Contacts


Retreat Opportunities

The Vital Breath

Vajra Yogini and Mahamudra Retreat

Rossland Retreats

The Vital Breath

January 14th to February 5th, 2005

A meditation retreat with Mark Webber (Lama Yongdu)
hosted by Crystal Mountain

This retreat emphasizes the awareness of the unity of breath and energy, leading to more vitality and reveals the natural vividness and openness of mind. This practice of developing breath will support a final week of insight practice in the tradition of Mahamudra.

Janice Oakley (250) 539 3389
Helen Foster (250) 539 2713
[email protected]
www.crystalmountain.org

www.markwebber.org

Course Description

The Vital Breath: Unfolding Tranquillity (Samatha) & Insight (Vipassana) through awareness of breath.

This retreat emphasizes the awareness of the unity of breath and energy, leading to more vitality and reveals the natural vividness and clarity of mind. The awareness of breath-energy-mind will support a final week of insight practice in the tradition of Mahamudra. The retreat combines meditations to unfold “tranquillity and calm” with deeper seeing of mind and phenomena, leading to “insight.” The contemplation of breath is an extraordinary journey into all aspects of life, encompassing all energy exchange, nutriment, mental and physical states and interconnectedness of all life forms. There will be energy balancing and awareness exercises from western and eastern traditions.

Course fees are $10 per day plus donations/Dana to the Teacher.
Galiano Island is located in the spectacular Gulf Islands of British Columbia.
Accommodation is available. Please inquire.

Janice Oakley (250) 539 3389
Helen Foster (250) 539 2713
[email protected]
www.crystalmountain.org
www.markwebber.org


Vajra Yogini and Mahamudra Retreat

February 9th to February 20th at the Dharma Centre of Canada

(note: the Vajra Yogini practice is open to those who have completed 100,000 mantras of a peaceful Tantric meditation Deity. Individually guided retreats with Mark are also available.)

Mark Webber (Lama Yongdu) has been requested to lead a retreat on the meditative practice of Vajra Yogini. Vajra Yogini is a female meditation deity (Yidam), an embodiment of the full awakening, of the highest yoga class, the union of skillful method and wisdom. It is also traditionally practiced as Guru Yoga. It leads to profound realizations of the union of bliss and emptiness, and a speedy method of cutting through any impediments to compassionate liberation. Lama Yongdu will begin the retreat with an Empowerment of Vajra Yogini, in the form of Naropa’s Dakini. Each day there will be a class clarifying aspects of the practice, unified with teachings on Mahamudra (Vipassana, as taught in the Vajrayana tradition), a two hour session of continuum of awareness practice*, and morning and evening pujas (group practice).

  • A two-hour session that assists in balancing the subtle channels and winds and brings about a continuum of awareness of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.

Rossland Retreats, October to December 2005

It is never too early to notify all of you about the Rossland Retreats for October to December 2005. There was a wonderful collection of people who came to Rossland to stay in Mark’s home and meditate and receive personal instruction daily. It was really a positive experience for the meditators and the response was such that I thought it necessary to send out an email early to allow people ample time to respond. Although most of the retreaters were from out of town it was great to see local people beginning to come for retreats and teaching. Space is limited in Mark’s house. Currently we have one room available which we have dedicated for retreaters. We have another room that has a fireplace that we can use for more short term retreaters. We did have a situation where we had some over bookings, so depending on numbers we may want to consider renting a house locally. So letting us know intentions for retreat early can help us plan accordingly.

Topics of public teaching will be announced in the next few months. However, Mark found that he was really responding to individual needs both publicly and for those in retreat; therefore the schedule of subjects to be taught will be quite flexible.

The cost to stay here is $9 per day for food. Accommodation is by donation which is suggested anywhere from $20 a day to $100’s a day depending on personal generosity. Mark does not wish to turn anyone away because of finances and wishes to make the teaching and retreats available to all. Dana to the teacher is an additional support for Namgyal Dzong (retreat house in Rossland) and Mark’s living expenses.

warm wishes , Jamie van Dam