Awakening The Mind, Opening The Heart

twilight_singer

Anybody going to this?


Thursday, 22/6/06, 8:00PM Mahony Hall - The Helix Dublin , Dublin 9, Ireland
Awakening the Mind, Opening the Heart
Public talk by Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, to support the Spiritual Care Centre at Dzogchen Beara.

zag

Yes, I'd be interested.

maitri

Oh, lucky you!
Please tell me/us about it, if you are going (and if you have time). I'd love to hear about what he said!

Regards from far-away-Oslo

and

Maitri.

god's toy

Thinking of this too, it's sounds like fun! Must see if something can be sorted with work and what have you...


Peace out

LukeyJudo22

I'm there like a bear in his underwear!

MalMac

Finding Peace - An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation

Date: Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th July 10:30am - 5pm
Venue: The Dublin Writers Museum, 18 Parnell Square, D1
Suggested Donation: €60
Presenter: Andrew Warr

Andrew Warr
Andrew has been a student of Sogyal Rinpoche since 1984 and began working as a meditation instructor in 1989. In 1991, he moved to Dzogchen Beara in West Cork where he regularly leads retreats and courses. Andrew is a member of a small team of experienced instructors whom Sogyal Rinpoche has empowered to travel internationally and to present his teachings.

Meditation can bring relaxation and freedom from stress. But it is also much more than this. The true purpose of meditation is to awaken in us the sky-like nature of mind, and to introduce us to that which we really are, our unchanging pure awareness, which underlies the whole of life and death. This weekend is an opportunity to learn a simple method of meditation that is at the same time powerful and profound and which can be practiced by anyone. Meditation can bring inner strength, insight, compassion and a deep peace into our lives.

The weekend will include a complete introduction to the practice of meditation based on the teachings of Sogyal Rinpoche. We will look at the posture, method, view, attitude and benefits of meditation as well as ways to integrate this into our everyday lives. We will use video teachings from Sogyal Rinpoche as well as presentations, reflections and discussion. There will be plenty of time to practice meditation.

How to register
You can register on arrival at the event on Saturday morning. However, it would help greatly to have bookings done in advance. To register in advance, download the booking form (PDF Format), print and fill it out and forward along with payment to: Rigpa Dublin, 12 Wicklow Street (3rd Floor), Dublin 2. If you have difficulty with the form, phone the centre on 01-6703358 and leave a message on the answering machine stating you wish to book for the event. Giving your name and telephone number.

Doc Farrell

Howdy!

I went along to this and it was my first buddhist retreat. Last night I wrote about 5000 words on my experience but thankfully I didnt post it as most of it was just the ramblings of a beginner. I saved it though and may reread it in 6 months.

Anyway, this was also my first time meditating with a group. I am used to clearing my mind alone, using the natural world as my focus so the different paths we looked at were a big struggle for me. Using the breath I tried about ten years ago and on and off since then and find it the easiest path by far.

Focusing on a picture of one of the teachers in the Tibetan tradition was very tough, although, because I heard Sogyal Rinpoche speak and laugh I found that his face was the easiest of the bunch! But still an unfamiliar concept to me.

Finally following the mantras was completely new and a shock to me. I would love to get lost in the mountains of an Eastern country and hear those sounds guide me home but I failed completely at the weekend to incorporate them into my meditation. However I enjoy listening to Gregorian chant and shall certainly keep my mind as open as I can to the idea of meditating to the sound of human voices.

The leader of the weekend, Andrew Warr, had a very soft, inviting but formal and intellectual approach to explaining Meditation. Frankly the newest people there, including myself, found it hard going and got a little lost. I found myself explaining to the newest and tetchiest during short group sessions that most importantly was not to worry, not to get caught up with over thinking, with trying too hard. I didn't want to say anything and would have prefered if the most experienced had have joined the least in the groups instead of going off with each other. After all it was an introduction. In fairness, I did notice a couple of the Dublin based people helping the newest during the breaks.

Andrew did explain a huge amount in the last few minutes of the weekend, according to my perspective but unfortunately 6 of the original 10 who were in my group had given up by then, which was a real shame as they were all highly authentic. hopefully I'll see them again.

I would have prefered someone who is a little nuts, a little off the wall, to knock me out of my preconditioned ideas. I understand Andrew leads retreats on the heart of loving kindness which I am absolutely sure he is ideal for but definitely at this stage of my understanding I wanted someone to make faces and shout and laugh at me! If that doesn't sound nuts!

However in the last big screen presentation by the number one man, Sogyal Rinpoche, there was a sentance he said regarding meditation that struck me like a kick in the pants and knocked me out of my frustrated bad sulky mood.

He said that when one had meditated correctly one can feel sometimes feel a sense of 'fearlessness' and 'carefreeness' These were the two words and two feelings I had hoped to experience. The caffeine of emotions that keep the beginner going.

Frankly some of the people from the Rigpa centre in Dublin were the nicest and most inviting that I have met in too many years but I won't name names as I hope to see some of them again!

I have a huge amount to study over the summer but I will be concentrating on understanding very basic ideas for the next few months, like meditation and compassion. I have an easy ability to lose the rag or bully if I want to. Thankfully I haven't in a long time but I want to see if I can control that silliness completely before I allow myself out in public with buddhists!

At one point, just before lunch, a roof garden flat next door lit a barbecue and started opening tins of beer. They could see straight into the room where the meditation was being held. As soon as I saw them I thought 'These tattooed clowns are going to pump up their music and start shouting abuse'.

I was getting furious and could see myself jumping the wall and losing it completely! But the rain started and they retreated back inside and I never heard another word from them. I was annoyed with myself at how, after a day and a half of letting go I was still ready to get stuck in! In front of guests!

Anger and bullying are both forms of being afraid so understanding where that fear comes from and why will be my focus for the moment.

Like some males from a working class background, one's tendancy to be 'on guard' to anyone wasting your time and space, an attitude that causes as much trouble as it stops!

I also want to see if I can pitch a tent somewhere along the coast near Dzogchen Beara for a few days and really lose myself in the sound of the sea. Man, I LOVE absolute natural silence and stillness! It's a drug! Which of course is neither still nor quiet! That'll be my treat to myself this summer.

cheers! des.