Winter Month long retreat on Vancouver Island

Winter Dathün

Meditation Retreat in the Pacific Northwest at Camp Pringle, Shawnigan Lake, Vancouver Island, B.C.

Dec. 8, 2007–Jan.5, 2008, with John Osajima

Dathün is a one-month residential meditation retreat designed for both beginning meditators and those wishing to deepen their practice. The focus will be the mindfulness-awareness practices of the Shambhala Buddhist tradition. Included will be group sitting and walking meditation, private interviews with qualified meditation instructors, talks and contemplation. Reflecting the particular training of the director, this dathün will include various mind and body awareness exercises. There will be a short work session each day. Meals will be taken in Zen oryoki style. Periods of silence and functional talking will be observed.

Everyone is encouraged to attend the full dathün. However, if that is not possible, you're invited to come for one, two or three weeks.

John Osajima, a student in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition for 31 years, is a senior teacher and former head meditation instructor at the Berkeley Shambhala Center. He served as a meditation instructor for four dathüns and at several Meditation Instructor training programs. He regularly teaches Shambhala Training programs and the Maitri Space Awareness Program. He conducts Dharma Art workshops and classes in various settings. For several years John conducted weekly meditation classes at a County jail, a methadone clinic and at a half-way house for women.

Mahamudra Retreat

Camp Pringle, December 15–29, 2007, with Scott Wellenbach

The nature of mind teachings, known as Mahamudra in the Kagyu tradition, are considered the heart essence of all the teachings. Gampopa describes the path of mahamudra as the "single remedy that cures all." The Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche says that "if you recognize your mind's nature, that, in itself, is the recognition of everything else that is to be known." During this two-week Mahamudra retreat, guided by the seminal mahamudra text Pointing Out the Dharmakaya by Wangchuk Dorje, Karmapa IX, we will practice shamatha and vipashyana mahamudra to clarify and stablize our experience of the nature of mind.

Scott Wellenbach is a student of the Vidyadhara, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. As a member of the Nalanda Translation Committee he was a principal translator and editor of the mahamudra text, Pointing Out the Dharmakaya. He is also a co-director of Nitartha Institute, with particular responsibilty for translation projects. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Scott will be in residence from December 15 - 29.

Students and seniors (60 and older) receive a 10% discount.

To register, visit www.nelsonbuddha.com/dathun Phone: (604) 520-7611 e-mail: tyrunkle@telus.net