Write For Queenswood

Letters of support from the many friends of Queenswood are appreciated by Friday, August 6 and emailed to write4queenswood@gmail.com.

The Queenswood Centre has been recently sold to the University of Victoria and the Queenswood Centre will close October 3, 2010.

In the coming weeks, Sister Eileen Curteis intends to meet with pivotal figures in the university administration. At this time, she hopes to explore possibilities for partnership with UVic and would like to present letters of support from the many friends of Queenswood. Please write emails that speak to the centre's unique and transformative character. More specifically, the hope is that these letters will express (a) how important Queenswood is to you and (b) your inspiration to see an enhanced Queenswood continue in partnership with the University of Victoria

Letters can be addressed to:

David H. Turpin, CM, PhD, FRSC
President and Vice-Chancellor

Office of the President
University of Victoria
Administrative Services Building, A220
PO Box 1700 STN CSC
VICTORIA BC V8W 2Y2
CANADA

Two Day Spiritual Retreat in Duncan

Click on Poster to englarge

Sun Lotus Art House in Duncan has generously offered their beautiful facility for us to host a Two Day Spiritual Retreat with Seven Tibetan Buddhist Teachers and one Chanting Master. The event will include the program, meals, and camping facilities. We encourage you to come to relax, rejuvenate, and reflect on the nature of life during this amazing Spiritual Retreat with these authentic, experienced teachers from Tibet (and one from Bhutan).

TEACHERS

• Tsengdok Rinpoche, Gelug lineage, will present Buddha’s first teaching on the nature of existence (Denpa Shi).
• Lama Tenzin Tsondue, Rime lineage, will teach about the art and symbolism of Mandalas (kyilkor).
• Lama Jampa Tenzin, Sakya lineage, will teach on immeasurable love, compassion, joy, and equanimity (Tsadme Shi).
• Lobpon Sang Ngak Yeshi, Duk-Nyingma lineage, will lead ceremonial purification offerings (bSangSol).
• Lama Rabten, Kagyu lineage, will teach the four ways to change the mind (Lodok Nampashi)
• Ngakpa Kalzang Dorje, Nyingma lineage, will teach the eight verses on training the mind (Lojong Tsiggyad).
• Geshe Yongdong, Bon lineage, will teach about the spiritual and elemental threads of prayer flags (rungta)
• U-dzad Sopa Gyatso, Gelug lineage, is an authentic chant master and will lead us in prayers.

WHEN
August 28th 11:30 am to 29th 5:00 p.m.

WHERE
Sun Lotus Art House 5070 Culverton Rd Duncan, B.C. V9L 6H4

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
Anyone interested in joining the spiritual retreat!

PROGRAM
Retreat program

COST
$125 per person includes the full program, meals, and camping facilities.
Each participant will also have a 1 in 10 chance to win a limited edition Coco Jones print worth $200

REGISTRATION
contact Pema at pemaw.chen@yahoo.ca to register. You can also register at any of our teachers’ centres. Register early as space is limited.

MORE INFO
To find out more about this retreat email Pema
Wangchen .

Hosted by the Tibet Cultural Society of Vancouver Island

Victoria Vipassana Community Weekly Sit

The Victoria Vipassana Community meets for a community meditation every Sunday from 7:00-9:00 pm. at the Lynn Wylie Yoga Studio. This includes 45 min. of silent meditation followed by taped Dharma talks, discussion or occasional guest speakers. We welcome everyone whatever their faith gender, race, abilities, sexual orientation, age or ability to pay.

Our intention is to have a central place to gather and practice in order to support our growing community. We invite you to pass this announcement on to others who may be interested.

The Victoria Vipassana Community Sits will continue over the Summer.

Location: Lynn Wylie Yoga Studio, #202 – 1600 Bay Street (Shakespeare St. entrance)

Day and Time: Sundays 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Format: We will start with a 45 minute sit followed by a taped talk or a speaker with time to share or reflect.

Cost: By donation (to cover rental of yoga studio and dana for the occasional guest speaker)

Additional Details: There are chairs, yoga mats, bolsters and blankets for our use, but feel free to bring your own sitting gear.


Please contact Brock Brown brock1492@shaw.ca for more information.

Metta Retreat for New and Experienced Meditators

Victoria Vipassana Community
2-day Non Residential Weekend
Metta Retreat for New and Experienced Meditators
August 14 and 15, 2010
with Heather Martin
at Queenswood, 2494 Arbutus Rd., Victoria, BC

Registration form for the retreat


This non-residential weekend retreat is being offered for those new to and to those familiar with meditation practice. The focus will be on Metta or “loving kindness”. Metta practice cultivates interpersonal harmony and opens the heart unconditionally.

We will meet from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm each day at Queenswood, 2494 Arbutus Rd., Victoria, B.C., on Saturday, August 14 and Sunday, August 15, 2010.

Retreat Details: Please visit: http://victoriavipassana.org/?page_id=14

Intensive Preparation (Members Course)-Victoria Zen Centre

Saturdays 9-11:30am June 5 & 12, 2010
Victoria Zen Centre - 4970 Nagle Road
Sooke, BC

If you have successfully developed a stable daily practice of Zen meditation as a member of the Victoria Zen Centre, 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.

The fee for this course is $195 which includes course manual and materials.

For program information and to register, please visit our website.

Or email office@zenwest.ca

Orientation to Zen Buddhist Practice - Victoria Zen Centre

"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." - Elder Seishin Susanne Ledingham

Mondays 7:00-9:30pm June 7-28, 2010
Queenswood Centre - 2494 Arbutus Road
Victoria, BC

Discover the impact that consistent practice can have on and in your life! This course was designed by our abbot Ven. Eshu Martin, and is aimed at providing the support necessary for you to put an end to excuses, and to begin a stable and life long transformative practice through Zen Buddhism.

The fee for this four-week course is $295 and includes:

* Four weekly Sessions for a total of ten hours of class time.
* Small class size (max.8).
* A meditation cushion for each participant to keep.
* Course manual and supplementary materials.
* Teachings and group discussions on core aspects of Zen Practice.
* Peer Support.
* Chanting practice CD and Chant Sheet.
* The opportunity to become a member of the Victoria Zen Centre.

For program information and to register:

Visit our website.

or email office@zenwest.ca

Ajahn Sona Public Talk

Victoria Vipassana Community Welcomes:

Ajahn Sona

Friday, May 7th 7 – 9 p.m.

Public Talk:

The Relationship of Concentration to the Development of Wisdom.

Note: The location has been changed to accommodate more people.

Please go to Queenswood Retreat Center, 2494 Arbutus Road, Victoria, BC. May 7th 7-9 p.m. We will be in the Chapel. Chairs will be available. Floor-sitters, please bring your own cushion.

No registration is required for the Friday night talk, however we would appreciate an email to brockbrown108@gmail.com if you are planning to attend.

Ajahn Sona – Abbot of Birken Forest Monastery

Born in Canada, Ajahn (”teacher”) Sona’s background as a layperson is in classical guitar performance. His encounter with Buddhist wisdom as a young man initiated a spiritual journey that led him to become a lay hermit for several years. He subsequently ordained as a Theravada monk under Venerable Gunaratana, at the Bhavana Society in West Virginia. Ajahn Sona further trained at monasteries in the Ajahn Chah lineage in northeast Thailand, especially Wat Pah Nanachat. Upon his return to Canada in 1994 he helped establish Birken Forest Monastery which is now located south of Kamloops BC.

Ajahn Sona has been in robes for over 20 years. He has ample experience leading meditation retreats and lecturing on Buddhist meditation and practice, both in Canada and abroad. His teachings combine tried-and-true Buddhist wisdom with modern commonsense.

Shambhala Level I The Art of Being Human

At the Victoria Shambhala-Buddhist Meditation Centre

An introduction to the path of meditation in which we learn to experience the world as sacred and see basic goodness as our birthright. More

Through the practice of meditation, we glimpse unconditional goodness as the ground of our existence. Opening to ourselves with gentleness and appreciation, we begin to see our potential as genuine and compassionate human beings.
This first weekend of the Shambhala Training Heart of Warriorship series introduces participants to the practice of sitting meditation and to the basic principles of the Shambhala path of warriorship. There is a fundamental, good energy present in all of our experience, and this basic goodness, innate to the way things are, is our own inborn, unconditional nature as well.
The program includes meditation instruction, talks by the Director, group discussions, guided contemplative practice, and individual interviews with instructors.
Shambhala Training Level One is a pre-requisite for Level Two and is the first step in The Way of Shambhala curriculum.

To register go to the Victoria Shambhala Website front page, find the program on the left and register.
http://victoria.shambhala.org/index.php

Spring Workshops with Ngakpa Kalzang Dorje

Explore the potential of mind this spring in Victoria and Nanaimo workshops. Ngakpa Kalzang will teach about the mind's role in our experience of life. He will discuss mind training from the Buddhist perspective, and how to ultimately cultivate compassion, wisdom, and freedom from suffering.

Workshop details:

Victoria: May 8th, 2010 from 1 to 4 pm at Queenswood Centre, 2494 Arbutus Rd, Victoria.

Nanaimo: May 15th, 2010 from 1 to 4 pm at Solace Wellness Centre, 719 Fitzwilliam St, Nanaimo.

To register please call 250-748-6028 or email info@thubtencholing.com. For more information visit http://www.thubtencholing.com/.

Thursday evening teaching series at the Sakya Centre

The Victoria Buddhist Dharma Centre's resident teacher, Lama Jhampa Tenzin, is currently giving teachings Thursday evenings at 7:00 with translator Lama Jhampa Shaneman. The initial teachings, which began on March 11, are based on Nagarjuna's Letter to a Friend. The series will then continue with teaching based on The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva and with further topics until mid May 2010.

These teachings are relevant for laypeople wishing to be happier, calmer, and more in control in their daily lives. They do not teach specific meditation techniques and are open to all regardless of previous experience.

A donation of $12 per session is requested from those able to do so to cover costs.

Out of consideration for the neighbors, please do not park on the street next to their homes. The best place other than the Centre's parking spaces is across Maplewood on the park side of Camrose.

Centre Address:
3371 Maplewood Road
Victoria, BC
V8P 3N1
(250) 385-4828
sakyacentre@gmail.com
http://www.island.net/~sakya/

Orientation to Zen Buddhist Practice - Victoria Zen Centre

"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." - Susanne Ledingham

Saturdays 9:00-11:30am April 3-24, 2010
Victoria Zen Centre - Sooke, BC

Discover the impact that consistent practice can have on and in your life! This course was designed by our abbot Ven. Eshu Martin, and is aimed at providing the support necessary for you to put an end to excuses, and to begin a stable and life long transformative practice through Zen Buddhism.

The fee for this four-week course is $295 and includes:

* Four weekly Sessions for a total of ten hours of class time.
* Small class size (max.8).
* A meditation cushion for each participant to keep.
* Course manual and supplementary materials.
* Teachings and group discussions on core aspects of Zen Practice.
* Peer Support.
* Chanting practice CD and Chant Sheet.
* The opportunity to become a member of the Victoria Zen Centre.

For program information and to register:

Visit our website.

or email office@zenwest.ca

Regular Online Morning Zen Meditation - Victoria Zen Centre

The Victoria Zen Centre would like to invite you to join Ven. Eshu ONLINE for morning meditation practice EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY from 6-6:45am(PST).

Using a fantastic web conferencing application from Adobe, all you have to do is click the link, and you are in the Zendo! Ven. Eshu will ring the bells, and all you have to do is sit, and enjoy the support of the online sangha.

Don't worry if you sleep in, or if you have to leave early to get ready for work, your comings and goings won't disturb anyone.

Be sure that you disable your screensaver, and shut off power saving options.

If you have any questions about connecting, please contact the Victoria Zen Centre office@zenwest.ca .

For added effect of being in the zendo, at the Victoria Zen Centre we use gozan incense, by Shoyeido and you can too! It is available at fine stores in Victoria like Instinct on View Street, and Whirled Arts in Fantan Alley.

Just click this link, and join in the sitting!

LINK

Spring Three-day Sesshin - Salt Spring Zen Circle

SPRING SESSHIN:

The Salt Spring Zen Circle, which practices in the Soto Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, will be offering our annual spring three-day sesshin. The retreat is non-residential and everyone is welcome to attend at the Gatehouse, Stowel Lake Farm.

Sesshin begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 26, 2010 and ends at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 28.

The cost is $80 for the entire sesshin, including all meals. Separate donations (dana) for teachings by Nanfū Peter Levitt are gratefully accepted.

We do our best to arrange billeting for off-island visitors on a first come first served basis, so please register early.

To register please contact our Registrar, Ann Colburn at acolburn@verizon.net For further questions or information call or write Rowan Percy, Co-ordinator, at 250-537-2831 or rjpercy@shaw.ca

Sundays with Pema

Sundays With Pema
at the Victoria Shambhala Meditation Centre

4 Sunday afternoons from 1:30 - 4:00 pm

Feb 21, Feb 28, (then a 2 week break) Mar 21, Mar 28

Pema Chödrön is one of the shining lights of
Shambhala known for her warmth, wisdom and wit.

Please join us for this 4-part video series – Sundays in February and March. There is an evening introduction – a talk given by Ani Pema shown after the 7 pm practice on Wednesday, Feb 17. There is no charge for the introduction.

Smile at Fear - Awakening the True Heart of Bravery
This DVD series is from a retreat led by Ani Pema Chödrön at Omega Institute, based on the book by Chögyam Trungpa and edited by Carolyn Gimian (Shambhala Publications 2009.)
Meditation instruction and group practice are included in our meetings.
“The teachings presented in this book are transformational—and especially relevant today, when so many of us are facing uncertainty and anxiety. Chögyam Trungpa shows us how to uncover our innate strength, confidence, and joy under any circumstances.” Pema Chödrön
Cost for non-members is $50. or $15. per session (cheques to Victoria Shambhala Centre)
This program is complimentary for dues paying members. You need to register.
Register soon to reserve your place - Contact Tatiana at

The Victoria Shambhala Meditation Centre
2033 Belmont Avenue (at Pembroke)
www.victoria.shambhala.org

Introduction to Zen Meditation - Victoria Zen Centre

Now held in VICTORIA at Queenswood Centre 2494 Arbutus Road!

Mondays 7:00-9:30pm February 1-22, 2010

If you are interested in learning how to meditate, this is the course for you. For people that are seeking to reduce stress, clarify a busy mind, improve focus and awareness, boost immune function, improve sleeping patterns, or gain insight into the mental, physical, and emotional habits that are preventing you from living life fully, this course offers a gradual combination of study and practice, individual and group interaction, and personal guidance that will provide a strong foundation to experience the profound change that Zen meditation practice offers.

The fee for this four-week course is $295 and includes:

* Four weekly Sessions for a total of ten hours of class time.
* Small class size (max.8).
* A meditation cushion for each participant to keep.
* Course manual and supplementary materials.
* Teachings and group discussions on core aspects of Zen Practice.
* Peer Support.
* Chanting practice CD and Chant Sheet.
* The opportunity to become a member of the Victoria Zen Centre.


For program information and to register:

Visit our website.

or email office@zenwest.ca

Meditation Retreat for New Meditators

Victoria Vipassana Community 2-day Non Residential Weekend Retreat For New Meditators
with Heather Martin on January 30 & 31, 2010 at Queenswood, 2494 Arbutus Rd., Victoria, BC

This special non-residential weekend retreat is being offered for those new to or unfamiliar with meditation practice. We will meet from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm each day at Queenswood, 2494 Arbutus Rd., Victoria, B.C., on Saturday, January 30 and Sunday, January 31, 2010.

Heather Martin will lead this non-residential weekend meditation retreat. Using a workshop format, she will provide a basic introduction to Mindfulness Meditation (also known as insight or vipassana meditation). The weekend will include periods of instruction, explanation, and practice, with ample opportunity for questions and clarification. Heather will describe both the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of this profound yet simple practice, which benefits us in many immediate ways. You will learn how to reduce the stress and anxiety in which we so often find ourselves, while increasing your well-being and inner calm, and ability to respond appropriately and kindly to each other. This retreat is offered particularly for those new to or unfamiliar with meditation, and for those who have some understanding of the practice, but would like a more thorough foundation.

For details on this retreat please visit: http://victoriavipassana.org

Fearlessness in Uncetain Times

FEARLESSNESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES – The Path of Meditation


The Victoria Shambhala Centre is pleased to offer this program with Acharya Allyn Lyon
Friday November 6 at 7:00p.m. and
Saturday November 7 from 9:00a.m.- 4:30p.m.

New and experienced meditators are invited to join us.
The program fee is $45.00
If you wish to register or have any questions please contact Marni Lalonde by email at marnil@telus.net





ALLYN LYON was appointed an acharya in 2000, after several years serving as Director of Shambhala Mountain Center and in other Shambhala administrative positions. Since then she has been traveling and teaching while creating a home base in Tepotzlan, Mexico, where she is the resident acharya. Her main interest in teaching dharma is the nature of mind and how it functions: "What is mind? How does practice work with mind? What is real?" But if there's a bottom line, Allyn says, "it's that I really enjoy practicing the dharma, teaching and sharing my love of the dharma with students." For more about Acharya Lyon, go to shambhala.org/teachers/acharya/alyon.php.

Contentment in Everyday Life

The Contentment in Everyday Life course is a thorough exploration of mindfulness meditation, delving into the foundational views of the Hinayana Buddhist teachings, and meditation in action for daily life. By acknowledging and understanding the reality of suffering we can open to our inherent goodness and express the qualities of gentleness, appreciation, and fearlessness in our everyday lives.

Five Thursdays -- 7:00 to 9:00 PM from November 19th to December 17th.
The course will be led by Mark Hazell and Jack Lalonde
The fee for the course is $75

To register or get more information email Mark Hazell youthful_moon@hotmail.com

HARDCORE ZEN IN VICTORIA WITH BRAD WARNER - Victoria Zen Centre

Co-sponsored by Victoria Zen Centre and UVic Interfaith Services

Brad Warner is a Zen monk, writer, bass player and film-maker. He wrote the books Hardcore Zen, Sit Down And Shut Up and his latest, Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate. His Zen pedigree, for those who value such things, is that he received Dharma Transmission from Gudo Nishijima Roshi, who received his transmission from Rempo Niwa Roshi who, at the time was the head of the Soto Sect in Japan. He was also a student of Tim McCarthy, who was a student of Kobun Chino Roshi.

Brad will be joining us for three events here in Victoria from November 16-23, 2009.
1. Tuesday November 17, 2009 7pm, Victoria, BC Canada

University of Victoria Interfaith Chapel, Lot #6 UVic Ring Road

Tuesday Zen Open House

Zen meditation and Q&A

The Victoria Zen Centre and UVic Interfaith Services co-sponsor a beginner’s group each week. 3x15 minute sits with a talk in the second one (just 15 minutes). Afterwards there is tea, introductions, and a period of question and response. Brad will do a short talk and field questions.

2. Thursday November 19, 2009 7pm, Victoria, BC Canada

University of Victoria Interfaith Chapel, Lot #6 UVic Ring Road

Public talk

This will be Brad's main talk, and there will be plenty of opportunity for questions. Brad's books will be available for purchase. Fun will be had by all.

There is no cost for this event, however space is limited. If you would like to attend, please contact office@zenwest.ca. Two seats can be reserved per email.

3. Sunday November 22, 2009 6am-5pm

Victoria Zen Centre, Sooke, BC

Members one-day intensive with Brad Warner

Our regular monthly one-day intensive will feature Brad Warner giving the Dharma talk and conducting interviews with members.

Fees for the intensive are $29 for Full Members and $79 for Basic Members. All funds will go to Brad Warner. Space is limited, so register early.

For more information, please contact office@zenwest.ca

Journey without Goal

With Silas Rosenblatt and Jim Sacamano

An introduction to the world of vajrayana Buddhism, the diamond or indestructible vehicle. The idea of indestructibility here is the discovery of indestructible wakefulness, the discovery of our own innate awakened state of mind, or vajra nature. Tantra literally means “continuity” or “thread”. Hinayana, mahayana and vajrayana are a continuous thread of sympathy or sanity, which is never broken. Vajrayana is further and greater expansion. It is the expression of greater sanity and greater sympathy, arising from the practice of hinayana (foundation path) and mahayana (compassion path).

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche


Tuesday evenings 7:30pm t0 8:30pm.
November 17th, 24th, December 1st, 8th and 15th.
Intensive day long practice - December 19th.
Sitting practice begins at 7:00pm.

Shambhala Community Study programs cost: $45 - $75
* (Buddhist studies prerequisites apply)



Victoria Shambhala Meditation Centre
1-2033 Belmont Avenue,Victoria BC. V8R 3Z7.
www.shambhala.org/centers/victoria
Registration: rangdral@yahoo.com