Category Archives: Meditation

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.
 

While most of what’s on this site are Dharma, yoga and meditation events in and around the Greater Toronto Area, this is a very special event that begs to be shared.

Join Three Jewels Vancouver from March 15 to March 24 (a 4 day option of March 15-18th is also available) on a Shamatha retreat in Squamish, British Columbia led by popular teacher and author Douglas Veenhof.

For over 2,500 years, Buddhist meditators have considered developing single-pointed concentration as the prerequisite for progress on the path to liberating wisdom. Shamatha is that step-by-step progression of meditative techniques for training our unruly and drowsy minds to be perfectly attentive to the present moment of experience.

The enthusiastic response to his weekend intensive at Three Jewels Vancouver last fall inspired them to create a retreat with all the support, instruction, and inspiration needed to make a leap in the stability and clarity of your attentional skills.

Douglas 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. He has been interviewed on both radio and television and is currently at work on a new book examining his own spiritual experiences in light of contemporary theories of consciousness.

The retreat is intimate (maximum 25 students), and whether you are just beginning to meditate or are a long-time practitioner looking for the keys to go deeper, this is a great opportunity to learn, ask questions, and enrich your practice.

Early bird tickets are now available via Eventbrite. http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/5226757372#

And keep your eyes peeled for a visit by Lama Doug to Toronto later this spring….

Saturday, December 1 from noon-3pm

Are you looking to start a daily practice, but don’t know where to start? Have you tried in the past but found yourself unable to keep it going?

Join me for a fun afternoon where we will cover 9 practices to create a framework for a daily spiritual practice. Put any or all of them to use immediately for more sanity, balance and happiness. You will leave knowing how to start – and better yet – maintain a daily practice.

Includes 2 guided meditations. No experience required – bring your beginners mind!

Offered by donation – what you can give happily. Meeting in a private residence near Broadview & Danforth. Call 416-523-9542 or smileymadsen@yahoo.ca for directions.