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4th of July Weekend Shamatha Retreat
Thursday, July 3rd - Sunday, July 6th, 2008 Lotus Garden cordially invites you to attend a July 4th holiday-weekend retreat program focusing on the practice of shamatha, to be held from Thursday evening, the 3rd of July, through Sunday, 6th July, 2008. This retreat will immediately follow our annual Shedra Program. According to the teachings of the Buddha on the Four Noble Truths, we are bound by our ignorance, our afflictive emotions, and our habitual tendencies. As a result of these misconceptions, we inevitably experience the sufferings of samsara. In order to dispel the darkness of our ignorance, the Buddha taught the importance of deepening our understanding of the ties that bind us to the cycle of samsara until we reach certainty regarding the truth of suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path leading to enlightenment. Shamatha is calm-abiding meditation. It is through the practice of shamatha that we have been given the means to focus inwardly on what we have understood, so that we do not become like a farmer whose bountiful crop lies unharvested and withering in a field, alleviating the hunger of no one at all. When we have calmed distraction towards external objects, it is possible to abide in a state of mind which is mindful and aware, supple and joyful, and of service to the accomplishment of virtue and merit. In this way, the practice of shamatha provides us with the means to progress step-by-step towards release from the ties which bind us to samsara. The 4th of July holiday shamatha retreat will be focused on the practice of meditation, and will be led by the lopöns, or senior teachers, of Lotus Garden under the guidance of H.E. Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche. The retreat will be conducted in silence, and meditation instruction will be available. This retreat is open to all students, new and old alike. Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche would like to particularly encourage the attendees of the Shedra Program to take part if they are able to do so. Tuition for the retreat will be $200. If you have any questions about this retreat, please don’t hesitate to contact us at admin@lotusgardens.org or by phone at 540.778.2405. SECURE ONLINE REGISTRATION
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