4-6 London, Manor Place Samye Dzong

Topic: Diamond Mind

Meditation can activate and expose underlying psychological patterns associated with suppression, repression and denial.  The untrained meditator may experience this as alarming and confusing, often concluding that something is wrong.  We will learn to understand how these states come about and how to integrate them so that they become teachers instead of obstacles.

Time: 19.00 – 21.00
Place: Manor Place Samye Dzong, 33 Manor Place, London SE17 3BD
Booking: manorplace@samye.org +44 (0)20 7708 8969
Cost: £10 per evening

13-16 Chikukwa, Chimanimani Mountains, Zimbabwe

 Topic:             Tribal retreat in tribal village for Shona people of Chimanimani.

Introduction to meditation African style and launch of book ‘Pfungwa Dzakagadzikana (Tranquil Mind).  First dharma book written in an African language.

This is a closed retreat, but if you are interested in what we are going to do, contact Elli and Uli Westerman, or Dave?

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  Topic:            Third Mahamudra Retreat

Third year of five year course.

This is a closed retreat for Zimbabwean mahamudra students.

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October

9,11,16,18,23, 25

Johannesburg Samye Dzong, South Africa

43 Floss Street, Kensington, 2098

   Topic:            The Six Paramitas and how to apply them in life

            A series of lectures

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26-28 Gaborone Meditation Group, Botswana

   Topic:            Mind Training – how to develop compassion and free the mind from disturbing emotions 

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2-30 Tara Rokpa Centre, North West Province, South Africa

One month retreat,

Developing Compassion and Purifying the Five Mind Poisons.

The retreat will focus on important areas of practice.

-          how to meditate in a relaxed and joyful way

-          in-depth instruction on Chenrezi practice and actually doing it

-          making friends with the five great mind poisons and the 6^th, guilt – invented by westerners; how to purify them

-          begin to understand and recognise self arising and self liberating thoughts

-          touching on emptiness

-          noble silence

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21-30 Cape Mountain Retreat, South Africa

Topic: Progressive steps in meditation.

Ideal for beginners and intermediate meditators.

Christmas Retreat

These two retreats are flexible so people can attend whatever periods they are able to.

Time: Friday after lunch.
Place: Cape Mountain Retreat, (near Worcester.)
Booking: Nicky (027-21-762 6210). caperetreat@kagyu.org.za
Cost: From R125 – R210 per day, teaching and food included.

28-6 Cape Mountain Retreat, South Africa

Topic: Preparation for the Death Bardos.

Bardo teachings. Meditaiton instructions. Practising with Chenrezig.

New Year Retreat

These two retreats are flexible so people can attend whatever periods they are able to.

Time: Friday after lunch
Place: Cape Mountain Retreat, (near Worcester.)
Booking: Nicky (027-21-762 6210). caperetreat@kagyu.org.za
Cost: From R125 – R210 per day, teaching and food included.

18-20 Tara Rokpa Centre, Northwest Province, South Africa

            Bardo Teachings

The focus will be on meditation training in the light of the bardos of life, dream and death.  We will pay particular attention to mindfulness, insight, awareness and recognition.

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1-29 Tara Rokpa Centre, Northwest Province, South Africa

            One month Retreat
            Knowing the Mind, Freeing the Mind

Ignorance, from a Buddhist perspective is “failure to see things as they really are”.  It means we don’t understand life.  As a result we do things that cause unhappiness and suffering.  Enlightenment frees us from this state of affairs.  The most important step towards enlightenment is to train the mind.  This begins with mindfulness, a training that enables us to learn more about ourselves.  We make discoveries about our minds that surprise us.  We see how inner forces keep us trapped in negative and destructive mind patterns.  We then learn how to free ourselves from these so that wisdom, compassion and clarity have a chance to flower within us.

The retreat will include daily training in mindfulness with exercises, discussion, lectures and individual interviews.

Noble Silence

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14-20 Tara Rokpa Centre

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21-24 Tara Rokpa Centre

Participate in Tara Rokpa Centre Easter Camps.  Teach progressive steps in meditation.

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4-13 Buddhist Retreat Centre, Ixopo

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25-4 May Tara Rokpa Retreat Centre

             Third Mahamudra retreat (five year course)

             A closed retreat for South African mahamudra students 

7-20 Teaching in Zimbabwe

29-3 June Holy Island

            Mindfulness Retreat for trainees in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy 

5-8 Zurich, Switzerland

Short Course: How to meditate in a busy world.

8-23 Teaching in Italy

13-23 Retreat in Italy,  From Neurosis to Happiness

Understanding meditation in the context of our individual psychology.

-          how personality is formed and structured

-          Buddhist psychology and the eight consciousnesses

-          What hidden forces within us cause psychological problems and why these result in suffering

-          How meditation can take us beyond psychology into the field of transformation, integration and joy.

24-6 July Programme in Hamburg, Germany

8-14 Programme in Belgium

16,17 High Peaks Meditation Centre, Whaley Bridge, near Manchester

18-20 Retreat at  Ampleforth  Abbey, North Yorkshire

Freedom from Thought

We suffer because we think.  Most of us don’t know how not to think, as we are trapped in thought.

We will learn how to recognise thought, thinking and freedom from thought.  We will discover that the tranquil mind is at rest because it knows it is not the thought. Further details and booking form from David & Sheila Spurr 1 Mulberry Garth, Thorp Arch,Wetherby,West Yorkshire LS23 7AF or email david@spurr41.freeserve.co.uk

21-24 Teaching at High Peaks, Whaley Bridge

24-27 Retreat with High Peaks meditation group

9-17 Holy Island

Finding Happiness and Peace of Mind

Happiness is a state of mind.  Peace of mind arises when inner conflict subsides.  Our tendency is to seek both in the outside world where they are not to be found. We will identify the inner causes of suffering and discover how we bring it upon ourselves.  We will learn how to cultivate a positive mind that can be happy in the world and rest peacefully.

Noble silence.

19-30   Iceland

20, 21 Teaching in Reykjavik

22-30 Retreat in Iceland  

September

6-14 Purelands Retreat, Samye Ling

Seven Points of Mind Training

The retreat will be based on  ‘The Great Path of Awakening’ written by Jamgon Kongtrul the Great.  This text forms the basis for one of the most profound systems of compassion training known within Buddhism.  We will learn how to integrate the exercises into our lives so as to experience a progressive awakening of compassion in our hearts.

Noble silence.

16    Preston

One lecture

19-21  Samye Ling

Discovering Joy

We can be joyful. Without realising it we choose dullness and unhappiness instead.

We will learn how to make friends with ourselves as we are at this moment.  Then we will discover-

-          habitual thinking patterns that don’t help

-          how to free the mind through meditation

-          how to use our energy positively

-          how to create the conditions for joy

23-29 Edinburgh Samye Dzong

Topic: From Neurosis to Joy

Time: http://www.edinburgh.samye.org/events.htm
Place: The Theosophical Society in Scotland 28 Great King Street
(off Dundas Street) Edinburgh
Booking: info@edinburgh.samye.org
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1-6   Glasgow Samye Dzong

11,12 Chichester Meditation Group

            Diamond Mind II

            This is a follow-up course for people who did Diamond Mind I

13-24 London Samye Dzong