Zen and Art Retreat
with multiple instructors
Art as an invitation to meditations
Art as an inspiration for a spiritual inquiry.
Meditation for artists.
Exploring our creativity and courage.
Building a nourishing community of friends.
Suitable for beginners and teachers.
Silence is to be practised whenever in the Dharma Hall.
Friday schedule begins at 7pm with first Dharma talk that evening at 7:30. Monday morning schedule is the same. Retreat ends with lunch on Monday.
Friday evening – Introduction to Zen meditation and the vision for Art and Zen project (Dragan) Saturday morning – Art session 1 Bill: Zen Drawing and Intimacy
Saturday afternoon – Art session 2 Heather: Ink Drawing and Spontaneous Awareness
Saturday evening – Brief Dharma Talk and open discussion (Dragan)
Sunday morning – Art session 3 Stan: Make Art Where You Are
Sunday afternoon – Art session 4 Lisa: What is Embodied Emptiness?
Sunday evening – Brief Dharma talk and open discussion (Dragan)
Monday morning – Art session 5 Open Studio
Instructors
Dragan Petrovic is an authorized Zen teacher in the Mountain Moon lineage of the Sanbo-Zen tradition. He was born in Yugoslavia (now Croatia) and arrived in Canada in 1993 as a refugee during the civil war. He has over thirty years of meditation experience. He has completed koan training under his master Sei’un Roshi. He has over fifteen years of teaching experience. His teaching name is Seki’un.
Stan Krzyzanowski is an artist and a retired art teacher living in Toronto. He has been practicing Zen meditation since 2002. Stan likes to watch water freeze and ice melt. You can see some of his work at
http://www.torontozendo.ca/stan/art_practice/links_for_ken.html
Bill Tomlinson is an artist who has been practising Zen for more than 50 years, beginning in the early 1970’s in Japan under Yamada Kôun Roshi. He is now an authorized Zen teacher, currently leading a sangha in Belleville, Ontario.
Bill has been teaching art to teenagers and adults since his graduation in 1981 from the Ontario College of Art, now OCADU. He sees drawing as an act of love, a way of finding intimacy with the world around us, and as an instructor he emphasizes the sense of touch as equal in importance to vision. His recent drawings and watercolour sketches can be seen on his Instagram page, “williamtomlinsonpainter”.
Heather Rigby M.F.A.
Heather Rigby is a practicing inter-disciplinary artist with a long-standing focus on the Empowerment of the Body through Art. As a teenager she began practicing Yoga, and over the years this expanded into Tai Chi, flourishing into Qi Gong/FeldenKrais and the meditative life. She has studied with Rinzai Zen Master, Nanrei Kobori Sensei (Ryosenan Temple/Dai Towku- Ji Monastery, Kyoto Japan), Vipassana (Mindfulness Training) with Namgyal Rinpoche and Chorpal Drolma and Tibetan Karma Karghu practices with a number of highly accomplished Tibetan-based Lamas. Her interest in the meditative life has taken her to many parts of the world including Japan, Tibet, India, Burma and Brazil. Heather’s current research continues to combine her meditative investigations with her Interdisciplinary art practice.
MORE INFO heatherrigbyartist.com
LISA COWEN
Lisa grew up studying with Namgyal Rinpoche directly as a child and young adult, and has continued on as a student of other great Dharma teachers since then. She has undertaken meditation retreats and intensive courses of study for about 25 years ranging broadly from Abhidharma to Vajrayana Yidam practices, and from Tarot to Dzogchen.
In addition to a passion for awakening, Lisa has specialized in Art and studied Psychotherapy.
She is the mother of a son who loves lego and minecraft, the custodian of an epic and rather wild vegetable garden, a working artist in the film industry, and a core founder of the Virtual Dharma Temple. She lives in Hamilton, Ontario.
Previously Lisa offered courses at the DCC such as Intro to Mindfulness, and Intro to Silent Retreat Practice, and continues a commitment to offering an accessible blend of the so-called transcendental and the so-called ordinary.
Important Details
When: Aug 2-5, 2024
Please plan to arrive between 3-5pm on the first day. The retreat will begin with a property orientation at 5:30pm followed by a light supper and the first evening class and will finish after lunch on the final day.
Rates: non-members: $434 members: $395 (course materials of $20 included)
(To find out how to become a member please visit our membership page)
Rates include: Single accommodation and all meals. They do not include instructor fees. Teachers are sharing their experience within the traditional Buddhist understanding of Dana. To understand more about Dana, please read the following:
What is Dana? Teachers give the teachings of awakening (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.
Deposit: A 50% deposit is required to hold your space upon registration.
Cancellation policy:
All cancellation are subject to a fee of $100. These funds will support other low income practitioner (Practitioner Support Fund).
Loss of 50% of deposit if cancel within 14 days ( = 25% of the retreat cost) – Funds to go into the Renewal Project (Buildings Renewal Fund)