Schedule of Teachings

June 24-July 2, 2011
Nyingma Summer Seminar

Phuntsok Choling

Ward, Colorado

Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel will give two talks during NSS, the nine-day public program of study and practice taught by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. The program introduces the progressive stages of the path, which can be categorized into the three yanas or vehicles: the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. This year the program will be taught through Padampa Sangye's Hundred Verses of Advice, with commentary by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Read more on the Nyingma Summer Seminar

July 5-6, 2011 (evenings)
Finding Your Way into True Practice

Vajravidya

Portland, Maine

On the spiritual path we encounter so many meditation techniques. We may sit in lotus position, recite mantras, visualize deities, or watch our breath. These techniques support the practice and can help focus the mind. And yet, we may notice that it is possible to do all these techniques without truly engaging in practice at all.

In this program, Elizabeth will guide us through an inquiry into the meaning of practice: What does it mean to truly practice? How do we discern the difference between when we are practicing and when we are not? In each moment, how do we choose freedom over confusion? How do we make practice a living experience? More information.

July 8-9, 2011
Finding Your Way into True Practice

Pema Osel Do Ngak Choling

Vershire, Vermont

In three talks, Elizabeth will guide us through an inquiry into the meaning of practice: What does it mean to truly practice? How do we discern the difference between when we are practicing and when we are not? In each moment, how do we choose freedom over confusion? How do we make practice a living experience? This exploration will be enhanced by lively question-and-response sessions.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Friday
First Talk: 6:00-8:30 pm

Saturday

Opening prayers and sitting: 8:30-9:30 am
Second Talk: 10:00-12:00
Lunch: 12:00-1:30
Sitting: 1:30-2:00
Third talk: 2:00-4:00
Closing prayers: 4:00

Note: we're having tech difficulties with our store. Please call Pema Osel to register - 802 333 4521.

July 11th 2011
Looking Into the World: Distrust as the Basis for Certitude

Shambhala Center of Boston

Brookline, Massachusetts

In his poem "Looking Into the World," Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche describes the need to develop a strong "distrust" in life and relationships. Contemplating the unreliability of things is the foundation of the Buddhist path and serves an important purpose in the process of awakening. Why does distrust free us? How does it serve as the basis for the certitude that develops on the path? Elizabeth will share her inquiry into these very questions. Her programs are known for clearing up confusion and lively, interactive dialogues. More Information.

July 28th 2011
Healing vs. Fixing

Shambhala Center of Bellingham

Bellingham, Washington

Fixing and healing are two different ways we relate to suffering and challenges in life. Often, we try to fix our lives through trying to get rid of anguish, illness or difficult circumstances. Healing, on the other hand, challenges us to develop a sane relationship to suffering, rather than trying to live around it. In the process of healing we discover that the world around us, including our physical bodies and emotional life, are dynamic and expressive and never reach a final state of peaceful equilibrium. We learn that when we stop trying to push away pain, we open to a bigger, more emboldened way of being in life. In this way, healing requires us to participate in the unraveling of our own personal mystery. In this talk, author, Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, will address how this perspective of fixing and healing supports a practical understanding of working with life and its challenges. More information.

July 29th - 31st 2011
Nalanda West, Seattle, Washington
Living in the Heart of the Human Predicament

How do we find a resting place amid change and unpredictability? This deeply human question cuts to the core of spiritual practice. The Buddha grappled with this very question: he wanted to find a way beyond the suffering of the human condition. What he discovered is that this predicament is not a fixable situation. Instead, our deepest intelligence, compassion and courage lay at the heart of the human dilemma, and there is no greater practice for the modern-day bodhisattva than this journey of discovery. More information.

August 1st 2011
The Practice of Bearing Witness

Shambhala Center of Portland

Portland, Orgeon

These days many people say that they often feel overwhelmed by the suffering in the world, let alone their own personal pain. We all have ways in which we turn away from life when we feel that the world is too painful, or complicated or even beautiful for us. The practice of bearing witness - which lies at the heart of all true spiritual practice - is a freeing, emboldening and poignant approach to life that reveals to us that we are big enough for our world. More information.

August 4th 2011
The Power of an Open Question

Shambhala Center of Denver

Denver, Colorado

The Power of an Open Question refers to the Buddha's inquiry and where it led him. And it also refers to our own personal path and our ability to stay open in the face of complexity. We often associate not-having-an-answer with ignorance or a state of immobilized intelligence. But think about it: when you ask a question the mind has not shut down around a conclusion, and yet it fully engages life. The questioning mind is an ignorance free-zone of sorts because it protects from doubt or fundamentalism, stupidity or pedanticism. We find in the mind of wonderment, a way of being that releases our deepest intelligence. More information.

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