December 2-9, 2015 (Wed-Wed)
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
A seven-day meditation retreat will be led by Venerable Zhaxi Zhuoma, abbess of the Holy Vajrasana Temple and Retreat Center. Venerable Zhaxi Zhuoma is a close disciple of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. She has been authorized to perform certain esoteric initiations and ceremonies to help students on their path. She also arranges for her students who cultivate themselves well, practice diligently, and faithfully observe the precepts to receive the higher inner tantric initiations. This can only happen when one has let go of attachment to self and developed one’s bodhichitta to always put others ahead of self. She has received many powerful initiations and empowerments from her Buddha Master to eliminate her negative karma, but she says that the most important is being blessed to see how the Buddha Master responds to life’s situations and selflessly helps other living beings. The dharma that comes from just being in the presence of a Buddha and witnessing how a Buddha thinks, speaks, and acts is the most powerful and wondrous of all. It is out of her gratitude for the many blessings that she has received that she has committed her life to enable others to learn and experience the true Buddha-dharma of the Tathagata.
Thailand Retreat
The retreat is non-denominational. Buddhist and other practitioners with different levels of meditation experiences are welcome to participate. The format of the retreat is based on how retreats are conducted in the Holy Vajrasana Temple and Retreat Center. Most meditation classes consists of a period of sitting meditation followed by a period of walking meditation and ending with another session of sitting meditation. Meditators who want to sit for a longer period of time may do so and forego the walking meditation. There may be 3 to 5 such classes during a day during formal retreats. This system enables students with very different levels of experience and types of practice to practice together. Learning to respect each other’s work is very important. You learn how to make your life a meditative experience and meditation becomes your life. Of course, maintaining silence is another essential component. Eliminating all non-essential chatter is also part of the practice. The purpose of being on retreat, is to be able to focus on your meditation and cultivation in an environment that is conducive to just that and to take that experience home to deepen your everyday practice and cultivation.
To allow the full benefit of meditation practice, it is important to give the mind a break from all phone, internet, and email. To support everyone with the challenge of disconnecting from these technologies, retreats are phone, internet, and email-free. Upon registration on site, we request that you hand in your phone, tablets, or any internet and communications devices for safe storage by the organizer. Upon completion of retreat, these items will be returned to you. The silence will end on Wednesday, December 9, with a field trip to Phutthamonthon (Buddhamonthon), a Buddhist Park, to release captive animals and visit the viharn that contains stelas of the entire Tripitaka. There will also be a visit to the site where H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III gave a discourse attended by non-human disciples and where dragon-fish stood on their tails in the water to listen. After a box lunch in the park there will be a bus tour to the most famous temples in Bangkok.
Location: Bangkok, Thailand. It is approximately 40 minutes taxi ride from Bangkok International Airport. Further details will be provided to participants upon successful registration.
Language: English, with Chinese interpretation
Check In: 12/2 (Wednesday) 2-4 pm
Check Out: 12/9 (Wednesday) 6pm, participants have the option to stay till 12/10 (Thursday) 10am
Fees: $400
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