PAST EVENT: The Heart of Love - Relationships Are Our Teachers

The Buddha taught that simply being present is not enough for awakening. It is necessary that we have insight while we are present; this is what is meant by being awake.  

Shastri Nick Kranz and Mǟrte Vigerstad will be our guides as we explore how to engage our relationships in more fulfilling ways.    

Nick Kranz has been a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche since 1997. He has developed an approach to cultural transformation with the practice of Social Meditation, and worked with Youth Leadership development in the Shambhala community for the last decade.  He is interested in the intersection of social entrepreneurship, and collaborative right livelihood.

Märta Vigerstad has been meditating since she was 8 years old. She has been Facilitating Social Meditation for 6 years and is a Meditation Instructor in the Shambhala Lineage. She works as a social worker in Baltimore City Public Schools providing individual and family therapy for students. 

 

In this Retreat we will practice contemplative meditation which is a form of Insight Meditation that leads to having direct insight, which allows us to free ourselves and others from suffering. In order to increase virtuous states of mind that lead to compassionate behavior, we must understand how to bring our practice into relationships.

 

Through contemplating our relationship to love and connection with others, we will explore our obstacles and opportunities, opening our heart and deepening our confidence in our ability to love ourselves and each other."

 

Contemplative Meditation: “What is love to you?”

Sometimes we have a feeling of what love is, but when we bring our awareness and mindfulness to this topic we can go a little bit deeper than a surface-level understanding. This way we will gain confidence into what love means to us in a healthy way that understands our own needs and is sensitive and compassionate to the needs of others.

 

Second Contemplation: “What does it feel like to be in your heart or feel your heart”

Being embodied is part of the practice of mindfulness and awareness. This is as important in athletics as it is in emotional sensitivity. This universal skill of embodied awareness, will help us gain confidence and strength in our ability to identify what we feel and express that effectively and skillfully to others. By becoming familiar with the physical sensations that accompany our various feelings and thoughts we will be able to identify the wisdom of our body and our emotional being as one.

 

Sitting Contemplative Meditation #3: “What fears prevent you from feeling love and where do those fears live in your body”

As we may know fear can be one of the main obstacles to love. In the way we express compassion there always must be bravery, otherwise it is not compassion. Therefore discovering our fears is our pathway to more courage. Knowing our fear intimately without shame, is empowering.

 

Rather than leaving us in a state of helplessness, we become more and more confident that we can and will react in a way that we feel proud of when difficult situations arise, because we understand that fear is not the enemy, but how we deal with it is the key to our effectiveness in the world.  

Sitting Closing Contemplation: “What is your aspiration for expressing love”

It takes courage to come into contact with our deepest wishes. As we commit to expressing love from our highest motivation, we also tap into our greatest power.

 

Check in and settle in on Friday between 3:30pm and 5:45pm. 

Dinner is at 6:00pm, program begins at 730 pm

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What to bring:

- Comfortable Modest Clothing - https://www.floweringlotusmeditation.org/dress-code-info

- Healthy snack(s) to share with group (vegetarian or vegan)

- Water Bottle with a lid

- Easy to slip on and off shoes

- Journal (optional)

- Yoga Mat (optional)

- Click the link below to submit the Voluntary Participation & Release Form, and Photo Use Release Form 

AGREE to terms.

 

Initial reservation fee: $50 (does not include post-retreat donation/dana).

 

Dana is a Pali word usually translated as Generosity.  Opening our hearts and minds to share the abundance we have been blessed with opens the channels to our own increased flow of spiritual and material wealth.  Generosity is also a gateway to enlightenment, allowing us to see and experience the importance of letting go, the essential truth that all is impermanent, and the reality that sharing fosters connection in a positive and meaningful way.

 

In the Buddhist tradition, our teachers are not paid for sharing the Dharma.  Students give directly to the teacher.  Our generous donations make it possible for them to continue to share teachings which have the capacity to transform lives. In an effort to include everyone, regardless of their ability to pay, our retreats are generosity-based.  We ask that you donate as much as you can to help with the operating costs of Flowering Lotus.  We suggest a minimum donation of $50 per person to the teacher, and a minimum of $150 to the Center.  A range reflecting what is more usual would be $100 - $150 to the teacher and $300 - $400 to the Center. 

 

We will be practicing Noble Silence, with periods of discussion and Q&A led by the teachers.  

 

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact: 

Patsy St. Blanc

Registration Manager

patsyfl@yahoo.com