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SAT CHIT ANAND - 2007 PROGRAMME - |
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2007 PROGRAMME
For more information, click on RETREAT INFORMATION below We reserve the right to make changes to the programme
SCA will be closed until after Easter, as L eela doing pilgrimage and retreat in Bodhgaya, India.
RETREATS
MAY 26 & 27: INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION Retreat with Leela, SCA resident teacher
There are 2 main kinds of meditation: calm abiding (shamatha) and insight (vipassana) meditation. Tranquility meditation brings peace to our minds and this helps us to be more peaceful, relaxed and at ease in our lives. Insight meditation brings understanding of ourselves at increasingly deeper levels. You will be guided towards having insights of your own by the Dharma teachings, during which we will examine the 3 Marks of Existence, which serve as Doors of Liberation. Stepping through any of these doors with deep understanding has the power to free the mind and liberate us from suffering. You will be taught meditation techniques the practice of which increasingly brings more freedom and peace as we get less caught up in the negative thoughts and afflictive emotions that destroy our happiness.
JULY 21 & 22: INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM Retreat with Leela, SCA resident teacher
All beings are alike in that everybody wants happiness and nobody wants suffering. Yet few understand the true causes of happiness, that are cultivated within and do not depend on outer circumstances. True happiness is not unstable like an emotion that comes and goes. It is a state of mind that is stable and enduring. Happiness is a skill that can be learnt. This is something that Buddhists have known for centuries, and modern science is starting to prove the connection between genuine inner happiness and meditation / mind training. “We have all seen those Buddhists, who seem to be so relaxed and happy. Now we actually know that they are relaxed and happy.” [Scientist commenting on the latest happiness research.] Discover the Buddha’s Path to happiness, freedom and peace of mind. Come and learn something about a philosophy that has the power to change your mind and your life for the better.
AUGUST 18 & 19: THE MIRACLE OF MINDFULNESS Retreat with Leela, SCA resident teacher
Mindfulness teaches you to be present to the moment-to-moment unfolding of life. The present moment is the doorway to freedom. It is the place of power, the place from which karma and creation happens. Without mindfulness, you cannot be free. This retreat will explain the relationship between mindfulness and our actions of body, speech and mind. Understanding this empowers you to take responsibility for your life through the miracle of mindfulness. You will learn how to calmly abide in the present moment, mindfully and at peace with what is. You will learn how to be present with yourself in a peaceful, positive and powerful way. With songs for the practice of mindfulness, sharings and practical exercises, you will leave feeling nurtured and nourished.
SEPTEMBER 15 & 16: CHAN AND PURELAND RETREATRetreat with Master Hui Re, Meditation Master from Nan Hua Temple
Chinese Buddhism is divided into two great schools: Ch’an (Japanese: Zen) and Pure-Land. Pure-Land Buddhism is the most universal Buddhist practice of China, Vietnam and Japan. Pure-Land practice assures the attainment of ultimate peace and happiness, as well as bringing joy and relief immediately, in this very life. Practitioners learn to calm themselves and are better able to handle the difficulties of life. They develop love, compassion and wisdom, and experience improvements in physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Fear and anxiety fade as faith in this practice grows. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to learn about a spiritual path that brings relief from everyday misery, greater acceptance and understanding, and a heart that can love all beings.
SEPTEMBER 29: FEEDING YOUR DEMONSWorkshop with Pieter Oosthuizen and Charlotte Rotterdam Directors at Tara Mandala Buddhist Retreat Center in Colorado, USA
This workshop offers an introduction to the process of Feeding the Demons, a powerful and profound method for working with rather than fighting against the obstacles, conflicts, and challenges of our life. By meeting our fears and obsessions, and giving them what they want, we allow them to transform into allies. Drawing on traditional practices and teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, this workshop shows how to turn obstacles into wisdom. The practice is grounded in the teachings of Prajna Paramita and Chöd. The Perfection of Wisdom (Prajna Paramita) teachings are considered to be some of the most profound and essential teachings of Buddhism. They point to the unimpeded, spacious and limitless nature of mind that lies beyond the dualisms of everyday thinking. Feeding the Demons is a simple 5-step visualization process inspired by the 11th century Chöd practice that was widely used to heal illnesses, epidemics and to deal with all kinds of obstacles.
OCTOBER 20 & 21: THE 7 POINTS OF MIND TRAININGRetreat with Geshe Phende, Tibetan Buddhist Monk
This retreat will be based on a classic mind training text by Geshe Chekawa. These instructions for mind training are valuable like a diamond, powerful like the sun for eliminating darkness, and healing like a medicinal tree. Just as a diamond is able to dispel poverty, similarly knowing this teaching on mind training, dispels the poverty of cyclic existence. Just as the sun eliminates darkness, these instructions for training in the awakening mind eliminate the darkness of the mind caused by the self-centered attitude that is based on ignorance. The teachings on mind training are like medicine in that they uproot the chronic disease of the negative emotions and serve as remedy for all disturbing ailments. If we enter the gateway of this practice, we will learn how to transform difficult situations and adverse circumstances into the Path to Enlightenment.
SPECIAL EVENT
NOVEMBER Friday 16 at 7pm PUBLIC TALK by VEN TENZIN PALMO
In 1976 Diane Perry, known by her Tibetan name, Tenzin Palmo, secluded herself in a remote cave, 13,200 feet up in the Himalayas, cut off from the world by mountains and snow. There she engaged in 12 years of intense Buddhist meditation. She faced unimaginable cold, wild animals, near-starvation and avalanches, but she never deterred from her goal - to attain enlightenment as a woman. Her life has been documented and celebrated in Vicki MacKenzie’s book “Cave in the Snow”. This is her first visit to South Africa and a unique opportunity to meet a living legend and truly inspirational person. INFORMATION
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