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Amitayus Retreat

February 4 @ 9:00 am - February 5 @ 4:15 pm

Amitayus Retreat Feb 4th-5th @Losang Dragpa Kadampa Buddhist Meditation Centre 

On this weekend retreat we have the opportunity to increase our lifespan, merit and wisdom, through the special meditation practice of Buddha Amitayus. Our human life is our most precious possession because it gives us the opportunity to improve ourselves and attain the supreme happiness of enlightenment. We therefore need a long and healthy life. To engage successfully in spiritual practice we also need wisdom, as well as the merit or good fortune that gives our mind the strength to support the growth of inner realizations. Amitayus is the Buddha of long life, merit, and wisdom. By engaging in Amitayus practice, we can develop these qualities and eventually attain the deathless state of enlightenment. We can also use this practice to help remove obstacles endangering the lives of others, especially our close friends and family.

Retreat Sessions 

There are three sessions on each day. Each session consists of chanted prayers sung in English and silent mantra recitation. After the last session on the last day, the long-life pills that are blessed throughout the retreat will be distributed. You are welcome to drop in for any or all of the retreat sessions and there is no charge.

Session times for both days:

Session 1: 9:00am – 10:15am

Session 2: 11:30am – 12:45pm

Session 3: 3:00pm – 4:15pm

Details

Start:
February 4 @ 9:00 am
End:
February 5 @ 4:15 pm

Organizer

Losang Dragpa Kadampa Buddhist Centre
Phone:
02 40230215

Venue

Losang Dragpa Centre
36 Texas St.
Mayfield, NSW 2304 Australia + Google Map

Day Courses

 

Take a day out to immerse yourself in meditation and Buddhist teachings. Explore a specific topic in more detail at one of our monthly one-day meditation courses at held at our Centre or various locations throughout Newcastle

Day courses offer practical solutions to everyday problems of modern living and are suitable for everyone!

Courses consist of teachings and guided meditations. Refreshments are served between sessions.

 

 

 

What is Retreat?

In our busy modern life we lack the calm and stillness conducive to maintaining a happy and peaceful state of mind.  To regain a balance people are drawn to peaceful and quiet places where they can withdraw for a short time and renew their energy – in short, they go on retreat.  On retreat we devote our time to meditation and contemplation – it is a time to acquaint our minds with positive and meaningful thoughts.

“On retreat we stop all forms of business and extraneous activ­ities so as to emphasize a particular spiritual practice. There are three kinds of retreat: physical, verbal and mental. We engage in physical retreat when with a spiritual motivation we isolate ourself from other people, activities and noise, and disengage from extraneous and meaningless actions. We engage in verbal retreat when with a spiritual motivation we refrain from meaningless talk and periodically keep silence. We engage in mental retreat by preventing distractions and strong delusions such as attachment, anger, jealousy and strong self-grasping from arising, and by maintaining mindfulness and conscientiousness.

If we remain in physical and verbal retreat but fail to observe mental retreat, our retreat will have little power. Such a retreat may be relaxing, but if we do not prevent strong delusions from arising, our mind will not be at peace, even on retreat. However, keeping physical and verbal retreat will help us to keep mental retreat, and for this reason Shantideva, in Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, praises the first two kinds of retreat.”

Excerpt From: The New Guide to Dakini Land – Geshe Kelsang Gyatso