Zenwest: October workshops & courses

Zenwest is offering a special workshop on compassionate communication in October, as well as two courses:

Compassionate Communication
with Ven. Daitetsu Hull

Saturday, October 5, 9:00-4:00 PM
Kokizan-ji (Red Flag Mountain Temple) in Sooke
Open to all

Bring a bag lunch. The cost is $75 for the day. Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Please contact registrar@zenwest.ca to register.

Speaking Freely

It’s easy to feel frustrated about communication in your relationships with family, partner, friends, and co-workers. For many of us, no matter how carefully we try to speak we find we still encounter conflicts and misunderstandings.

This workshop will offer a different way to communicate, based on the tools of Compassionate Communication (also called Non-Violent Communication, or NVC). This approach is effective and open hearted, direct and compassionate. Each of us will be challenged to be honest, open, and courageous. You don’t have to be a genius to attend this workshop, but you do have to be brave.

The day will include an overview of the work, some teaching, and then a chance to practice with real live challenges drawn from the participants lives. We can only learn so much by understanding concepts. When we actually experience something directly for ourselves we can deeply know and integrate it.

In the workshop you will:

• Learn an effective, compassionate, and direct way of communicating.
• Begin to transform your inner dialogue from one of judgment and blame to one of understanding and connection.
• Enjoy a safe space to work with issues in your relationships and see them in a new way.
• Gain insight about how meditation practice can support you in creating more peace and connection in your relationships.

Ven. Daitetsu’s Bio:

Daitetsu Hull graduated Lewis & Clark College with a BA in Psychology in 1994. He spent the next six years travelling overseas, teaching English in both Venezuela and Japan. In 2000 he entered residential training with Chozen and Hogen Bays, and was ordained as a Zen priest in 2003. Daitetsu lived and trained at Great Vow Zen Monastery under these two teachers from September of 2000 through September 2013. Daitetsu has been attending meditation retreats with the Zen teacher Genjo Marinello, Osho in Seattle since 2009. In addition to his Zen practice, Daitetsu has a passion for tools that maintain psychological health and skillful communication. To that end he has been receiving training in Compassionate Communication (also called Non-Violent Communication or NVC) since 2003 and in Voice Dialogue since 2005.

Intensive Preparation

Saturday mornings, 9:00-11:30 AM
October 12 & 19, 2013
Kokizan-ji (Red Flag Mountain Temple) in Sooke
Open to Zenwest Members 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 Zenwest, the course fee is included as part of membership dues. For Basic and Distance members the course fee is $95. Course fees includes a course manual and materials.

For more information, or to register, please visit the Intensive Preparation course page.

Fundamentals of Zen Practice

Wednesday evenings, 7:30-9:30 PM
October 2, 9, 23, and 30, 2013 (no class Oct 16)
Kokizan-ji (Red Flag Mountain Temple) in Sooke
Open to Zenwest Members 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:

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

For Full members of Zenwest, the course fee is included as part of membership dues. For Basic and Distance members the course fee is $295. Course fees includes a course manual.

For more information, or to register, please visit the Fundamentals of Zen course page.

Questions? Email registrar@zenwest.ca

Daoist Qigong Levels 1, 2 and 3

with Eva Wong

October 5th—October 13th

Date details +

•   

Room: Nanaimo and Victoria

The Victoria Shambhala Centre and the Canadian Tai Chi Academy, Nanaimo Branch are pleased to sponsor this teaching visit by Eva Wong. Eva will teach Daoist Qigong Levels 1 and 2 in Nanaimo on October 5–6 and Level 3 at the Victoria Shambhala Centre on October 11–13. The program in Nanaimo is open to all—no previous experience is necessary.

Cultivate strength of body and calmness of mind through the healing Taoist practice of qigong. Take this rare opportunity to receive instruction in two unique lineages, the Pre-celestial Limitless Gate School (Xiantianwujimen) and the Yiquan School, neither of which have previously been fully transmitted to students in the West.

Xiantianwujimen was founded in the Song dynasty (circa 10th to 12th centuries) by Taoist sage Chen Xiyi, who is recognized as “the father of qigong.” This lineage specializes in using qigong techniques to build the foundation for sitting meditation.

The Yiquan School was founded by Wang Xiangzhai in the early 20th century. Yiquan is most well-known for its standing qigong postures called Zhangzhuan, which are designed to still the mind while simultaneously gathering and circulating internal energy.

In Level 1, students will be in instructed in various techniques of outer and inner qigong. Outer qigong is concerned with strengthening the muscular-skeletal system—joints, muscles, tendons, bones, and spinal column. It includes techniques of tendon changing, marrow washing, self-massage, and calisthenics. Inner qigong is concerned with nourishing the internal organs and cultivating qi, or internal energy. Students will learn Chen Xiyi’s sleeping and walking qigong and Wang Xiangzhai’s standing qigong.

In Level 2, students will learn the Nine Self-Massage Technique and the Twelve Devas Tendon-changing system in their entirety. The Self-Massage Technique focuses on stimulating the meridians and acupuncture points and the Twelve Devas forms focus on recovering flexibility, strength, and softness in the tendons and muscles. In addition, students will continue to learn new forms of Wang Xiangzhai’s standing qigong that are designed to preserve, gather, and circulate internal energy.

In Level 3 students will learn:

•  Hua Tu’s Five Animals Calisthenics and tendon-changing Techniques. The five animal forms covered are tiger, bear, deer, monkey, and bird. The tiger form trains tendon strength, the bear form trains bone strength, the deer form focuses on preserving generative energy, the monkey form trains agility, and the bird form trains balance.


•  Part 1 of the Immortals’ Guide to Self Massage and Breath regulation. This system combines self-massage and breath control to facilitate the conservation and circulation of internal energy.

•  
Part 1 of Chen Xiyi’s Red Phoenix Calisthenics System. This system combines tendon-changing, calisthenics, self-massage, and breath regulation. Originated in the 11th century, the Red Phoenix Calisthenics is unique to Xiantianwujimen qigong. 
Both sets are used to familiarize the practitioner with different forms of breath control to open blockages in the meridians, align the spinal column for circulation of qi from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, and enhance tendon, bone, and muscular strength. Both forms have not been taught outside of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China.

•  Four more standing qigong postures from Wang Xiangzhai’s Yiquan System

Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for Level 1, the prerequisite for Level 2 is completion of Level 1, and taking both Levels 1 and 2 is recommended. The prerequisite for Level 3 is completion of Levels 1 and 2. Students are also expected to understand that they should not teach any form of Xiantianwujimen or Yiquan Qigong without permission from Eva Wong.

Schedule:

•  Level 1 in Nanaimo: Saturday, October 5, 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM

•  Level 2 in Nanaimo: Sunday, October 6, 9:00 AM –  6:00 PM

•  Level 3 in Victoria: Thursday, October 10, 7:00 – 8:00 PM (refresher); Friday, October 11, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM (opening talk); Saturday, October 12, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, and 7:30 – 9:30 PM (mandatory evening session—required text: Nourishing the Essence of Life: The Outer, Inner, and Secret Teachings of Taoism, by Eva Wong); and Sunday, October 13, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Required reading: Nourishing the Essence of Life: The Outer, Inner, and Secret Teachings of Taoism, by Eva Wong. Copies will be available at the programs.

Prices: $200.00 for either program; $300.00 for both programs ($150.00 for each); half price for students repeating the programs. A 50% deposit is requested to hold a place in a program.

About Eva Wong: Eva Wong is author and translator of 13 books on the Taoist arts of health, meditation and qigong. She is the 19th-generation lineage carrier of Xiantianwujimen Taoism (Pre-celestial Limitless Gate School of Taoism) and 3rd-generation student of Wang Xiangzhai, founder of Yiquan martial arts and Zhangzhuan (standing qigong). Eva is also a lineage holder of the Hsüan-k’ung (Mysterious Subtleties) school of traditional Chinese feng-shui as well as a practitioner of the San-yüan (Three Periods) and San-ho (Three Combinations) schools. She is offering these programs at Shambhala Centres at the request of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.

Registration:

To register for Levels 1 and 2, please send registration information and payment to: Canadian Tai Chi Academy, Nanaimo Branch, 1555 Scarlet Hill Rd, Nanaimo, BC V9T 1J2. Click here to learn more.

To register for Level 3, please use the “Click Here to Register” button below, or send registration information and payment to: Victoria Shambhala Meditation Centre, 1-2033 Belmont Ave, Victoria, BC V8R 3Z7

Questions? Contact Charles Blackhall at charles108@telus.net.

Beginners Meditation Drop- in

New to Meditation?

Unsure where to start or want to learn how to meditate in the Insight Meditation tradition?

Monthly Introductory Sessions will be held at

Lynn Wylie-Helga Beer Yoga Studio

#202 1600 Bay St. (use Shakespeare St entrance):
Street parking on Bay Street.


-Sunday October 6th  , 5:30 – 6:30 pm

-Sunday November 3rd, 5:30 – 6:30 pm

-Sunday December 1st, 5:30 – 6:30 pm

Drop in; no preregistration required.


This session is open to absolute beginners, those new to Insight Meditation or those wanting a refresher course.  There will be short periods of practice and time for questions and answers.

Brock Brown or Margo McLoughlin, Community Dharma Leaders will lead the session.

There is no charge to attend but you are welcome to make a  donation to help cover the associated costs.

Sponsored by the Victoria Insight Meditation Society

www.VictoriaIMS.org

September Zenwest events and announcements

Pilgrimage - September 15

 
Pilgrimage is a sacred practice in many traditions, including Zen Buddhism. Join us for a day to experience the deep silence and companionship that develops on this one-day pilgrimage. The route from downtown Victoria, to Kokizan-ji (Red Flag Mountain Temple) in Sooke is approximately 36km and begins at 8am, so bring good shoes, a good lunch, plenty of water, and a walking stick helps. If you plan to take part please contact Ven. Eshu at eshu@zenwest.ca

Osho Ceremony - September 28

On Saturday September 28, 2013 Ven. Eshu will be acknowledged as an Osho by Ven. Genjo Marinello, Osho of Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Ji in a ceremony to be held at the UVic Interfaith Chapel at 3:30pm. Everyone is welcome to attend this ceremony, which is a celebration not only of Ven. Eshu, but of the entire community that has been built here on Vancouver Island, and indeed the Zenwest Sangha around the world.

Genjo Osho describes the ceremony:

"Osho is the Japanese Zen word for temple priest so this is a ceremony acknowledging and affirming Eshu Martin as a temple priest and Dharma Teacher. This is not the same as Dharma Transmission which may come after years of additional training. As an acknowledged temple priest, Eshu will have the authority to give Dharma talks, do one on one Dharma interviews and ordain priests in training (Unsui in Japanese). Eshu has been in acting in this capacity already so this ceremony is more of a celebration and acknowledgment of this fact. At the ceremony, Eshu will re-affirm the Four Great Bodhisattva Vows, give himself more fully to the Three Treasures, re-commit to the Ten Precepts, and do prostrations to the Rinzai/Hakuin Dharma lineage. He will receive various articles signifying the affirmation of Eshu as Osho, including an extension to his Dharma Name, brown robes, red Japanese fan, long Buddhist prayer beads, and a staff. He will then give a brief Dharma Talk on a subject of his choice. Following this there will be a reception to celebrate this event."

The ceremony will be followed by a reception potluck at the Oaklands Community Centre at 5:30-9:00pm.

Several guest priests will be in attendance, and it will be a rare opportunity for everyone to enjoy the company of experienced practitioners and teachers from many traditions.

Kokizan-ji Hermitage Project

 
 

Our Kokizan-ji (Red Flag Mountain Temple) Hermitage project is under way! Working with local talent, designers, builders and artisans in our own community, we continue to make Zen come alive by offering more and more opportunities for Zen practice available right here on Vancouver Island.

Our vision is to create small hermitage buildings, with just enough room to sleep 2 for short term visitors or students at Zenwest.

The initial fundraising for the first hermitage building was a huge success, and now the real work of taking it from vision to reality begins!


There is no Zenwest Work Day scheduled in the month of September (given the number of other events this month), but there are many small jobs to do in order to prepare Red Flag Mountain Temple for the building. Ven. Eshu will be working away at it all month, so if you have a few hours that you would be willing to dedicate this month to helping get things ready, please contact Ven. Eshu eshu@zenwest.ca

Some jobs include:

• Bucking some downed trees
• Splitting and stacking firewood (we have an electric splitter)
• General bush clearing and piling for burning/chipping

If anyone has, or knows somebody that has access to a mini-excavator, please let Ven. Eshu know, as this would be a big help as we prepare and level the area before construction. 

For more information about this project, see
http://zenwest.ca/latest-news/100-hermitage

Victoria Zen Centre: Intensive Preparation course

Saturday mornings, 9:00-11:30 AM
June 15 & 22, 2013
Victoria Zen Centre – Sooke, BC

Open to VZC Members who have completed the Orientation to Zen and 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. Course fees includes a course manual and materials.

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

Miksang at the Victoria Shambhala-Buddhist Centre

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

TRUE EXPRESSION 

A SPECIAL SUMMER RETREAT 

WITH 

ZEN TEACHER 

AWARD-WINNING POET 
AND WRITING TEACHER 

PETER LEVITT

For the first time in his forty years as a poet, writer, translator of poetry and major Buddhist texts, as well as a much loved teacher of writing and creativity, Peter Levitt, 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.”

Known for his gentleness, understanding, humour and warmth, Peter’s creativity workshops have helped people to discover authentic expression in writing, painting and other arts since the mid 1970’s. Authorised to teach as part of the Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki-roshi, (author of the classic Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind) Peter has lead meditation retreats 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

**A gentle offering of Daily Yoga will be let by master Yoga teachers from the Victoria community.

***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.

 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

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

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.

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

                               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.

AUTUMN ZEN RETREAT ON SALT SPRING ISLAND

-->

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 Autumn 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, October 31st, and ends at 3:00 PM on Sunday, November 3rd.

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 coeditor, with Kazuaki Tanahashi, of The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master.

  

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 Steward, Judith Daylen, at 250-537-2061. Judith may also be reached at jdaylen@gmail.com. You may also fill out the registration form online here or by going to http://saltspringzencircle.org/

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.

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.

 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      

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