Presented by Durham Dharma www.durhamdharma.org
Sat May 11 & Sun May 12, 2013 – 1:00-3:00pm and 4:00-6:00pm daily
At The Centering Space www.thecenteringspace.ca 59 Cambridge Ave (Broadview & Danforth)
We are extremely fortunate to have Douglas Veenhof returning to Toronto to share his insightful teachings on how to develop shamata, or single-pointed concentration. Friends in Vancouver have been raving about these classes, and now Lama Doug is bringing them here to Toronto! Come and learn how to sharpen up your focus in meditation, or any other pursuit in your life.
Whether your practice is Vipassana, Yoga, prayer, tennis, or enjoying your breakfast, your ability to concentrate your full attention on the present moment of experience is the key to attaining the results you hope for. For 2500 years, Buddhist contemplatives have regarded single-pointed concentration to be as vital to health as food and sleep, and generations of meditators have refined step-by-step techniques for training the mind. In this experiential workshop you will learn proven methods drawn from three meditative traditions that can reverse the fragmenting influence of our multi-tasking, virtual culture on your ability to stay focused on the here and now. These skills can be used in a daily practice to explore the potential of human consciousness as well as to relieve the stress and anxiety of everyday life.
Doug Veenhof is a former mountain guide, an award-winning journalist, and the author of White Lama, the acclaimed biography of Yoga pioneer and Tibet explorer, Theos Bernard (Harmony Books, 2011). He has studied and practiced Buddhism for more than twenty years and graduated with honors from the seven-year program of advanced Buddhist studies at Diamond Mountain, the academy founded by Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally. Known for his broad knowledge of the intersection of Buddhist, Yoga, and scientific traditions, Doug is a frequent guest of radio and television interviewers and a popular teacher at Yoga and Dharma centers throughout North America and Europe.
SESSION 1
• How the quality of your attention creates the world you experience
• Our default state: the uncontrollable infomercial of our ruminating mind
• Unplugging incessant memories of the past and fantasies of the future by training attention to focus moment to moment on the physical sensations of the breath
• The first key to mindfulness: balancing relaxation and clarity.
SESSION 2
• The second key to mindfulness: adding stability and continuity to your attention without losing relaxation and clarity.
• How to notice distractions before you are kidnapped by them and how to infuse your attention with brightness.
• How to make your attention more acute by focusing on more subtle physical sensations.
SESSION 3
• Shifting balanced attention to the space of the mind and its contents.
• How to maintain stillness of awareness while observing the motion of the mind
• The liberating distinction of objective and subjective appearances in the mind
• How mindful attention can get you through the day with peace and grace
SESSION 4
• The space of the mind you discover between thoughts
• What can focused attention reveal about the potential of the human mind?
• Using finely tuned attention to focus on the nature of I and the world
• The keys to establishing a successful daily meditation practice
Full weekend $75, single session $25.
Drop-ins welcome, but registration for entire weekend strongly encouraged.
Email durhamdharma@gmail.com or call 647-692-2995 to register.
Scholarships available – contact doug@douglasveenhof.com for information.
Rhondda Smiley - yoga, meditation & Dharma 