GETTING STARTED IN BUDDHIST MEDITATION PRACTISE
Oprah and every CEO in North America are meditating. Mindfulness meditation is everywhere on the Internet, in schools, in the workplace. Much of this is snake-oil, or at least profoundly diluted practices….minimal, monetized slivers of what the Buddha really taught.
This program has been created for those who seek direct access to authentic meditation practises, practises that have been transmitted accurately down through twenty-eight hundred years. We will investigate the fundamental teachings of the Buddha, undiluted, but presented in a way that is both accessible, authentic, and practical.
The Buddha was not a Buddhist: He was not a magical thinker. He is said to have said “I analyse, I don’t philosophize.” This will be the theme and feeling tone of the program. His early teachings – The Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path, Metta (Loving Kindness), and Mindfulness of In-Out Breathing will be examined for their relations ship to The Buddha’s pithy ‘mission statement’: “I teach Dukkha (suffering) and the down-going of Dukkha.”
Through Dharma talks and selected readings we will investigate a handful of core meditational practices that were developed, refined, and embellished by wise, compassionate beings across three millennia. And we will test their utility by practicing together and through daily discussions and Q&A sessions. In short, we will learn how to establish a successful and fulfilling daily meditation practice….no snake-oil involved.
Lama Gerry Kopelow (Gyurme Dorje)
Gerry Kopelow is the founder and resident teacher of the Dharma Centre of Winnipeg. He studied a variety of Buddhist practices years with his main teacher, the Venerable Karma Tenzin
Dorje Namgyal Rinpoche. The Dharma Centre of Winnipeg was established by Lama Gerry on instructions from Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche and has been in operation for twenty years. Three years ago Lama Gerry established the Rural Dharma Centre, a rustic retreat property, on sixty acres of poplar forest approximately thirty kilometers east of Winnipeg.
Lama Gerry is an internationally published author, lecturer, and photographer. His textbooks on photography are distributed world-wide. He has lectured and delivered workshops for a variety of institutions, including the University of Winnipeg, the University of Florida, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the American Institute of Architects. He has lectured at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he was invited to establish a continuing-education professional development program.
ABOUT THE PHOTO
From Lama Gerry:
“ I made this photo early on in my photography career - I was about fifteen years old. Fifty-seven years later it remains one of my favourites. I discovered why a few years into my Dharma education when I encountered the following Zen parable:
A monk was traveling across a field and he encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger chasing after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed and snarled at him from above. Trembling and hanging there, the monk looked down to where, far below, a second tiger was waiting for him to fall, to eat him.
Then out of a crevice in the cliff two mice, one white and one black, appeared and little by little they started to gnaw away at the vine. The monk noticed a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. Delicious! How sweet it tasted! “
This retreat is offered at no charge, but, in the traditional way, dana for the teacher is gratefully accepted. (eTransfer email for Lama Gerry is gkphoto@yahoo.com.)
ONLINE RETREAT RATES:
The Dharma Centre of Canada is hosting a number of online retreats to support ongoing access to Dharma Teachings during this challenging time. In order to offset administrative costs we ask for a suggested fee of:
$25 per day
Any fee below or above the suggested amounts. We are grateful for all your support.
More Information about Dharma Centre of Canada Online Retreats can be found here: https://www.dharmacentre.org/online-program-2022