Stillness in a Busy Time: A Winter Community Meditation Retreat

December 27th—December 30th (2014)

Date details +
  • Optional Donation

"You begin to see that there are seasons in your life in the same way as there are seasons in nature" —Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche

Winter Community Practice at the Ottawa Shambhala Centre:

Oftentimes we feel that there is so much to accomplish in our lives, that we don't take the time to be still and look within. Many teachers and wisdom lineages encourage stillness and inquiry as the best ways to find true fulfillment in our lives. The Shambhala teachings combine this deep internal transformation with the aspiration to bring sanity to our society. Wintertime is a natural season of reflection and transformation; what better opportunity than around the busyness of the holidays to gather together and look deeply within?

This community meditation retreat will include sitting and walking meditation, and body awareness practice. Come whether you are new to meditation or a seasoned practitioner.  Come for a day, a few days, or the whole time. All are welcome including Shamatha, Shambhala Sadhana, Ngondro, Werma, Scorpion Seal, Vajrayogini and Chakrasamvara practitioners.  Each day we will begin and end meditation together.  

Shastri Henry Chapin will give a brief talk at the start of the retreat on meditation practice.

Schedule

The program begins on Saturday December 27th at 9 am. The daily schedule will generally follow this format:

8:50 - 9:00    Calling Gong
9:00 - 9:15    Opening Together : Morning Chants
9:15 - 12:00  Morning Session: Meditation in various practice groups
12:00 - 1:30  Contemplative Lunch, Rest, Walks
1:30 - 3:45    Afternoon Session: Meditation in various practice groups
3:45 - 4:00    Closing Together: Meditation and Evening Chants

Participants may bring their lunch or buy it. Lunch will be eaten together in the shrine room or in the community room in functional silence.
 
There is no need to pre-register.

A donation is welcome.

Register now

Programs without a price are free. For those programs with a price listed, please do not let price be an obstacle. Visit our generosity policy page.

When available as an option, your generosity in offering the patron price helps cover the costs for others who are not able to pay the full price. Any amount offered above the Program Price is considered a charitable donation to the centre, and will be included in a tax receipt issued by email in February of the following year.

For programs that have a register button, it is helpful for us if you can indicate your intention to attend by registering ahead of time. In order to prevent duplicate entries in the Shambhala Database, all registrations are reviewed before you will receive a confirmation email.

Our Refund Policy:  For convenience you can pay online using a credit card via PayPal. If we cancel the program for any reason, we will give you a full refund. We understand that sometimes after you have pre-paid, you might be unable to attend.  We will be happy to refund your payment if you request it at least 24 hours before the program starts.  Due to the difference in PayPal charges for purchases and refunds, we charge a nominal amount of $5 for a refund.