About Burgs
From the foothills to the high plains, Burgs has the
experience to guide you each step of the way.
Burgs is the founder of the organisation The Art of Meditation, and has been holding retreats for the past 25 years.
He was trained extensively in the Jhana practices by Pa Auk Sayadaw in Burma and in Dzogchen by His Holiness Dodrupchen Rinpoche in Sikkim India.
He has an exceptional ability to teach beginners whilst skilfully steering well-practised meditators with many years of experience to develop their meditation to deeper levels of accomplishment.
Burgs currently runs retreats in the UK and online. His teaching style is strongly influenced by his three principle teachers. The 7-day programme, Art of Meditation Foundation Retreat, incorporates the variety of aspects that he learned from his teachers and from the fruits of his practice. This is why no 7-day retreat is ever exactly the same, as there is so much that can be shared.
Each winter Burgs hosts longer retreats, from three weeks to five months for those who wish a deeper immersion into their meditation practice and the Dharma that he shares.
After many years studying and practicing meditation in Asia under the guidance of some the worlds greatest living masters, Burgs moved back to England to teach at the request of one of his teachers.
Burgs’ Story
How Burgs Came To Learn Meditation
A short bio of how Burgs came to learn meditation with his teachers across Asia.
The Principle of Reorganising Our Mind
How coherent we are determines how easily we can navigate life’s challenges. When we learn to meditate, life starts to reveal its mystery and magic to us.
Burgs ran his first retreat in 1996 in Asia and since then has hosted hundred’s of meditation retreats, from 5 days to 5 months, having taught thousands of people from all walks of life. His students have ranged from absolute beginners to distinguished monks and nuns; from the homeless of Asia to a variety people within today’s Western society.
The depth of his experiential knowledge of meditation and his ability to communicate this knowledge with clarity to western audiences, makes him an extremely accessible teacher. He has an ability to translate profound ancient knowledge and teachings into approachable and digestible language.
With a clear emphasis on the dynamic relationship between the body and the mind, the teachings that Burgs shares starts with the very basics of establishing concentration and mindfulness, right through to the process of energetic transformation that opens the door to the very highest states of consciousness.
His Principal Teachers
HH Dodrupchen Rinpoche
His Holiness Kyabjé Dodrupchen Rinpoche, the Fourth Dodrupchen Rinpoche, was one of the most important living masters in the Nyingma and Dzogchen traditions. He was the greatest living Dzogchen or “Great Perfection” master and the main lineage holder of the Longchen Nyingthik lineage, considered to be the highest Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism.
His residence was in the mountains of north India in Sikkim. A master whose quiet, gentle and unassuming demeanour was complemented by a tremendous presence, HH Dodrupchen Rinpoche attended to the everyday spiritual needs of the people of Sikkim, and personally looked after the welfare of over four hundred monks in his care.
Burgs was recommended to meet one of three Tibetan teachers during his travels in Asia by HH Dzogchen Rinpoche. With favourable circumstances he managed to gain interview with HH Dodrupchen Rinpoche during a chance visit to Sikkim.
Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw
The Venerable U Acinna, commonly referred to as the Venerable Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw was abbott of this famous monastery in southern Myanmar ( Burma ).
The Sayadaw ordained at the age of 10, completed the highest levels of Pali ( the language of the Buddha’s teachings) examinations and became a bhikkhu (monk) at age 20. At 22 he completed the prestigious Dhammacariya examination which confers the title of Dhamma Teacher.
During the next eight years, the Sayadaw continued his investigation into the Dhamma, traveling throughout Myanmar to learn from various well-known teachers.
By 1983 he was running Pa Auk monastery, with both monastics and lay people coming to study meditation with the Sayadaw, with the first Westerners arriving in the early 1990’s.
In 1997 the Sayadaw published his Magnum Opus, “The Practice that Leads to Nibbana”, explaining the entire course of teaching in detail. In 1999 he was awarded the ‘Agga Maha Kammatthanacariya’ ( Highly Respected Meditation Master ) by the Union of Myanmar.
Burgs completed the forty samatha meditations as described in the Visuddhimagga ( The Path of Purification ) whilst practicing closely with Sayadaw. He was the first westerner to do so.
The Sayadaw has now retired as abbott but continues to teach as requested by those around him.
For more information please click here for the Pa Auk Forest Monastery website
Pak Merta Ada
Pak Merta Ada is a renowned meditation teacher and healer from Bali, Indonesia.
He has taught over 80,000 students across Indonesia. His insight into physical sickness and its causes are particularly profound. The ‘Bali Usada’ meditation technique is based on years of intensive research and practice of the ancient lontar (palm-leaf) books of Bali, teachings from respected meditation practitioners, traditional healers, doctors and Merta Ada’s personal experiences as a healer.
Burgs first met Merta Ada while Pak Ada was starting his famous ‘Bali Usada’ meditation school in the early 1990’s. Burgs initially learned meditation from Merta Ada and went on to assist on the Bali Usada retreats before leaving for Myanmar ( Burma ) to deepen his practice.
Since 1993, Pak Merta Ada has travelled to various places in Indonesia to teach his meditation such as Bali, Jakarta, Medan, and Palembang. He also taught internationally in countries such as England, Germany, and New Zealand. To this day, he has already taught 127,000 people directly. Now, he also teaches his meditation through various digital media platforms such as on television, radio, and the internet.
For more information please click here for the Bali Usada website
In The Press
“That strong, calm, rested feeling you want comes from having what they call a clear energy field.”
— Jessica Brinton, The Times
“It’s not an easy technique to learn and it really does take practice, but after a weekend group session with Burgs… I felt a sense of control and a surge of energy and optimism.”
— Ingrid Seward, The Daily Mail
“Changed my life… Burgs has awakened me to a means or a process through which people from all walks of life, through the most simple of techniques, can find a sense of stillness and calm reflection that, to my very cluttered mind, could be invaluable.”
— Anthony Gordon Lennox, The Daily Telegraph
“A brilliant meditation teacher”
— Caroline Sylge, The Times
“The biggest influence in my life… Burgs is by far the best (most accessible, accomplished, inspiring, talented) meditation teacher that I have encountered.”
— Annie Fabricant, The Huffington Post
“In-demand teacher Guy Burgs [is] now recognised as one of the country’s leading experts in meditation… The classes were a revelation, like sitting down to a TED talk twice a day – a compelling mixture of psychology, science, philosophy, spiritual teachings and even stand-up comedy.”
— Florence Waters, The Saturday Telegraph
Explore the Art of Meditation with Burgs
Beyond The Veil -Autobiography
This is Burgs’ first book and tells of his adventures as a yogi in search of the authentic teachings that he now shares. A young man’s quest for meaning in a changing world, mixing honesty and personal testimony with the pithy transmission of deep spiritual principles and mechanics of meditation.
Art of Meditation Foundation Retreat (Level 1)
This is our signature retreat that people return to time and time again, year after year. An entry point for all students,
it is designed to be a full spectrum immersion course into the discipline, technique and energetics of meditative practice.
Level 0 Online Course - The Stillness Programme
Learning to connect to stillness is like learning how to hit the reset button. The first of our systematic online meditation courses gradually builds up your practice step by step, bringing a feeling of relaxation and calm into your life.
The Flavour of Liberation Volumes One and Two
The first two volumes of an inspirational guide on how to meditate. A comprehensive collection of discourses on all aspects of healing and concentration practice, it focuses upon the experiential flavour of meditation. It explains and clarifies key elements of the path in a simple and lucid manner, whilst inspiring the reader to keep developing their meditative potential.