Uncontrived Mindfulness; from Awareness to Wisdom – with Vajradevi

This retreat was supposed to be taught by Alexis Santos but due to a sudden death in his immediate family Alexis Santos is no longer teaching the retreat instead the retreat is taught by Vajradevi. 

THIS RETREAT IS FULLY BOOKED. PLEASE WRITE TO staffan@sangha.nu to register on the waiting list.

 

Uncontrived Mindfulness; from Awareness to Wisdom   
Fri 5th Oct – Sun 14th Oct 2018
 – The retreat will be held at Borntorpet (Shambala Gatherings) Skinnskatteberg, Sweden.

 Awareness is crucial to Insight, but a dhamma perspective is even more important. Without ’Right View’ informing what we’re aware of, we run the risk of reinforcing ’wrong views’. Wrong views are naturally present in the unenlightened state, but we can train ourselves to become aware of those ideas and distortions through learning to watch our minds. Mind watching reveals how we are relating to whatever is happening in experience, whether it be a thought, an emotion or an arising through one of our senses.

We can relate to experience with acceptance, interest and impartiality. Or we can resist and proliferate around what is happening, seeing a painful state grow before our eyes, feeling that we are seemingly powerless to stop it. All of our dukkha; our dis-ease, dissatisfaction and disappointments come from this resistance.

We can see Right View as a ’curative’ perspective. It helps us see how we cling and how through that clinging we create our own suffering. Mindfulness and Right View give us tools to relate to ourselves in ways that don’t create further suffering for ourselves or others. We have freedom from fixed views and wise attentiveness in the palm of our hands.

There will be talks and led meditations, using the framework of the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha’s primary teaching on Mindfulness. To facilitate turning inwards the retreat will mainly be in silence, with an opportunity for ’talking meditation’ towards the end of the retreat.

We will meditate using all 4 postures (walking, sitting, standing and lying down). The emphasis however, is on continuity of awareness outside of formal practice times. You will receive encouragement to stay present to whatever is happening, and whatever is needed, in any moment. This is a receptive and flexible approach to awareness with kindness as an implicit thread running through it, and understanding and wisdom, a potential in every moment.There will be opportunities to talk about your practice in group meditation reviews.

About Vajradevi                                                                                                           Vajradevi started meditating in 1983 in London, after travelling in Asia. She was ordained into the (non monastic) Triratna Buddhist Order in 1995 and has worked within many ’Right Livelihood’ settings in this western Buddhist tradition, including managing a vegetarian restaurant, and setting up a retreat centre in the Spanish mountains. Her interest in practising and then teaching mindfulness with a strong insight dimension, emerged over 20 years ago. To further her practice she has studied with Joseph Goldstein and Carol Wilson. Since 2007 she has spent over a year on retreats in Burma and Europe with Sayadaw U Tejaniya and considers him her primary meditation teacher.  Vajradevi’s style is relaxed and natural, and encourages both receptivity and precision of observation, in learning to watch the mind.  You can read her meditation blog at www.uncontrivedmindfulness.net

 

Date: Friday 5th October at 16:00 – Sunday 14th October at 14:00.                                       Place: Borntorpet – Shambala Gatherings, Skinnskatteberg.

Please check their webpage on how to get here:
http://shambalagatherings.com/contact-us/                

Price: 3900 sek. plus Donation.
The price includes a bed in a double or triple room and three vegetarian meals a day.

NO SINGLE ROOMS ARE AVAILABLE.

The teacher and manager do not get any payment for their services but offer them freely so that as many as possible have the chance to benefit from the teachings regardless of financial situation. This principle of generosity is very central to the teachings of the Buddha and has made it possible to continue the practice of meditation still 2,500 years after his life. The teacher live primarily off of donations. Retreat participants may support the teacher and manager by donations at the end of the retreat – we ask that you take cash with you for this purpose (Swish is also an option).

Manager: Mats Nielsen: mats@yin-yoga.se

Registration and cancellation policy:

THIS RETREAT IS FULLY BOOKED. PLEASE WRITE TO staffan@sangha.nu to register on the waiting list.

You sign up for the retreat by paying the registration fee of 500 sek (or the full amount 3900 sek). The registration fee is a administration fee and is non refundable. You will then get a confirmation email.

Pay the registration fee to the following bank account (plusgiro): 17 43 75-6.
Write your name, postal address, email address, birth year and tel.number and the registration code ”AS”. If the information won’t fit in to the fields please send an separate email to: (staffan@sangha.nu)

NOTE: Participation in the WHOLE retreat is required (Fri – Sun). 

THIS RETREAT IS FULLY BOOKED. PLEASE WRITE TO staffan@sangha.nu to register on the waiting list.

Payments from abroad:
Account number: 17 43 75-6
Bank name: Nordea
Swift code/BIC: NDEASESS
Iban: SE73 9500 0099 6026 0174 3756
Reference code: ”AS” (write this on your payment)

If you encounter any problems with your bank transaction please email staffan@sangha.nu

The rest of the retreat fee 3400 SEK, should be paid by the 5th of September 2018 to the same bank account using the same reference name.
If the payment is not received by this date, your place will be given to someone on the waiting list (and you will loose your registration fee).
In case of cancellation, please inform us as soon as possible so that we can give your place to the next person. The retreat fee is refundable if the cancellation takes place before 5 of September 2018 (minus the registration fee of 500 SEK that will be taken to the Vipassanagruppen Scholarship Fund).

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Vipassanagruppen!