Empowering Mindfulness
with Derek Rasmussen & Karen Russell
Sept 12-18
Option 1: Thursday, September 12th to Wednesday, September 18th
Option 2: Mindfulness weekend of Sat/Sun Sept 14-15
You are warmly invited to join us for just the weekend, or for the full six days
The weekend will be in silent retreat with guidance in Mindfulness meditation. The days proceeding and following will include meditations and discussions on ecological and social justice issues and Buddhist and Christian practices that empower us to meet the difficult challenges ahead.
Come immerse yourself in the serenity and vitality of the Dharma Centre and its 400 acres of wilderness. Please join us and share your insights into practices that strengthen.
The Program
Our focus will be on mindful meditations that build calm, compassion, interconnectedness and joy; including:
breathing meditation
walking meditation
the four immeasurables (friendliness, compassion, sympathetic joy, equanimity)
the Beatitudes
the seven factors of awakening
Star Group practice; for healing the planet (recommended by Namgyal Rinpoche)
Holistic Clearing meditation (if time permits)
Medicine Buddha on Sat. Sept 14
Morning (optional) Yoga sessions each day before breakfast
We are interconnected with the ecosystems around us; the vitality of our human and natural communities is fuelled by exchanges of energy in food, water, breath, and sex. Meditations and dharmas of these four essentials of life will be discussed. Calm is our reference for compassionately using these powers.
We feel that this retreat is of particular importance in the lead up to the Global Climate Strike Fri. Sept 20th.
The Teachers:
Derek and Karen attended the three-year Kinmount Seminary and Academy together. Both have done retreats, studied and taught over the ensuing decades. Buddhist and Christian teachings inspire our love of meditation and social and eco-justice activism.
Derek Rasmussen graduated from the three year Buddhist minister's training program at the Kinmount Academy and Seminary, whose faculty included David Bohm, David Peat, Tarchin Hearn, Sonam Senge, Karma Chime Wongmo, Cecilie Kwiat, Sayadaw U Thila Wanta and Namgyal Rinpoche.
Derek co-founded the Alliance for Non-Violent Action (ANVA) and the first Canada-wide East Timor group, co-organized a Toronto-NYC peace walk, and participated in the work of the Cruise Missile Conversion Project. He lived in Iqaluit, Nunavut, for twelve years, working for Inuit organizations, and attended the COP 11 UN Climate Change Conference (2005).
Derek loves to weave humour and storytelling into his regular meditation teaching in Quebec, Ontario, BC, Finland, and the USA. He is currently a PhD candidate at Simon Fraser University.
Karen Russell has been teaching Meditation and Buddhadharma since the late 1980s, after graduating from the three-year program at the Kinmount Academy and Seminary. She has a great love for both Buddhist and Christian teachings with a particular interest in Sanbo Zen International and Vajrayana disciplines, as well as the teachings through the Carmelite Order. Karen has had the great honour of studying and doing retreat work with many teachers from these traditions and draws from them when teaching. Astronomy, Art and Poetry also play a big role her teaching. Karen’s daily life has long been dedicated to working and being involved with assisting people in many of society’s difficult struggles. During the past 5 years she was dedicated to the care of her mom who had Alzheimer’s and gained vast insight into the working of Ontario’s social care system.
Important Details
Rates: Non-members: $725, Members: $650.
Rates include: Single accommodation and all meals. They do not include instructor fees. Lisa is sharing her experience within the traditional Buddhist understanding of Dana.
What is Dana?: Teachers give the Dharma freely so that anyone, no matter their financial means can attend classes. Each time one receives teachings, it is an opportunity to consciously practice generosity. Giving money and other means of support expresses gratitude and support to the teacher and helps to ensure that these teachings continue. Each person receiving Dharma teachings determines the kind and amount of Dāna according to one's heart and one’s financial means. When deciding how much to offer, one should think about what these teachings mean to you and try to give accordingly. It is recommended that students make an offering of dāna at the beginning of a class or retreat to establish the intention to make the most of this opportunity for one’s own progression and for the benefit of all others.
Payment: Payment can be made to the Dharma Centre of Canada by credit card, cheque or e-transfer. Please call us, toll free, if you need information on making a payment at 1 866 266 0966 or email: info@dharmacentre.com. Full payment is due 10 days prior to the start of a retreat or course. A 50% deposit is required to hold your space for an upcoming retreat.