Westchester Meditation Center presents
Heart Essence of Meditation:
Essential Points of Practice
Judy will be teaching at the Eleventh Annual WMC Retreat
For Practitioners of All Levels, including a Separate Vajrayana Track
Garrison Institute, January 19-26, 2024
We invite you to join us for this special occasion — Judy will join WMC teachers in leading this retreat. The main focus of this retreat will be on mindfulness-awareness (shamatha-vipashyana) meditation and is appropriate for practitioners at all levels. We will explore the simple practice of sitting and connecting to the earth, our bodies and our experience; contemplate the pithy meditation instructions of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche such as mixing mind with space, not too tight, not too loose, and touch and go; and appreciate the silence, nature, space, and welcoming environment of Garrison Institute.
Additionally, there will be a separate track for vajrayana practitioners! The focus of this track will be on the two types of Vajrayana practice — creation stage (ngondro and sadhana practices) and completion stage (inner yogas and mahamudra). There will be two sessions of ngondro or sadhana practice daily and a separate set of talks focused on the presentation of this essential topic by Jamgon Kongtrul in his text Creation and Completion: Essential Points of Vajrayana Practice.
Altogether this retreat will be a major gathering of practitioners at all levels of the path. An immersive retreat is a powerful way to settle one’s mind, deepen one’s practice, attune to one’s innate well-being, and open one’s heart. Surrounded by natural beauty and far from the clamor of our busy lives, Garrison Institute offers the ideal environment for contemplative practice.
The retreat will be jointly led by Judy Lief, senior teacher in the tradition of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and master editor of his works, and the senior teachers of the Westchester Meditation Center (WMC) Derek and Jane Kolleeny, and Gene Bobker. To learn more about WMC’s teachers, click here.
This mostly silent retreat will be primarily focused on sitting meditation, but the daily schedule will also include walking meditation, talks, guided meditations, yoga, and free time, with two individual meetings with a meditation instructor and discussion groups on two evenings. To learn more about the retreat, click here.
Both new and experienced practitioners are welcome. If you are new to the retreat experience, please tell us a little about yourself here.
SCHOLARSHIPS
We are committed to making our programs affordable to all. If the cost of the retreat is a challenge and you are interested in requesting financial support, please fill out and submit the Scholarship Form by clicking here.
ABOUT US
For more information about the leaders of this retreat and our organization, click here.
REGISTER
To register for the retreat, click here.
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