TURNING PAINFUL EMOTIONS INTO SPIRITUAL ALLIES

Sometimes it seems that the spiritual path would be so much smoother if it weren’t for other people. They always find some way to disrupt our peace of mind and provoke us into the very behaviors we’re working so hard to leave behind. Most of us have no choice but to engage with people every day—and at least one or two of them tend to be particularly difficult. Whether a spouse, parent, child, boss, employee or colleague, someone in our life can always be counted upon to bring out the worst in us. On this retreat we will learn how to use our most difficult relationships to open our hearts to our own, boundless spiritual potential and to genuine connection with others. 

The weekend will consist of talks, meditation practice and discussion groups. We will emerge with practical tools that will help us reverse habitual reactions that sabotage relationships and destroy our peace of mind. We will learn how to use the very interactions that we find most distressing as powerful opportunities to break through spiritual barriers and uncover our innate wisdom. And we will practice a radical form of meditation called TONGLEN (sending and taking), used by Tibetan Buddhists for centuries, to melt the armour we use to protect ourselves from unwanted emotions and the people who seem to provoke them.

The practice of TONGLEN is about releasing fear and opening the heart. When our hearts and minds begin to open, so does our life. Our sense of trust in life, and in ourselves, begins to grow. Normally, we close our heart to protect its softness and vulnerability. But we suffer when our hearts are closed. We become alienated and disconnected from ourselves, from others, and from the world around us. We greatly reduce our suffering when we develop an attitude of unconditional friendliness towards ourselves, others and towards life. The practices give us ways of working with unwanted situations, of which there are many in life. They help us to create spaciousness and openness in our hearts and minds, so we can embrace difficulties. All in all, they help us to relax and be more open to everything, so that we can access our innate intelligence, and allow the heart and mind to grow vast.

JENNIFER is resident teacher at The Wisdom Centre, a non-sectarian Buddhist practice and study centre in Cape Town. She is a close student of Pema Chödrön, American nun and well-known Buddhist teacher, whose popular books include When Things Fall Apart; The Places That Scare You; The Wisdom of No Escape and Start Where You Are. Jennifer is a Buddhist practitioner of more than 20 years, and has taught in the United States and South Africa. She has a special interest in the Tibetan Buddhist teachings that clarify how to find wisdom in the heart of our most disturbing human experiences.

SAT CHIT ANAND is a Buddhist Centre and Guesthouse in Plettenberg Bay. It has been hosting meditations and Buddhist teachings for several years, and in 2005 it is pleased to host spiritual retreats, which may be attended on a residential or non-residential basis. A retreat is a time to remove oneself from the distractions of the world, and focus intensely on one’s spiritual practice. Traditionally this involves receiving and contemplating teachings, meditating and doing spiritual practices.

WEEKEND RETREAT SCHEDULE