Workshops and lectures being offered by Ven. Ani Pema in Bangalore / Mumbai / Pune / Nashik (March 2018 - April 2018) Ven. Ani Pema is visiting different cities in India from early March until end of April, kindly offering her time to teach Buddhist psychology to people of Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune and if there is interest, in other cities. We welcome Ven. Ani Pema and rejoice in her visit, teachings and her presence. "Practices of Buddhist Psychology" Venerable Pema (Karen Schaefer) ordained and trained in Bhutan and Taiwan. Prior to taking up Buddhist studies, she studied classical Yoga and Indian Philosophy for 8 years in an Ashram in Maharashtra. At the request of her teacher she directed an Ashram and meditation centre in Sydney, Australia for six years where she taught meditation in prisons, hospital and other community situations. Following that she gained a B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology in California, and practiced as a counselor and human resource trainer in major corporations in the US and Australia. She was a faculty member on a Buddhist Psychotherapy course in Sydney. She has done personal extended retreats in India and Thailand and has taught and led retreats in India, Thailand, Australia, New York and Hawaii. She is a highly skilled counsellor and yoga therapist, specializing in anxiety and trauma disorders. Her teaching emphasizes an integration of physical, psychological and wisdom wellbeing practices and inspires other to seek a wholistic approach to their personal practice and work. She has been a student of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche since 1990. Practices of Buddhist Psychology The traditional Buddhist understanding of the mind is incredibly profound. The goal of Buddhism is the elimination of all suffering, and for this the deepest levels of mind and its role in generating suffering must be addressed and understood. To understand the mind and its potential, we need to learn from people who themselves have deep understanding. The masters who gave commentary on the subjects in the texts referred to in these courses were highly realized and gained their insights through studying and applying the teachings of the Buddha. Even if you don t consider yourself a Buddhist or have any interest in liberation or enlightenment, such a study and practice of the Psychology of the mind as we see in these texts may profoundly affect your thoughts and actions, and the way you live your life from this point forward. The approach is experiential, with direct application to use these practices in daily life through training our mind and opening our heart.
1. The Art of Happiness - Flourishing in our Life (2-4 Hour Workshop) Delivery style: interactive, discussion, self reflection. Material referenced from The Art of Happiness discussions with Dalai Lama and Psychiatrist Howard Cutler. Neuro-scientific research on human potential and well being, indicates that happiness does not result from the pursuit of pleasure but from the development of our individual strengths and virtues. We will examine our focus and motivation, identify what truly brings us happiness and develop meditations to fulfill our greatest satisfaction and flourishing in our life. 2. Opening our Heart : Compassion for ourself and others. (2-4 hour workshop) Delivery Style: lecture, discussion and meditation on compassion In this workshop we will look at the definition of suffering in Buddhism, looking at the three types of suffering as defined by the Buddha s teachings. We can clearly understand that all beings as well as ourselves wish to be free from suffering. We develop the aspiration, May I and all beings be free from suffering. We will also come to understand that suffering that arises in our life is not an obstacle to our path or to our happiness, but is in fact the gateway to the path to overcome suffering. We will examine the causes of suffering and the nature of basic human goodness that is free of suffering. Post meditation practice will be to take this into our every day interactions with others. and how we can apply the medicine of compassion. 3. Being present and aware in the midst of chaos As most of us do not have time for long meditation retreats; we will investigate how to bring mindful awareness into the midst of our daily activities. (2-4 hours workshop or 2 day retreat format) Delivery style: lecture, discussion, reflection and mindfulness meditations Chogyam Trungpa: Simply being and keeping a watchful eye, completely and properly, mindfulness becomes awareness,. Mindfulness is taking an interest in precision of all kinds, in the simplicity of breath, of walking, of the sensations of the body, the experiences of the mind, of the thought processes and memories of all kinds. The Sanity we are Born With, An approach to Buddhist Psychology, Chogyam Trungpa Buddha taught that all human beings are capable of awakening; all have Buddhanature with the inherent qualities of wisdom and compassion. What obscures our awareness of that nature are the mistaken identifications we have with our body, our feelings, our mind, and the circumstances of our life. We will bring awareness to these four bases of our self identification; examining how they arise in their afflicted forms bringing difficulties into our life.. Through awareness and applied mindfulness practices, we will learn how to transform those habitual perceptions into enlightened awareness.
The practices included: mindfulness of the body through simple movements, breathing and walking. Awareness meditations on the other areas of self-perception are applicable to our daily life experience. 4. Healing Mind and Emotions : Introduction to Buddhist Psychology and Meditation (4 hour or full day workshop) H. H. Dalai Lama defines the central themes of meditation or training the mind as: enhancement of compassion cultivation of balanced attitudes towards ourself and others developing positive ways of thinking We will look at the development of Bodhichitta, the heart of enlightened mind, aspiring and acting to benefit ourselves and others. We will understand the necessity for the balance of wisdom and compassion in our intentions and actions. We will come to understand our unique emotional constitution and how to apply the appropriate antidote of the Four Immeasurable practices of Loving Kindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy for others and Equanimity. 5. Moving to Stillness (This can be delivered as a 1 day retreat or 4 hour workshop - the longer the more effective) (** (note). This has been developed to be particularly suitable for people who find it difficult to sit for extended periods of meditation due to anxiety and/or ptsd. ) Participants in this retreat will learn to recognize and manage their physical and emotional discomfort, and to develop a range of practices for a grounded body and emotional stability that can bring profound change to their daily life and relationship to self and others. Gentle mindful movements of yoga combined with breathing and relaxation practices will be introduced to bring the body and mind into a calm, balanced state for the deepening of awareness meditation. The retreat program will progress through these stages; Finding calm and ease in the body and emotions Opening of the heart through loving kindness and self- compassion reducing patterns of self judgement and criticism Developing insight into one s innate consciousness through awareness meditation While these practices are derived from Yoga and Tibetan Buddhist teachings, they are suitable for individuals of any religious background, and will be adapted for any level of physical ability. Individual needs will be sensitively addressed with an emphasis on assisting each participant to find suitable practices for their own psychology and lifestyle. 6. Facing Death and Finding Hope
(2, 4 or 6 hour seminar or 1 day workshop ) Delivery style: interactive discussions, reflections and contemplative practices. This program explores how the universal spiritual principles drawn from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition can bring us to a deeper realization of the truth of impermanence, suffering and change as part of our lives-- of being human. This understanding is essential for all individuals, as facing the reality of death enables us to live our lives more fully in the present. It is particularly helpful for anyone whose lives are affected by terminal illness or death. This includes anyone with life-threatening illness, their friends and family members, counsellors, and health care professionals of all faiths and denominations. While the information is drawn from the Buddhist tradition, it is presented in a non-denominational manner and will draw largely on discussion and perspectives of the participants. Through self- reflection and interactive discussions we will: Identify our deep seated fears about addressing death & dying & how they obstruct us from meaningful emotional connection in our life. Understand the process of consciousness separating from the body at the time of dying, and how training in meditation can help. Learn how we can prepare for death and help others to do so. Learn how an approach of spiritual care for the dying can relieve much of the unnecessary & avoidable emotional suffering that may accompany illness dying. Learn Buddhist practices of meditation for the dying & spiritual care after death. (Extended course or retreat ) 7 Point Mind Training (Lojong) Atisha s 7 Point Mind Training is one of the best-known sets of instructions for mind training (lojong) and the practiceof taking and sending (tonglen). The Seven Points comprise a complete practice, with instructions and guidance that cover all the essential points of Mahayana Buddhism. I hope the study of Lojong will encourage readers to remind themselves of the importance of changing their attitude toward life and others. This is not just about cognitive changes, but about sensory and affective changes as well. Fundamentally, we do not have the power to stop other people from doing certain things, but we do have the power to resist becoming too adversely affected by the wrongs done to us by others, whether real or imagined. THE PRACTICE OF LOJONG. Cultivating Compassion through Training the Mind,Kyabjon Traleg Rinpoche This is a fairly long program and requires some preliminary practice of the previous programs in order to develop a foundation of the understanding of the Ground, Path and Fruition of the Tibetan Buddhist practices.
Siddhartha's Intent https://www.siddharthasintent.org/ Programs are hosted by World Center for Creative Learning Foundation http://wcclf.org/ Snehadhara http://snehadharafoundation.org/ contact@snehadharafoundation.org Bapu Trust for Research on Mind & Discourse https://www.baputrust.com Email: camhpune@gmail.com Arth Counselling and Arts Based Therapy http://www.arth.co/ Dharma Rain Mumbai https://www.facebook.com/dharmarainmumbai/ dharmarain.mumbai@gmail.com Invitation If you or your organization would like to host an open lecture / workshop / retreat for people who are in your networks, and those who are near and dear to you, please contact, Bhargavi Davar Kavita Pillai ahamsetu@gmail.com camhpune@gmail.com (Text only) at 91-9823291989 Tel: 020-26441989 Dates available for Pune Programs 20th March - 5th April 2018