16 at 8:30am after breakfast.
IMPORTANT!!
Try to arrive in Barcelona 2 – 3 days before the retreat to adjust to the time.
Rates
CASA CUADRAU's RATES
Casa Cuadrau is a Social Interest Cooperative Society. This is a sustainable project thanks to a delicate balance between all participants as well as collaborators & facilitators at Casa Cuadrau.
We propose scale rates, where contributions are variable, according to the economic possibilities of each person.
They operate based on trust, solidarity and reciprocity.
Rates vary depending on the type of accommodation:
Assisted: For those in need of financial assistance. This rate is available through the generosity of other retreatants. *Limited availability only in shared dormitory, please contact us to apply for it.
Basic: Covers the essential costs of the retreat.
Sustainable: This rate fully covers the retreat costs and contributes towards facility maintenance.
Generous: in addition to covering the retreat costs, your contribution helps sustain assisted rates, fund future projects to improve our facilities. This is just a reference, the sky is the limit.
Please consider paying the highest rate you can afford based on your circumstances. Thank you so much for supporting what we do!
Please note that once the retreat has begun, participants are asked to commit to the full ten days. Early departure is not permitted.
Scale rates
Casa Cuadrau rates include accommodation*, meals, meditative hikes, taxes and insurances.
| Types of accommodation | Basic | Sustainable | Generous |
| Shared dormitory | 1.600€ | 1.700€ | 1.800€ |
| Double room with shared bathroom | 1.700€ | 1.800€ | 1.900€ |
| Double room with bathroom | 2.100€ | 2.200€ | 2.400€ |
| Single room with bathroom | 2.400€ | 2.500€ | 2.700€ |
| Cabin with bathroom + kitchenette – double | 2.270€ | 2.370€ | 2.470€ |
| Cabin with bathroom + kitchenette – single | 2.500€ | 2.600€ | 2.700€ |
| Suite double room | – | 2.600€ | 2.800€ |
| Suite single occupancy | – | 3.700€ | 3.900€ |
| Without accommodation | 1.350€ | 1.450€ | 1.550€ |
TEA & ZEN TEACHINGS
The teachings and activities led by Wu De are offered on a donation basis.
Minimum donation for teachings and activities is 1100€ per person to be paid in full before the retreat.
*Global Tea Hut staff will contact you by email after booking with us.
Recommendations
Where to fly?
We recommend to fly to Barcelona – El Prat airport.
Try to arrive in Barcelona 2 – 3 days before the retreat to adjust to the time.
Transporatation
The transportation is not included in the rates.
If you are interested we can help you to organize a shared transportation from Barcelona to Casa Cuadrau and the way back, once you have completed your booking.
Departure from Barcelona to Casa Cuadrau would be on Monday September 7th.
- 9:00 am from Barcelona City near Metro Palau Reial
- 9:30 am from El Prat Barcelona Airport T1
For the way back from Casa Cuadrau to Barcelona on September 16th.
- 9:00 h departure from Casa Cuadrau
- 13:30 h approximate arrival time at El Prat Barcelona Airport T1
- 14:00 h approximate arrival time at Barcelona City near Metro Palau Reial
The transportation fee will be confirmed depending on the number of participants interested in this option.
Before coming
Please check the following information:
- What to bring to a retreat
- How to get to Casa Cuadrau (check the link, the best option is Barcelona airport)
- Frequently asked questions
About Casa Cuadrau
Casa Cuadrau is more than a venue. Built brick by brick over many years with love and quiet dedication, it has become a sister refuge to Global Tea Hut — a place to return to each year because it holds us in exactly the way a retreat space should. The food is simple and nourishing. The accommodation is clean and restful. The staff, led by Daniel and Katya, carry the spirit of genuine hospitality: they are present, they care, and they understand what it means to hold space for people in silence. The setting is extraordinary. Surrounded by the deep, still mountains of the Spanish Pyrenees, the center amplifies everything the retreat seeks to cultivate.
