EVENTS
2024 and 2025 Residential Retreats
Autumn Retreat: September 29th – October 9th, 2024
Residential Retreat at Mercy Center, Auburn CA
With Claudia Hansson and Patricio Nelson
Aspirations for Mahamudra
This Mahamudra retreat will cover the basic instructions from the Karma Kaygu tradition including attention, ordinary insight, and extraordinary insight practices. These practices help to create the conditions for a direct experience of mind’s nature and the nature of all experience.
The prayer “Aspirations for Mahamudra” will be reviewed in detail as way of developing a clearer conceptual understanding of Mahamudra and a deeper motivation to practice. This prayer is an aspirational prayer written by RangJung Dorje, the 3rd Karmapa, a profound master of Mahamudra.
The retreat will include twice daily teachings, meditations both guided and unguided, and individual interviews every-other day. There will be open practice time each day. Two rituals will be done each day: The Mountain Offering and the Six-armed Mahakala.
The retreat will be silent except for questions which are encouraged during the teaching periods. Silence includes no eye contact, no phone conversations (except emergencies) and no screens or additional reading material.
Cost for this retreat is $1575 which includes retreat center fees and teacher dana.
There are no additional charges. Full payment is due by Sept 1.
For more information or to register see the newsletter.
2025 Retreat Dates
Spring: March 3rd – 10th, 2025
Autumn: September 26 – October 6th, 2025
Upcoming Events
(see newsletter for details on how to register)
Last Thursday and Friday of the Month Practice Sessions
August 29th and 30th
9am-2pm PST / 12pm 5pm EST (with a 1 hour break in the middle)
Hosted by Beth (on Thursdays) and Becky (on Fridays)
Cost: Free (Those who want to make a donation, in any amount, can send it to Claudia as you normally would, noting that it’s intended for the Scholarship Fund)
Deepen concentration, build capacity, and stabilize your realization through regular group practice. These half-day practice sessions will be offered regularly on the last Thursday and Friday of the month. Mark your calendar.
There will be a set schedule that includes sitting, walking and Qigong but you are welcome to come to as little or as much as you can. And you can dip in and out throughout the days as you are able.
The sessions will alternate between sitting periods of 25 minutes followed by 10-15 minutes of mindful movement. The practice will be facilitated but without formal instruction. A short period of discussion may be included.
For more information or to register, see the newsletter.
WEEKLY SITS & GROUPS
Times listed below are PST
Sunday Afternoon 1- 2pm PST
Sangha sit with occasional teachings
Monday Morning 9-10am PST
A 30-minute sit followed by 30 minutes of free writing.
Led by Beth Johnson or Steven Coughran.
Tuesdays 4pm – 5:15pm PST
Ongoing group on ‘Aging, Death & Dying – The Study of Impermanence and Trauma’
Using the book, “Preparing to Die,” by Andrew Holecek as a guide, we will study the advice and wisdom that comes from our Tibetan Buddhist Tradition. Teachings on impermanence, compassion and loving-kindness, help us to live a better life and we can use our practice to prepare for a good death, “which is a complete openness to whatever arises.” (Holecek) We will discuss the spiritual issues for preparing for death and the practical preparations, including legal issues, hospice, and after death care.
Led by Richard Owings
Wednesday Sunrise 5-6am PST
A simple 45-minute unguided meditation led by Ian Mckown and Rebecca Krause-Hardie
Thursdays 4-5pm PST
Ongoing study group of Shantideva’s Bodhicharyavatara. This is a wonderful chance to read, study, and reflect upon this wonderful text and the commentary by Pema Chodrön in her book “No Time to Lose”, in a group setting with other members of the Sangha.
This group aims to study and discuss what being a modern day bodhisattva might look like, and how one can be in the world in a way that is helpful to all living beings.
Cost is free.
Friday Morning Sits 7-8am PST
This weekly group will begin with a short talk, reflection or discussion, followed by a 30 minute meditation. Led by Sophie Taggart and Anita Hansen.