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Digging Deep: Analytical Meditation Retreat (Clear Sky in Cranbrook, British Columbia)
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13 Feb - 12 March, 2012
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This insight meditation retreat deepens our understanding and strengthens our clarity, empowering us to not be fooled by the bullshit of samsara in daily life. Practices focus on analytical meditation undertaken in the four postures: sitting, walking, standing and lying down.
Meditation practice manifests in two aspects: the still mind (clear sky) and the moving mind (clouds).
The first two weeks of this retreat focuses on the still mind, deepening our understanding, which leads to freedom from karma. The second two weeks focuses on the moving mind, strengthening our clarity and providing increased freedom of manifestation.
The integration and balance of these two provide a fuller, more complete awakening, which translates to a greater ability to benefit more beings and a greater alleviation of suffering.
Sensei's teachings will draw on a combination of fundamental texts, including: Mahamudra: Eliminating the Darkness of Ignorance, by the 16th Karmapa, Seven Stages of Purification and Insight Knowledges, by the Venerable Mahathera, and Practical Insight Meditation, by Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw.
Meditators are encouraged to take advantage of the entire month for their practice. However, if this is not possible, a two-week option is possible.
Part One: 2 weeks. Still mind (clear sky), deepening the understanding, leading to freedom from karma
Part Two: 2 weeks. Moving mind (clouds), strengthening the clarity, leading to increased freedom of manifestation
These courses provide a precious opportunity to receive teachings and do a significant body of meditative practice. Retreatants are also asked to contribute 1-2 hours of karma yoga per day, supporting the course (such as preparing meals or cleaning) or the center in some way. Please inform the retreat organizer if you have specialized skills you'd like to offer.
Karma yoga is cultivation of the path of service, allowing us to generate merit through devotion of our life energy to the flourishing of the dharma and the wellbeing of the community of practitioners. This practice polishes our hearts and minds as it wears down the ego-oriented boundaries between self and other, like the flow of running water polishes river stones. By helping us to overcome our preference-mind (ego attachment to likes and dislikes), it strengthens our ability to relate skillfully with others, and proffers the gift of the Divine Abidings: loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity.
Please arrive between 9th and 11th Feb. for Part One
For Part Two, arrival date is 26th Feb.
Part One is not a prerequisite for Part Two.
For more details, see Meditation & Retreats
 To Register
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Contact: Clear Sky
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Public talk... Flying Off the Wheel: Breaking Free of Karma (Calgary, Alberta)
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16 March, 2012
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The ordinary life promises so much and delivers so little. The so-called ‘spiritual life' promises so little and delivers so much. Unfortunately this is not so obvious, particularly when we're young (and even when we're not).
Thus the wheel of struggle snags us, again and again, and again. Dang!
What exactly is catching us up? The ‘culprits' are clinging and attachments, dragging us onto what ancient Buddhist sages named ‘the wheel of becoming', which turns on the triple axle of greed, hatred and delusion.
The good news is that we can all get off the wheel. The better news is that there are proven methods on how to get off the wheel, by beings who have succeeded at it. The best news is that we can learn these methods, here in Calgary, now.
All we have to do now is show up for this talk -- which explores the whats and hows -- and truly listen.
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| Reserve a space, offer your support services or inquire further with Evangelos → |
Contact: Evangelos
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Dharma trips to Israel & Greece
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20 March - 4 April, 2012
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Arrival in Tel Aviv, Israel on March 20th. Tour Jerusalem and the Dead Sea for a few days. Three day retreat in Rosh Pinna - March 23-25. Depart for Greece on March 27th. Travel to ancient sites for a few days. Sensei will lead a retreat on the coast outside Athens from March 30 - April 1st. There will be more traveling after the 3 day retreat. Sensei departs from Greece April 4th. All participants are required to book their own flights to Greece and Israel. A formal itinerary is currently being finalized. Prices will be reasonable but also dependent on the number of students attending. It is suggested that participants contribute Dana for the precious teachings that are given throughout the journey. Due to recent political and economic events around the globe, it is recommended that cancellation insurance be purchased.
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Further details and to reserve a spot: http://www.dharmainmotion.com/?page_id=129 →
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Contact: Evangelos
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Israel Weekend Course... The Most Popular Drug: My Lifestyle
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23-25 March, 2012
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("We can't see the problem even when we're in it.")
Whether prescribed or recreational, we have an increasing penchant for drugs. The elephant in the living room that no one talks about is that our biggest drug is our insatiable drive to live a particular lifestyle.
True freedom, however, lies in our clear understanding of how illusions and delusions confuse us. Then the truth inevitably dawns on us like the suns first rays: our "dream lifestyle" is not going to make us happy.
When the clouds of illusion part, the radiant, clear sky mind appears, a mind and heart full of joy and wisdom.
To help the clouds clear effortlessly, this course explores breathing meditation and loving kindness meditation as a foundation for pure and refined states of consciousness. Freedom from the chains of illusion await us here.
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Reserve a space, offer your support services or inquire further with Evangelos →
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Contact: Evangelos
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Greece Weekend Course... Liberation from Stress: Earth, Water, Air, Fire
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30 March - 1 April, 2012 |
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In today's challenging world, disparate forces pull us in many directions. The resulting stress, anxiety and confusion have become the norm, a kind of consensual reality.
We'll explore meditations on the elements rooted in ancient wisdom and combined with contemporary innovations to reconnect to the natural source. Then we simply allow the confusion to evaporate of its own accord.
This work will be supported with teachings on techniques to maintain the clarity, part of a spiritual being's daily practice on the Path of the Spiritual Warrior.
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Reserve a space, offer your support services or inquire further with Evangelos →
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Contact: Evangelos
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Jumping Into Joy (Maitreya House, Wales) U.K. Retreat
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6-15 April, 2012
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As the title suggests, this retreat provides opportunities to revel in the bliss of exploration and discovery.
Bliss is the natural state of the liberated mind. It is said that a fully awakened being never leaves first jhana, one of the stages of absorptive bliss. Awakening is the birthright of every human being, as is its component, bliss.
In addition to twice-daily teachings, we'll be practicing visualizations and movement, in conjunction with meditation techniques to generate calm. Bring comfortable clothes, shoes and a smile.
This retreat takes place at the beautiful Maitreya House in rural Wales, founded for and blessed with many teachings by Namgyal Rinpoche. Please see crystalgroup.org.uk/maitreya.htm for more details.
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| Reserve a space, offer your support services or inquire further with Zoe → |
Contact: Zoe Moores
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Shazam! Tarot Archetypes and Transformation (Zurich, Switzerland) Retreat
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19-29 April, 2012
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The Tarot embodies meditations that originated in the ancient West. Based in visualizations of archetypes, they possess the power to transform mundane consciousness into the supramundane. When life is feeling too mundane, we may look to the tarot to find greater meaning.
This retreat explores practices that empower us to empathetically embrace transcendent principles and incorporate them into our daily lives. Even your co-workers will notice.
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| Reserve a space, offer your support services or inquire further with Eva → |
Contact: Eva Gohl
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Guatemala teachings, Antigua
Meson Panza Verde
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2 or 3 May, 2012
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Details TBA Location: Meson Panza Verde
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| Reserve a space, offer your support services or inquire further with Laurel → |
Contact: Laurel J.
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Awakening in this Lifetime: Using the Object of Desire to Transcend the Object of Desire
Guatemala Retreat at Villa Sumaya (Sta Cruz, Lago Atitlan)
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4-13 May, 2012
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Life is a series of movements; nothing stays still for even a microsecond. Our attachments and aversions represent our futile attempts to fix things in place, causing much struggle in our lives. The process of liberation is learning to let go of the clinging ... without needing to destroy the object of that clinging.
In Buddhism, this series of life's movements has been divided into six major phases, given the name of "bardos" or "transitional states:" life, dream, death, becoming, meditation and birth. After focusing on the nature and characteristics of each of these bardo states, this retreat empowers us with techniques for realizing peace as we accept the joyful nature of this incessant movement and learn to transition gracefully between them.
"The conventional life promises so much, but delivers so little. The transcendental life promises little and delivers so much." ... Doug Duncan Sensei
Villa Sumaya has generously priced this retreat to make it accessible to all practitioners.
For more details, see the Villa Sumaya website
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Contact: Lizzy
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Dharma teachings in Toronto, ON, Canada
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24 May, 2012
7:30 - 9:00 pm
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Details TBA
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| Reserve a space, offer your support services or inquire further with Duncan → |
Contact: Duncan
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An Easy Path to Happiness
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25-30 May, 2012
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Contrary to popular opinion, happiness is not what we get or do, it's what we are.
We tend to think of our wellbeing in terms of physical, emotional and mental objects. Our inner depth knows that true wellbeing abides in blissful emptiness, a feeling of spaciousness.
The nature of the ego or self can't really conceive of emptiness as a means to happiness, until it happens, usually by chance - remember those magical moments of joy in life, when everything feels just perfect? Even then, habit tends to pull us back to projecting the cause of our happiness onto an object, person or event.
These classes in Toronto, followed by a weekend retreat at the historic Dharma Centre of Canada, focus on embracing emptiness to empower us to live, move and manifest with joy from moment to moment.
The biggest challenge is to show up.
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| Reserve a space, offer your support services or inquire further with Duncan → |
Contact: Duncan
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Bliss, Clarity and Non-Clinging: Retreat in Ottawa, Ontario
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4 -15 June, 2012
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Bliss, clarity and their important counterpart, non-clinging awareness, comprise the essence of mindfulness practice.
In this age of stress, anxiety and worry, many programs and courses are designed to improve how we feel. But often these are mere 'band-aid fixes', not lasting solutions.
This short yet deep retreat focuses on cultivating the foundation that underlies good states, beginning with time-tested techniques that invite the Big Three -- bliss, clarity and non-clinging – into our lives.
The Buddha first taught this 2,500 years ago, and it's still going strong. We must be doing something right.
Information in PDF format ← Click to download
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| Reserve a space, offer your support services or inquire further with Stephen → |
Contact: Stephen G.
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Summer Individual Practice Retreat: Clear Sky (Cranbrook, British Columbia)
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25 June - 9 July, 2012
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Clear Sky opens its summer season with this precious opportunity to complete a body of practice -- such as the ngondro foundation practices -- accompanied by twice-daily teachings and consultations with Doug Sensei. Please consult with Doug Sensei about what practice is best for you at this particular point in time.
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Contact: Clear Sky
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Clear Sky Summer Program
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13 July - 31 Aug, 2012
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Clear Sky comes alive with twice-daily teachings by Sensei and a diversity of other awakening activities. A summer at Clear Sky is a life-changing, challenging, heart-opening and mind-expanding event, and a precious opportunity to be a part of the awakening community that is currently unfolding.
Take advantage of the summer weather, which allows us to offer a variety of accommodations to suit different economic situations.
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For detailed Summer Program, click here
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Contact: Clear Sky
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