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Registration

The Foundations of Mindfulness

A Seven-Day Silent Retreat led by
Christina Feldman and John Peacock

May 21.- 28., 2011 at Gomde Retreat Center, Helgenæs, Denmark

hosted by Karuna Workshops

To be mindful is to see 'what is', and not to search for what may be. Mindfulness sees that all striving for attainment is a conflict between what actually is and the ideal, which is not. Furthermore, mindfulness is an intelligent awareness without the conflict, and the opposition between 'what is' and the fantasy of a self beset with attachments, hopes and fears. The Buddha encouraged us to be vigilant, attentive, and mindful in all aspects of our lives, in sitting, walking, standing and lying down. This retreat will concentrate on the four ways that we can establish mindfulness as found in the Satipatthana Sutta.It is a profound teaching that encourages us to place the path of freedom and compassion in the classroom of our lives, nurturing a heart that is receptive and unshakeable.

This retreat is a rare opportunity to receive in-depth teachings and practice guidance from two highly experienced meditation teachers. It is an invitation to extend and deepen one’s personal experience of mindfulness meditation via intensive practice within a supportive and harmonious environment of noble silence. Each day will offer a sustained schedule of formal meditation practice (both Insight and Lovingkindness), meetings with the teachers, talks and instructions, all within an underlying environment of silence.

The retreat is open to all with a serious interested in exploring mindfulness. It is not a clinical skills workshop, but it is highly recommended and relevant for professionals teaching or training in mindfulness-based applications.

CHRISTINA FELDMAN is a co-founder of Gaia House and a member of the Teacher Council. She has been leading Insight Meditation retreats worldwide since 1976 and is committed to the personal retreat programme at Gaia House. She is a Guiding Teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. She is the author of a number of books including Woman Awake, The Way of Meditation, and co-author of Soul Food. Recent books are Silence and Buddhist Path to Simplicity.

JOHN PEACOCK is both an academic and a Buddhist practitioner of nearly forty years. He was initially trained in the Tibetan Gelugpatradition in India and subsequently spent time in Sri Lanka studyingTheravada. He has lectured in Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol, but at present he is Associate Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre and teaches on the Master of Studies programme in MBCT at Oxford University. He has been teaching meditation for over twenty five years and is a member of the Gaia House Teacher Council.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Karuna Workshops

Gomde