What: Silent Meditation Retreat with SanghaSeva
Where: Dharmalaya Institute in Bir, HP, India
When: 17-24 March 2014
Who: Zohar Lavie & Nathan Glyde
Language: English
Description: Residential silent meditation retreat led by Zohar Lavie and Nathan Glyde of SanghaSeva. Simple accommodation in tents/dormitory in a beautiful Himalayan setting.
Note: Space is limited, so advance registration and deposit are required.
For details and registration, please visit the SanghaSeva website.
What: “Subtle Consciousness Meditation” Retreat
Where: Deer Park Institute, Bir
When: 4-9 December, 2013
Who: Ven. Sudhammacara
This ‘Subtle Consciousness Meditation Retreat’ is based on the One Dharma Meditation Method compiled by Ven. Sudhammacara. It consists of three kinds of practice: mindfulness of body sensation, compassion meditation and ana-pana sati (mindfulness of in-breath and out-breath).
These practices enable us to dwell in the present moment. Here and now, we gradually uncover our Subtle Consciousness which is usually clouded by our deluded, non-stop thinking. We go back to our true home with peace and joy after travelling abroad painfully so many years.In the end, we are finally discovering who we really are.
These intensive silent retreats will include regular sessions of sitting and walking meditation, accompanied by Dharma teachings and personal guidance. The retreats are open to both beginners and experienced meditators. From this year, the retreat will include Yoga classes. These will be led by Reiko Azuma, who has been teaching Yoga in Ven. Sudhammacara’s meditation retreats in Japan and Taiwan. Meditators get much benefit from Yoga exercises.
Guests and visitors who are not able to attend the whole retreat may attend some sessions only, but are requested to maintain silence around the meditation hall and dining area, to support the retreatants.
Teacher: Ven. Sudhammacara
Ven.Sudhammacara was ordained in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition in 1983, under Kosho Uchiyama Roshi lineage. He practiced and taught zazen meditation for more than 18 years, including several years spent teaching at Valley Zendo in Massachusetts, USA.
In 2001, he took Theravadan Bhikku ordination in the Burmese forest monk tradition under Pa-Auk Sayadaw, and trained in shamatha (calm abiding) and vipassana (insight) meditation in Burma and Sri Lanka. Since 2006, he has also been exposed to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Now he calls himself One Dharma Buddhist monk.
Ven. Sudhammacara has been a regular visiting teacher at Deer Park, where he offers mindfulness meditation retreats, since autumn 2007. Most of the year, he lives in Kamakura, Japan, where he teaches meditation at his centre Ippo-an (One Dharma Forum). He also leads meditation retreats in several sacred places (Kyoto, Kudaka-jima and Mitake-san) in Japan.
Ven. Sudhammacara brings experience from the Japanese Zen tradition, the Theravada forest tradition of Burma, and the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Ven.Sudhammacara’s vast experience has shown him the pitfalls of commonly practiced meditations. His careful avoidance of Buddhist terms that can easily slip into jargon, makes retreatants rethink or let go of Buddhist conceptualizations (that many often automatically rely on, thinking they already understand the meaning without renewed consideration).
As well as this five-day silent mindfulness retreat, Ven Sudhammacara will also lead daily meditations and Dharma talks at Deer Park in early December.
For information: www.deerpark.in/programs/schedule/subtle-consciousness-meditation-retreat/
What: Introductory seminar on the philosophy of Yogacara
When: 11-12 Nov, 2013
Where: Deer Park Institute, Bir
Who: Ven. Dhammadipa
In the late seventies Venerable began his Buddhist studies in Berlin, where he had immigrated as a refugee after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. In 1977 he received a master’s degree in Chinese literature and philosophy at the University of Paris. In 1979, he enrolled at Nalanda University in India (where he also taught French and German) to study Sanskrit and Buddhist Philosophy. After receiving a degree at Nalanda in 1984, he returned to serve as the Associate Librarian at Berlin University.
In 1986, Venerable Dhammadipa went to Japan and studied under Zen Master Harada Serrei Roshi of the S t school (Caodong in Chinese) practice. He was given a Dharma name as Xing-Kong (meaning Nature of Emptiness).
In 1987, with the encouragement of Venerable Athurugiriye Nyanavimala Mahathera, Venerable Wijayasoma Mahathera, and Venerable Dikwelle Mahinda, he ordained as a monk in Meetirigala and was given a Dharma name as Dhammadipa (island of Buddhism or Dharma). He received the full Theravada Bhiksu ordination in Sri Lanka where he practiced meditation under the guidance of his preceptor, Venerable Nanarama Mahathera. In 1989, he received the Three Fold ordination as a Mahayana Monk in Hsi Lai Temple, Los Angeles and began Dharma teaching in US, Germany and Taiwan.
In 1996, Venerable went to Myanmar to practice meditation with the contemporary master Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, and was recognized by the Sayadaw to be first of the Sayadaw’s Western disciples qualified to teach meditation. He has since been teaching Samatha (tranquil mental states) and Vipassana (direct seeing of the Dharma) meditation at monasteries and universities worldwide.
Venerable Dhammadipa speaks Czech, French, German, English, Russian, and fluent Chinese. He reads and translates Buddhist texts from Pali and Sanskrit. His translated works in French and Czeck include Treatise on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana (Mahayanasraddhotpada-sastra), Entry into the Bodhisattva Path (Bodhicaryavatara) and a Collection of Han-San’s Poems. His teachings in Taiwan have been compiled and printed in Chinese.
Over the years Venerable has presented dharma teachings and led meditation retreats around Europe, North America, Taiwan and mainland China, India and Southeast Asia. Personally he has a gentle and easy going manner. His teaching follows the framework of the classic Theravada Buddhist commentary The Path of Purity (Pali: Visuddhimagga): one starts with training in the precepts (virtue) which lays the foundation for training in concentration and then the development of wisdom. Venerable teaches that knowledge of the Buddhist way should be applied in practice and verified first hand through direct experience. One should make a great vow to tread the way and realize the dharma for the benefit of all sentient beings.
What: Shamatha & Vipasyana retreat as presented in Yogacara tradition with reference to Anapanasmrti or Maitri meditation
Where: Deer Park Institute, Bir
When: 2-9 Nov, 2013
Who: Ven. Dhammadipa
Now 60 years old, Venerable Dhammadipa (lay name Thomas Peter Gutman) was born in Czechoslovakia in 1949. He studied Chinese Literature and Philosophy at Prague University, graduating in 1969, and then studied Russian literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he received a degree in 1973.
In the late seventies Venerable began his Buddhist studies in Berlin, where he had immigrated as a refugee after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. In 1977 he received a master’s degree in Chinese literature and philosophy at the University of Paris. In 1979, he enrolled at Nalanda University in India (where he also taught French and German) to study Sanskrit and Buddhist Philosophy. After receiving a degree at Nalanda in 1984, he returned to serve as the Associate Librarian at Berlin University.
In 1986, Venerable Dhammadipa went to Japan and studied under Zen Master Harada Serrei Roshi of the S t school (Caodong in Chinese) practice. He was given a Dharma name as Xing-Kong (meaning Nature of Emptiness).
In 1987, with the encouragement of Venerable Athurugiriye Nyanavimala Mahathera, Venerable Wijayasoma Mahathera, and Venerable Dikwelle Mahinda, he ordained as a monk in Meetirigala and was given a Dharma name as Dhammadipa (island of Buddhism or Dharma). He received the full Theravada Bhiksu ordination in Sri Lanka where he practiced meditation under the guidance of his preceptor, Venerable Nanarama Mahathera. In 1989, he received the Three Fold ordination as a Mahayana Monk in Hsi Lai Temple, Los Angeles and began Dharma teaching in US, Germany and Taiwan.
In 1996, Venerable went to Myanmar to practice meditation with the contemporary master Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, and was recognized by the Sayadaw to be first of the Sayadaw’s Western disciples qualified to teach meditation. He has since been teaching Samatha (tranquil mental states) and Vipassana (direct seeing of the Dharma) meditation at monasteries and universities worldwide.
Venerable Dhammadipa speaks Czech, French, German, English, Russian, and fluent Chinese. He reads and translates Buddhist texts from Pali and Sanskrit. His translated works in French and Czeck include Treatise on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana (Mahayanasraddhotpada-sastra), Entry into the Bodhisattva Path (Bodhicaryavatara) and a Collection of Han-San’s Poems. His teachings in Taiwan have been compiled and printed in Chinese.
Over the years Venerable has presented dharma teachings and led meditation retreats around Europe, North America, Taiwan and mainland China, India and Southeast Asia. Personally he has a gentle and easy going manner. His teaching follows the framework of the classic Theravada Buddhist commentary The Path of Purity (Pali: Visuddhimagga): one starts with training in the precepts (virtue) which lays the foundation for training in concentration and then the development of wisdom. Venerable teaches that knowledge of the Buddhist way should be applied in practice and verified first hand through direct experience. One should make a great vow to tread the way and realize the dharma for the benefit of all sentient beings.
For information: http://www.deerpark.in/programs/schedule/a-shamatha-and-vipasyana-retreat-as-presented-in-yogacara-tradition/
What: Buddhist teachings on the Way of the Bodhisattva (year 4)
When: 3-5 August, 2012
Where: Deer Park Institute
Who: Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche
Shantideva was an 8th-century Indian Buddhist master, who hailed from Kathiawada in Gujarat. He was a renowned scholar and adept at Nalanda University and an adherent of Prasangika Madhyamaka philosophy.
His classic text Bodhicaryavatara (The Way of the Bodhisattva) has been studied, practiced, and expounded upon in an unbroken tradition for centuries, first in India and later in Tibet. It explains the Mahayana view and the methods to realize it. H.H. Dalai Lama has said, ‘If I have any understanding of compassion and the practice of the Bodhisattva path, it is entirely on the basis of this text that I possess it.’This is the fourth year of a series of teachings on Bodhicaryavatara by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche at Deer Park. If you would like to obtain the recordings of the last two teaching of this series, please email us at info@deerpark.in.
For more information: http://www.deerpark.in/programs/schedule/bodhicaryavatara-by-shantideva-4/
What: Buddhist teachings
When: 11-12 June, 2012
Where: Deer Park Institute
Who: Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo
Gampopa (1070-1153) also know as Dagpo Rinpoche is the heart disciple of the great Yogi Milarepa. Together with Rechungpa, the two are described as the sun and moon and each radiated his distinct light in the world. It is Gampopa with his luminous presence that shines to this day through the Dagpo Kagyu lineagues that collectively bear his name.
Besides writing the two most influential texts: The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, and A Precious Garland of the Supreme Path, Gampopa distilled the Buddhist path into four short lines or truths, called dharmas.
These lines became known as the Four Dharmas of Gampopa and are often studied as an explanation of the Four Noble Truths.
These four lines are:
Grant your blessings that my mind may follow the Dharma
Grant your blessings that my Dharma practice may become the path
Grant your blessings that the path may clarify confusion
Grant your blessings that confusion may arise as wisdom.
“These extremely profound sentences are a combination of Sutra and Tantra, and were expounded upon by the great master Longchen Rabjam. If a practitioner receives these instructions and is diligent, he or she will be able to attain complete enlightenment within a single lifetime. It is amazing how extraordinary the vital teachings of the buddhas and accomplished practitioners are.”
— Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, from Repeating the Words of the Buddha
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo is a renowned Buddhist teacher, popular worldwide for her warm, clear and down-to-earth presentation of the Dharma and its application in daily life. The inspiring story of her life, including 12 years of secluded retreat in a Himalayan cave, is the subject of a well-known biography, Cave inthe Snow. Jetsunma is the founder and abbess of Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery near Tashijong, H.P
For more information: http://www.deerpark.in/programs/schedule/four-dharma-of-gampopa/
What: Art workshop
When: 19-20 May, 2012
Where: Deer Park Institute
Who: Andrew Schelling and Rebecca Eland
The workshop will end with a group performance.
Facilitators:
Rebecca Eland is a dancer and poet from Boulder, Colorado.
Andrew Schelling is a poet and translator of Sanskrit and bhakti poetry, also from Boulder, Colorado. Both artists are from Naropa University.
For more information: http://www.deerpark.in/programs/schedule/three-treasures-body-speech-and-mind-in-the-2/
What: Series of Buddhist Teachings on Chandrakirti’s Madhyamakavatara
When: 12-16 May (part 1) & 15-17 June (part 2)
Where: Deer Park Institute
Who: Khenpo Choying Dorjee
Chandrakirti’s work is a commentary on the Mula-Madhyamaka treatise of Nagarjuna. The Mula-Madhyamaka treatise is itself a systemization of the Prajnaparamita or “Perfection of Wisdom” literature – the sutras on the crucial but elusive concept of emptiness. The Madhyamakavatara of Chandkirti expresses both the profound aspect of Nagarjuna’s Mula-Madhyamaka, namely emptiness, as well as the vast aspect – the paths and bhumis of the bodhisattva. The Madhyamakavatara has eleven chapters, each addressing one of the ten ‘perfections’ (Sanskrit: paramita) fulfilled by the Bodhisattvas as they traverse the ten ‘stages’ (Sanskrit: bhumi) to Buddhahood, the subject of the 11th chapter.
Khenpo Choying Dorje’s classes on the Madhamakavatara will be divided into 5 series. For the 1st series, Khenpo will cover the first five chapters.
Khenpo Choying Dorjee
Khenpo Choying Dorjee is one of the senior Khenpos and assistant principal at the renowned Buddhist college Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro Institute. He received his Khenpo degree from Dzongsar Institute in 2002 after completing twelve years of study. He also received a special Khenpo degree from His Holiness Dalai Lama in 2004.
Khenpo Choying Dorjer has been teaching at Dzongsar Institute since 1998 and he was the Sakya scholar representative at a number of international conferences and workshops. From 2007, he started giving teachings in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and USA. In response to an adornment project of Khyentse Foundation, Khenpo recently went to University of California in Berkeley for a 5-month stay as visiting scholar in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies. Khenpo’s teaching at Deer Park will be in English.
For more information: http://www.deerpark.in/programs/schedule/introduction-to-the-middle-way-2/
What: Dharma talk on the classic text Words of My Perfect Teacher
When: May 5-6, 2012
Where: Deer Park Institute, Bir Tibetan Colony
Who: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
Deer Park is very honored to host three talks by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche on, “Words of My Perfect Teacher”, one of the favourite works of practioners of Tibetan Buddhisim and recommended by many senior Buddhist masters. This practical guide to inner transformation introduces the fundamental spiritual practices common to all Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Patrul Rinpoche, the author of this book, makes the technicalities of his subject accessible through a wealth of stories and references to everyday life. It is a wonderful opportunity to go through this text with Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche.
Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche was recognized as an incarnation of Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye and trained extensively in all aspects of Buddhist doctrine, with an emphasis on the Rime tradition of Khyentse, Kongtrul and Chokgyur Lingpa. After moving to the United States in 1989, Rinpoche founded Mangala Shri Bhuti, an organization established to further the study and practice of the Buddhadharma in the West. Rinpoche is the author of two books, It’s Up to You: The Practice of Self-Reflection on the Buddhist Path, and Light Comes Through: Buddhist Teachings on Awakening to our Natural Intelligence. He is also an avid painter in the abstract expressionist tradition well as an aspiring photographer. Rinpoche travels widely throughout the world teaching and furthering his own education.
For more information: http://www.deerpark.in/programs/schedule/words-of-my-perfect-teacher-2/
What: Meditation Retreat
When: April 30-May 4,2012
Where: Deer Park Institute, Bir
Who: Venerable Aggacitta and Melitis Kwong
“The main purpose of spiritual path is awakening. This awakening isn’t some supernatural awakening. It’s awakening to the truth.”
— Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche
Buddhism is not religion in the usual sense of the word. It is a method of investigation and contemplation that allows you to work skillfully with the positive potentials and negative energies of your own mind in order to achieve a wakeful state of well being.
In this 5 day introductory course on Buddhism and meditation, we’ll explore the basic principles of the different schools of Buddhism. The facilitators will present an overview of the history, philosophy and practices of the Buddhist path through Dharma talks, discussions, teaching DVD and meetings with Lamas and Khenpos in the near by monastery.
The program will include guided sitting and walking meditation, silent reflection periods and personal interviews with the meditation instructors.
Faculty:
Venerable Aggacitta is a Theravada monk from Japan. He trained under the Burmese and Sri Lanka Buddhist monastic tradition for 9 years. He has been studying under various teachers of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Melitis Kwong is a long time student of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. She has completed a 3-year retreat in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
For more information: http://www.deerpark.in/programs/schedule/discovering-the-truth/
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