Saturday, May 18, 2013

Miksang at the Victoria Shambhala-Buddhist Centre

Monday, May 06, 2013

SPECIAL SUMMER RETREAT FEATURES MEDITATION, YOGA, WRITING AND THE ARTS

TRUE EXPRESSION

A SUMMER RETREAT

WITH

ZEN TEACHER

POET AND WRITING TEACHER

PETER LEVITT

For the first time in his forty years as an award-winning poet, writer, translator, teacher of writing and creativity, Zen teacher, Peter Levitt, who founded and serves as the guiding teacher of the Salt Spring Zen Circle, will be offering a 7 day summer retreat that combines a gentle and inspiring schedule of meditation, yoga, writing and other arts.

TRUE EXPRESSION RETREAT will take place at the beautiful SS Yoga Centre on Salt Spring Island from July 20 to July 27^th and, in Peter’s words, it promises to be “the most joyous, profound and expressive week I can draw out of my imagination. I’ve been planning this for almost a year and I can’t wait to see it come to fruition. And since I’ll be assisted by others who are superb in their various arts, you can only imagine how much I look forward to making this happen.”

Known for his gentleness, understanding, humour and warmth, Peter’s workshops have helped people to discover authentic creative expression in writing, painting and other arts since the mid 1970’s. Having also spent four decades practicing in the Zen tradition, Peter is authorised to teach within the Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki-roshi, (author of the classic Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind) and has lead Zen retreats on Salt Spring and throughout North America.

As a poet, Levitt has received high praise from Governor General Award recipient, Robert Hilles, who called Peter’s last major book, Within Within, “A master work that reveals the interconnected fabric of it all in ways that will leave you stunned.” In the same vein, legendary poet, Robert Creeley, wrote, “Peter Levitt’s poetry sounds the honour of our common dance.”

And, in speaking about Peter’s teachings, Joanna Macy, the revered peace and environmental activist, Buddhist teacher, and author wrote:

“With this gentle and fearless guide, the way to creative self-expression becomes a path of liberation. The wisdom and practices he offers free me to walk out into the world as into my own heart—and discover that they are one.”

To learn more about True Expression retreat, please go to

www.trueexpressionretreat.com

***In order to make it possible for Peter to work personally with all participants, the number of participants for this retreat is limited. We encourage you read about the retreat at our website and then register or contact Tara as soon as you can since the retreat is starting to fill. Tara can be reached at info@trueexpressionretreat.com or 1-250-221-1111.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Movie Night at the Victoria Shambhala Centre
1-2033 Belmont Ave Victoria
Friday May 10th - 7pm

Shugendō Now

Experiences in nature can evoke feelings of wellbeing that serve as important reminders of one’s inner nature. However, the complexity of modern life can create a deep sense of separation between self and the natural world. Nowhere is this dualistic split more evident than our current state of social and ecological discord.

Shugendō Now documents the search for inner truth through the practices of Japanese mountain asceticism. Shugendō or ‘The Way of Acquiring Power’, draws on shamanism, Shintō, Taoism, and Tantric Buddhism to understand humanities deep connection to the natural world.

This documentary follows the journey of ordinary Japanese city dwellers in their yearly quest for insight, purification and revitalization during arduous climbs in sacred mountains. More poetic than analytical, Shugendō Now explores the possibility of integrating an awareness of the sacred in contemporary society. With intimate camera work and evocative sound design the viewer is taken from deep within the lush Kumano mountains to the concrete canyon’s of Ōsaka and Tokyo and back again.

Suggested donation of $5
Skype discussion with directors to follow screening
Victoria Shambhala centre -

http://shugendonow.com/

for more info - silasmail@gmail.com

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Seeking Book Donations for Prison Library - Meditation & Yoga

Want to help make a difference in your community? If you have gently used paperback meditation or yoga books or magazines, we are seeking to expand the library for prisoners at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre (VIRCC) who are engaged in the Path of Freedom program.

VIRCC is a maximum security remand centre for adult men in Victoria. VIRCC has run mindfulness meditation courses in the past and is now offering on a regular basis the Path of Freedom program. The program, developed by the Prison Mindfulness Institute (formerly the Prison Dharma Network), includes mindfulness meditation, emotional intelligence skill building, communication skills, conflict resolution, and various resourcing skills grounded in the context of mindfulness-awareness practice. The program is presented in a nonsectarian manner and is open to participants of any faith and/or those who do not identify with a particular faith tradition. Participants develop greater self-awareness, improved impulse control, greater social awareness and relationship, communication and leadership skills that will give them a new vision for their lives and how they could contribute to their communities.

If you can donate softcover books or magazines, or want to donate cash for the purchase of books and magazines on our wish list, please contact books.prisoners@gmail.com.

Please note that hard-cover books cannot be accepted.

Thanks for considering this request!

Dependent Origination with Brock Brown

Victoria Insight Meditation Society
One Day Retreat
Sunday April 28, 2013
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Goward House
2495 Arbutus Road, Victoria, BC

Dependent Origination is said to be at the core of the Buddha’s teachings showing how suffering arises and how we can be free from suffering.

In this day long retreat, we will combine sitting and walking meditation with teachings on this subject. There will be a focus both on the theory of Dependent Origination and how it relates to other teachings of the Buddha such as the 4 Noble Truths, and practical examples of how this teaching operates in our everyday lives.

This retreat is not intended as an introductory course, but if you are a beginner and feel motivated to attend then please come.

About the Teacher: Brock Brown has been practicing in the Theravada Buddhist tradition since 1989. He is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader training program and Dedicated Practitioner’s Program. His teachers include Heather Martin, Guy Armstrong and Ajahn Sona. He is inspired by the Ajahn Chah lineage of the Thai Forest Tradition. Brock offers meditation courses and retreats and is a facilitator for
the Victoria Insight Meditation Society Sunday Night Community sit. Brock is also the Chair of Victoria Insight Meditation Society.

Cost: The Buddha’s teachings are considered to be priceless. In keeping with the teachings and spirit of generosity or dana, we offer this retreat on a donation basis.

We will set out a basket for you to offer dana for the teachings and the teacher who has shared them with us.

We will set out a second basket to receive donations to cover the cost of facility rental, and other organizational expenses. A suggested amount for a one day retreat is $20. Any money collected above the costs of the retreat will go towards other Victoria IMS programmes.

No one will be refused for lack of funds; please give whatever is affordable given your means.

To register go to: http://victoriaims.org/?p=4413
For more information: vims1retreat@gmail.com

Sunday, March 03, 2013

Online Orientation to Zen Practice

"For over twenty years I had read book after book on the subjects of Zen and Buddhism, but somewhere in the back of my mind I knew all that reading was not enough. I was not DOING. The 'Orientation to Zen Buddhist Practice' course was that huge nudge I needed to get myself truly participating and practicing." - Seishin Susanne Ledingham

Discover the impact that consistent Zen practice can have on and in your life! The Victoria Zen Centre now offers a comprehensive Orientation to Zen Buddhist Practice training package to help you develop a stable Zen practice, no matter where you are.

Once the program has been completed, your knowledge and physical Zen practice should be well established enough for you to begin formal practice with the Victoria Zen Centre, and the experience you gain through practice will also ease your entry into virtually any other Zen or Buddhist group you choose to engage with.

Online Training Materials
The online course is structured as a gradual and progressive four-week program, utilizing online videos, audio files, and a practice journal. Course materials are available at http://www.zenwest.ca/courses/90-online-orientation-to-zen-course and are free for you to use any time, as often as you like, and to share as widely as you wish to. These resources are made possible through the generous support of the Members and Associates of the Victoria Zen Centre.

Course Support
In addition to the online materials, we also offer one-to-one Course Support. By registering for support, you will receive a once-weekly, 30-minute Skype support meeting with one of our training guides for each of the four weeks of the Orientation program (for a total of four meetings). These one-to-one sessions provide a forum for discussion of your experiences as you engage in the the program, and an opportunity for support and feedback from experienced practitioners regarding the challenges of establishing a consistent Zen practice.

Participation with a training guide is not required to access the online course materials, but is a requirement for completion of the Orientation to Zen program (a pre-requisite for further training with the Victoria Zen Centre).

To register for Course Support visit http://www.zenwest.ca/courses/90-online-orientation-to-zen-course or email registrar@zenwest.ca.

Practice Assessment
When you have completed the Orientation to Zen program, if you wish to as a next step undertake further training with the Victoria Zen Centre or become a member of the VZC, you must first complete a formal Practice Assessment. This can be done online, or in person. When you register for a Practice Assessment you will be contacted to arrange a mutually convenient time to conduct your assessment.

To register for a Practice Assessment visit http://www.zenwest.ca/courses/90-online-orientation-to-zen-course or email registrar@zenwest.ca.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Buddhism and Recovery with Kevin Griffin

Weekend Non-residential Retreat
March 23/24, 2013

Sponsored by the Victoria Insight Meditation Society

March 23 9 am–4:30 pm; March 24 9 am-4:00 pm
Goward House 2495 Arbutus Rd, Victoria BC.

Kevin Griffin is the author of the seminal 2004 book One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps and the recent A Burning Desire: Dharma God and the Path of Recovery.

The Buddha taught that craving is the cause of suffering. Craving may manifest in habitual thought and emotional patterns, compulsive behaviours, and/or addiction to substances.

Join us for a unique non-residential meditation retreat combining traditional Buddhist meditation practices with 12 step work. Using silent insight meditation, interactive exercises, lecture, and discussion, the weekend will explore the ways that Buddhism and the 12 Steps complement each other. Introductory meditation instruction will be offered.

This weekend retreat is open to all who are interested in the area of recovery, whether you are in recovery, a therapist who treats addictive behaviour, or are interested in investigating your own habitual thought and emotional patterns.

Kevin Griffin has been practicing Buddhist meditation for three decades and has been in recovery since 1985. Kevin has been a meditation teacher for over fifteen years. His teacher training was at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he currently leads Dharma and Recovery classes. He is a leader in the mindful recovery movement and a co-founder of the Buddhist Recovery Network. For more information, see www.kevingriffin.net

Online Registrations: click here

https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e6ter062861c1ef0&oseq=&c=&ch=

For inquiries about this retreat email VIMS1retreat@gmail.com

Cost: There will be an opportunity to offer a donation to Kevin Griffin for his teachings.
Suggested donation to Victoria IMS for expenses: $40. Please offer within your means.

www.VictoriaIMS.org

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Shambhala Centre

Community Practice Days Monthly from February -May.

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the founder of the Shambhala community, stressed the importance of group practice intensives, urging his students to “please participate in the sitting practice of meditation fully.” In this spirit we invite newer and older practitioners alike to join us, free of charge, for any or all of the following full days of practice:

Sunday, February 24th
Sunday, March 24th
Sunday, April 28th
Sunday, May 19th

Each day will include alternating periods of sitting meditation and walking meditation, short readings, periods of contemplation, and breaks for lunch, tea, and dinner.
Schedule:

9:00 AM: Opening chants; sitting meditation interspersed with walking meditation
12:00 PM: One-bowl lunch, in silence in the meditation hall—lunch provided (donations gratefully accepted)
1:00 PM: Work period, with time for an outdoor walk
2:00 PM: Sitting meditation interspersed with walking meditation
3:30 PM: Tea, with functional talking
4:00 PM: Sitting meditation interspersed with walking meditation
6:00 PM: One-bowl dinner, in silence in the meditation hall, and cleanup—dinner provided (donations gratefully accepted)
7:30 – 8:30 PM: Sitting meditation interspersed with walking meditation; closing chants

If you are unable to join us for the whole day, we encourage you to attend one or more full meditation sessions—morning, afternoon, evening.
Ngondro and Werma practitioners are invited to practice in the upstairs shrine room, joining the other practitioners for opening and closing chants, meals, and tea.
For more information, contact Mark Hazell at markhazell45@gmail.com.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

SPRING ZEN RETREAT ON SALT SPRING ISLAND

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Zen practice helps us to become intimate with ourselves, and through this, with the world at large. Few joys are greater than practicing this with others. -- Peter Levitt

Salt Spring Zen Circle, which practices in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, author of the classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, will be offering our annual Spring Retreat, called sesshin, at the beautiful Gatehouse and gardens of Stowel Lake Farm on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. The retreat begins at 7:00 PM on Thursday, April 18^th, and ends at 3:00 PM on Sunday, April 21^st.

Beginning and experienced meditators are most welcome to attend. We encourage participants to maximize the benefits of this sesshin by making this a residential retreat at Stowel Lake Farm. In addition, a limited number of free billets are available for off island participants who would like to stay with sangha members.

Known for his warmth, humour, clarity and the depth of his teachings, poet and founding teacher of Salt Spring Zen Circle, Eihei Peter Levitt, will guide this traditional Zen retreat. Author of fourteen books of poetry and prose, he also served as Associate Editor of the Zen classic, The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo (Shambhala, 2010), and in April 2013, Shambhala will bring out The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master, coedited by Peter Levitt and Kazuaki Tanahashi.

In keeping with our tradition of offering authentic practice for the least possible fee, the cost of the retreat is $130 - $170 (sliding scale) for the entire sesshin, including all eight meals, plus voluntary dana (donation) for the practice and teachings Peter will provide. The cost of accommodation at the farm is separate. More information about this sesshin, accommodations at the farm, or billeting can be obtained by contacting our Registrar. Please see below.

We encourage those who want to make this a residential retreat, and off-island visitors who may want billeting, to register early since such accommodations are provided on a first come first served basis.

For details and to receive a registration form, please contact the Registrar, Ann Colburn at acolburn@verizon.net or call our Retreat Manager, Rowan Percy at 250-537-2831. Rowan may also be reached at rjpercy@shaw.ca. You may also fill out the registration form online.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Special Open House - 'Natural Mind: Healing from the Inside Out'

with James Sacamano

January 30th

Date details +

Room: Meditation Hall

We welcome everyone to join us for this special Open House. James Sacamano will speak on a topic from his new book, Getting Back to Wholeness: The Treasury of Inner Health and the Power of a Meaningful Life.
This book offers an empowering vision of healing to help those working with illness or problems in ordinary life. The book will be available for purchase in the Victoria Shambhala Centre’s bookstore.
Please note that our usual Open House format will vary slightly for this evening:

6:45 PM: Welcome. Meet people and get your bearings.
7:00 PM: Meditation instruction and practice. Abbreviated introductory instruction will be available at 7:00 PM. (To learn about meditation instruction see our Meditation page.)
7:30 PM: Talk and discussion. “Natural Mind: Healing from the Inside Out,” with James Sacamano
9:00 PM: Tea. Mingle with others who share your curiosity and interest.

We suggest a donation of $5.00 – $10.00.
About James Sacamano: A student of The Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche since 1971, Jim served as Trungpa Rinpoche’s representative to the Shambhala communities of Berkeley, California and Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1977 to 1983. He has also worked in landscaping, driving taxi, serving two years in the US Navy, as a nurse, and in a forty-three year career in emergency medicine, psychiatry and mental health.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at victoria.shambhala@gmail.com.

Saturday, November 03, 2012

Online Orientation to Zen Practice

Sunday, October 28, 2012

UVIC FREE LECTURE
Thursday November 1st

CSRS Public Lecture Series
Are Good Intentions Enough? On the Place of Knowledge in Buddhist Ethics

Speaker: Martin Adam
CSRS Faculty Fellow
Department of Pacific and Asian Studies, UVic

This lecture explores how knowledge is considered to be a virtue in Buddhist thought. Buddhist texts describe “right view” as one of ten courses of wholesome action, a classification that reveals some interesting differences between Buddhist and non-Buddhist understandings of action (karma). What is action? What makes an action good or right? Right view is itself defined as belief in karma and its results, and, for those with higher insight, an understanding of the truth of no-Self. These considerations lead us to conclude that from a Buddhist perspective meditation is a profoundly moral activity, essential to the attainment of the highest good (nirvāṇa).

Martin Adam (PhD McGill University) is director of the Religious Studies Program and professor of Pacific and Asian studies at the University of Victoria. His current research is centred in the area of Buddhist ethics.

Related Website    http://www.csrs.uvic.ca
Location    SOCIAL SCIENCES & MATHEMATICS
A104

Monday, October 15, 2012

VENERABLE DR. PANNAVATI BUDDHIST NUN TO SPEAK IN VICTORIA

Venerable Pannavati

Saturday Nov 3rd 2012

Public Talk

7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Garry Oak Room 1335 Thurlow Rd. Victoria, BC

Sunday Nov 4th 2012

Meditation and Talk

7:00 - 9:00 pm

Lynn Wylie-Helga Beer Yoga Studio

#202-1600 Bay St. (Shakespeare St. entrance)

Sponsored by the Victoria Insight Meditation Society
and the First Unitarian Church of Victoria

Both evenings are free.

Donations to Ven. Pannavati's social action projects gratefully accepted.

Venerable Pannavati is the founding co-Abbot of Embracing Simplicity Hermitage in North Carolina Well-known for ordination of Thai and Cambodian nuns, work with homeless youth in Appalachia and ministry to the “untouchables” in India, her presentations promise to be rich in compassion, wit and humour. Those attending will have the opportunity to contribute to her important work.

www.VictoriaIMS.org

Friday, September 28, 2012

Salt Spring Zen Circle Web Site

Salt Spring Zen Circle is happy to announce that this week, eleven years after our founding, we finally launched our sangha website, which can be found at SaltSpringZenCircle.Org

We've tried to include many lovely photos to give the feeling of the beautiful island where we practice, and enough information about our sangha, our teacher, our schedule and its various practice opportunities so you will feel welcome to join us whenever you can.

Please note that our next sesshin begins on Oct 11th and there are still a few spots remaining. You will be able to find out information or request a registration form at the site itself or by scrolling down on this site to the entry for September 13th. We do our best to billet those who attend from off island, so please be sure to contact us soon.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Zen courses in October

The Victoria Zen Centre (VZC) has two courses beginning in October 2012.

Intensive Preparation
Saturday mornings, 9:00-11:30 AM
October 6 & 13, 2012
Victoria Zen Centre – Sooke
Open to VZC Members and Associates who have completed the free online Orientation to Zen and a practice assessment.

If you have successfully developed a stable daily practice of Zen meditation, and are wondering how to go further with our Sangha, this course is your next step. Participants will be introduced to the subtleties and differences involved in intensive training, and will receive an orientation to, and experience of, practices that are specific to intensive training in the Zen tradition. The Intensive Preparation course is the gateway to deepening your practice.

For Full members of the VZC, the course fee is included as part of membership dues. For Basic members the course fee is $95 and for VZC Associates the fee is $195. Course fees includes a course manual and materials.

Fundamentals of Zen Practice
Thursday evenings, 7:30-9:30 PM
October 4, 11, 18, and 25, 2012
Victoria Zen Centre – Sooke
Open to VZC Members and Associates who have completed the free online Orientation to Zen and a practice assessment.

Building on the foundation of training established through the Orientation to Zen, you will be introduced to some of the fundamental teachings of Zen Buddhism. Group activities and training assignments ask that we take these teachings out of our head and engage them in the day to day unfolding of our lives.

This course also provides you with the opportunity to explore the ceremony of Jukai, which is commonly considered formally “becoming Buddhist”. The Jukai Ceremony consists of four distinct aspects, each of which is introduced and discussed in an intimate environment of friendship and community. The four aspects are:

Sange (repentance/purification).
Taking the Threefold Refuge.
Receiving the Five Sila (precepts).
The Four Bodhisattva Vows.

For Full members of the VZC, the course fee is included as part of membership dues. For Basic members and Associates the course fee is $295.

For further information about these courses or to register: visit our website or email registrar@zenwest.ca