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Guru Yoga Mandala offering Retreat

February 14 @ 8:00 am - February 19 @ 9:30 am

If we wish to experience happiness and good fortune in our lives we need to accumulate merit. Merit, or positive energy, comes from positive actions and enables us to fulfil all our wishes including our spiritual wishes to improve our mind and attain enlightenment.
The practice of offering mandalas is one of the best ways to accumulate merit and has been used by Buddhists for generations. Through the practice of offering mandalas our mind will gradually become more calm and peaceful and we will make swift, easy progress along the spiritual path. When offering a mandala we imagine we hold a pure universe in our hands which we offer to all the Buddhas while making a compassionate prayer that all beings enjoy such pure lands.

Information
There are four unguided retreat sessions a day. Each session lasts for 1.5hrs and consists of a chanted meditation and a period of silence for offering mandalas. You can attend any or all of the sessions and there is no charge. If this is your first time, please arrive 15mins early to receive instructions. Everyone is welcome.

Session times

Tuesday 14th February

Session 1: 8-9.30am
Session 2: 11-12.30pm

Wednesday 15th February

Session 2: 11-12.30pm

Thursday 16th February

Session 1: 8-9.30am
Session 3: 4.30-6pm
Session 4: 7.30-9pm

Friday 17th February

Session 2: 11-12.30pm
Session 3: 4.30-6pm
Session 4: 7.30-9pm

Saturday 18th February

Session 1: 8-9.30am

Details

Start:
February 14 @ 8:00 am
End:
February 19 @ 9:30 am

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