Saturday, October 8, 2016
5:00 am Wake Up Bell
5:30 am Morning Service: Chanting
6:30 am Meditation and Practice
8:30 am BREAKFAST
9:00 am Class Session I: ““True Vajra Masters and True Inner-Tantric Initiations” #233A-60 minutes (Take notes+ and record the theme of the discourse in detail.)
10:00 am Study time to prepare notes and develop debate questions based on Session I.
NOON LUNCH
1:30 pm Class Session II: “True Vajra Masters and True Inner-Tantric Initiations” #233B & #233C-59 & 35 minutes (Take notes+ and record the theme of the discourse in detail.)
2:30 pm Study time to prepare notes and develop debate questions based on Session II.
3:30 pm Meditation & Practice
5:00 pm BREAK
6:00 pm SNACK
7:00 pm Class Session III: “Where does empowerment come from?” #49-37 minutes and “Dharmas Transmitted Verbally, by Ear, and through Consciousness and the Corresponding Initiations” #159-18 minutes.(Take notes+ and record the theme of the discourse in detail.)
8:30 pm Meditation & Practice (Or revise your notes and questions for Session III.)
10:00 pm Lights Out
Sunday, October 9, 2016
5:00 am Wake Up Bell
5:30 am Morning Service: Chanting
6:30 am Meditation and Practice
8:30 am BREAKFAST
9:00 am Class Session IV: “True Vajra Masters and True Inner-Tantric Initiations” #233A-60 minutes (Check your notes and correct what is incorrect and augment them with what you missed in Session I.)
10:00 am Meditation & Practice (Or revise your notes and questions for Session I.)
NOON LUNCH
1:30 pm Class Session V: “True Vajra Masters and True Inner-Tantric Initiations” #233B & #233C-59 & 35 minutes (Check your notes and correct what is incorrect and augment them with what you missed in Session II.)
2:30 pm Meditation & Practice (Or revise your notes and questions for Session II.)
3:30 pm Meditation & Practice
5:00 pm BREAK
6:00 pm SNACK
7:00 pm Class Session VI: “Where does empowerment come from?” #49-37 minutes and “Dharmas Transmitted Verbally, by Ear, and through Consciousness and the Corresponding Initiations” #159-18 minutes. (Check your notes and correct what is incorrect and augment them with what you missed in Session III.)
8:30 pm Meditation & Practice
10:00 pm Lights Out
Monday, October 10, 2016
5:00 am Wake Up Bell
5:30 am Morning Service: Chanting
6:30 am Meditation and Practice
8:30 am BREAKFAST
9:00 am Grand Debate
10:00 am Meditation & Practice (Depends on how much time is needed for debate)
NOON LUNCH: EVALUATION AND FEED BACK
NOTES:
*Those who wish to receive one credit for this seminar will need to enroll in XFVU; keep journal over trimester period as to how well he/she utilized the principles and concepts learned in these discourses in his/her daily cultivation and practice; and submit several debate questions, a final summary for the course, and a written “Discourse” that could be given to expound this dharma to others. One can participate in this seminar without enrolling in XFVU. (See XFVU website at http://xfvu.org/enrollment/ for more information.)
+Anyone who can understand the discourse in Chinese, must listen to it at least two times before starting to take notes. (See “The Seven Dharma System for Listening to Dharma Discourses at http://holyvajrasana.org/buddhist-practice/the-seven-dharma-system-of-listening-to-dharma-discourses for more information.)
Meditation and Practice sessions are usually 1½ hours in length, but may be split into three parts with 30-40 minutes sitting meditation. 30-10 minutes walking meditation, and 30-40 minutes sitting meditation, depending on the levels of those attending. Experienced meditators may sit the entire period and not participate in walking meditation, if desired. A short break between sessions is allowed for bathroom and tea breaks. The retreat is conducted in silence except for classes and discussion periods.