SPECIAL EVENTS 2009

Sharon Salzberg Lecture and Retreat

Khenmo Drolma Lecture

Mindfulness Day

Mindfulness Day - RESCHEDULED TO NEW YEAR Join us for a day of mindful sitting, silence, listening, eating, and being. It's a busy time in our lives, but also an important time to still our hearts and minds, to be present, and to offer our practice to the world. What is a daylong like?  So many people think that sitting for a day might be boring or worse that they couldn't handle the no talking.  Yet, everyone, even those who have had no meditation background, come away from the day with a sense of renewal, ease and even joy.  When we settle down, when we open our hearts to this moment, joy, peace and even happiness just might bubble up.
WHERE:  69 Heathdale Rd in our home   WHEN:  DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED IN 2010 FEE:  $25 and dana or donation to the meditation leaders. Please call to register: Andrew or Angie at 416-651-1846
KHENMO DROLMA LECTURE WOMEN & BUDDHISM: Celebrating Saints and Wise Women Monday, November 9th (7:30pm-9:30pm)
Buddha's life is often seen as a traditional hero's journey and we can miss the significance of the women who supported him. His mother, aunt and wife all achieved enlightenment - it is a family story. The same is true in our lineage tales.  There have always been great women inspiring and influencing all the masters we know so well.    In this slide lecture the Khenmo Drolma will also relate the inspiring lives of some of the great female saints of Tibetan Buddhism such as Tara, Yeshe Tsogyal and various Dakini emanations. Today, she also celebrates the day Buddha's Mother was born. With Khenmo Drolma  by donation.    Register:  Call Sherry at 1-866-655-8548 or email info@gitchemqua.org                                                   Khenmo Drolma is  a Buddhist nun, and the Abbess of Vajra Dakini Nunnery. She is a heart student of Ven Dhyani Ywahoo, and has trained with the foremost spiritual teachers of our time including H.H. Dalai Lama, H.H. Chetsang Rinpoche (the head of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage), and Ven Pema Chödrön.  She is the first fully ordained nun in the Drikung lineage and the first westerner to be enthroned as a Khenmo or Abbess.  A former college professor, she enjoys sharing the Dharma in accessible ways for our time and culture.
sharon salzberg lecture & retreat TRANSFORMATIVE JOY: Finding Joy on the Path Friday, November 13th (7pm) Saturday, November 14th, 2009 (10am-5pm)

Transformative Joy: Finding Joy on the Path

Lecture:  First Unitarian Church

Saturday Workshop:  Multi-Faith Centre, U of T

COST: 

Lecture:  $25.00 or $30.00 at the door

Workshop: $ 120.00 before Nov 2 - $125.00 After Nov 2

Lecture & Workshop - $140.00 before Nov 2 - $145.00 After Nov 2

Student rates:  $20.00 - Lecture / $80.00 Workshop / $100.00 Lecture & Workshop (Please note in comments section student status)

Behind longing, addiction, rage and confusion lies a joy accessible to all.  Uncovered by the Buddha during a period of self-investigation preceding his awakening, this joy became the wellspring of his psychology and the foundation of his Middle Path.  The Buddha called it 'the way to enlightenment'.  This workshop, celebrating Buddhist practice but also drawing on universal wisdom, will create opportunities to experience this joy for ourselves and to use it to deepen our understanding.

The program is suitable for both beginners and experienced meditators.

To register:  https://www.securewebexchange.com/innovative4you.com/sharonsalzberg2009.htm

Sharon Salzberg started her practice in 1971 and her teaching in 1974.  "I knew from the first movement that meditation was important and have never stopped.  It forms the basis of integrity, connection and compassion in my life.

One of America's leading spiritual teachers and authors, Sharon Salzberg is cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts.  She has played a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West.  The ancient Buddhist practices of vipassana (mindfulness) and metta (lovingkindness) are the foundations of her work.

Born in New York City in 1952, Sharon Salzberg experienced a childhood involving considerable loss and turmoil.  An early realization of the power of meditation to overcome personal suffering determined her life direction.  Her teaching and writing now communicates that power to a worldwide audience of practitioners.  She offers non-sectarian retreat and study opportunities for participants from widely diverse backgrounds.

In 1976, she established, together with Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield, the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts, which now ranks as one of the most prominent and active meditation centers in the Western world.  Sharon and Joseph Golsteing expanded their vision in 1989 by co-founding the Forest Refuge, a long-term retreat center secluded in a wooded area on IMS property.  Sharon resided in Barre, Massachusetts, and New York City.  Sharon has also emerged as a feature speaker and teacher at a wide variety of events.  She served as a panelist with the Dalai Lama and leading scientists at the 2005 Mind and Life Investigating the Mind Conference in Washington, DC.  She also coordinated the meditation faculty for the 2005 Mind and Life Summer Institute, an intensive 5-day meeting to advance research on the intersection of meditation and the cognitive and behavioural sciences.