Part 1: Connection Despite Distance 6-Week Course
Zoom Video Call
Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 5:30-7pm MT to December 15, 2020 5:30-7pm MT
To support us in cultivating our meditation practices and deepening our connection to sangha, Namchak is offering this 6-week course!
Connection Despite Distance consists of two 6-week courses that will guide us to the most present, compassionate, and connected parts of ourselves. Through inner exploration and engaging with community, we will learn accessible, time-tested Tibetan Buddhist practices that will allow us to awaken into deeper peace, joy, compassion and equanimity in our lives.
We will meet for six consecutive 90-minute weekly sessions starting with an orientation and ending with a closing ceremony. Each session will be facilitated by Namchak students (not Lama Tsomo).
This course is free, and no previous experience is required. As we move into this holiday season, our weekly sessions will offer the support of these practices and community to help guide us through these times with more ease, resilience and self-compassion!
Course testimonial:
“Connecting with others who were, just like me, wanting to learn more about the Dharma, develop a daily practice, and be a part of something special has made this tumultuous and overly uncertain year a lot more enjoyable and gratifying. I loved the weekly conversations, the learning about Tibetan Buddhism and meditation methods, and the camaraderie that grew in spite of and because of our differences. I hold the greatest gratitude for Namchak for hosting these events and I’m looking forward to being a part of many more.” – Laura
Part 1: Connection Despite Distance Outline
● Week 1: Orientation—Pathway Overview & Intention Sharing
● Week 2: Motivation and Meditation—Deepening Intention & Exploring Shamata
● Week 3: Tonglen—A Compassion Practice of Giving & Receiving
● Week 4: Broadening Tonglen & Simplified Round Robin
● Week 5: Exploring Our Work in the World
● Week 6: Meaning Making & Closing Ceremony
Weekly Session Outline
● Open with a few breaths and moments of silence.
● Review group agreements together.
● Check-in: What’s happening for you this week, on the cushion, off the cushion, and the relationship between the two?
● Hold discussion with questions and activities.
● Go through a practice together using provided resources and guided meditations.
● Reflect on meditations in journals, pairs, and in the group.
● Revisit how everyone feels after the session is complete.
● Close with dedication.
Our Group Agreements:
In our community we agree to:
*Treat each other with respect and appreciation
*Commit to words and actions of non-harm within our group interactions
*Be inclusive of diverse opinions and backgrounds
*Assume good intent
*Learn by immersing in the practices, giving them a real test drive
*Honor a wide range of meditation experience
*Hold everything shared in confidence
*Be open-hearted and present and do not offer unsolicited advice
*Act with the whole community in mind
*Allow for equal sharing of voices (step forward/step back)
*Commit to actively upholding an anti-oppressive and anti-racist space within this group setting