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Going, Going… Teachings of Nagarjuna

April 9, 2023 - April 15, 2023

Going, Going... Teachings of Nagarjuna

Meditation Retreat |April 9-15, 2023

Join Qapel Doug Duncan for a five day meditation retreat on the deep emptiness teachings of Nagarjuna. In it we will study, reflect and meditate on the nature of emptiness – both ultimate and approximate.

OverviewRegistration

Buddhas mention ‘self,’ and also teach ‘selflessness,’ as well as teaching that there are no such things as self and selflessness.

Nagarjuna, on the emptiness of emptiness.

Going, Going… Teachings of Nagarjuna.

How deeply do you understand emptiness?  In this retreat we will study the pinnacle teachings of the Mahayana Madhyamika tradition that analyse the different levels of emptiness.

This meditation retreat will be led by Qapel (Achariya Doug Duncan) at Clear Sky Meditation Center in Eastern BC.  Rigourous study, meditation and reflection is expected of participants in this powerful retreat.

An online option is also available for those not in Western Canada, to make participation possible from anywhere in the world.  

Qapel will give teachings and meditation guidance from Monday to Friday April 10-14th.  Please arrive and get settled into the retreat space by Sunday April 9th at 3pm.  Departures can begin on Saturday April 15th from 11am. We also highly recommend adding extra nights to your stay at Clear Sky if you flying or traveling a long distance.  This provides extra transition time between retreat time and daily life / work. 

While we believe any undertaking can be a vehicle for awakening, there’s no substitute for the power of one’s own profound experience of truth, gained through meditation. This is why meditation is one of the four foundational practices of our teaching.

Recommended texts for this course:

  • The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika (Garfield).
  • The Adornment of the Middle Way: Shantarakshita’s Madhyamakalankara (Shambala).

Meet the Teacher

Qapel (Achariya Doug Duncan)

Qapel studied with the Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche from 1974 until the latter’s passing in 2003. Doug received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 1978, and is a lineage holder in that teaching. He also received teachings from the 16th Karmapa and other Tibetan Rinpoches, as well as from the Ven. Sayadaw U Thila Wunta and from a Master of the Western Mystery School. In addition, Doug has undertaken numerous three-month solitary meditation retreats.

Doug has been leading retreats, teaching and training in universal practices of spiritual unfoldment since 1985, helping thousands of students in numerous countries liberate themselves from suffering. His teaching also draws on contemporary psychology and science. In 2004 he co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center in the BC Rockies where he is resident teacher along with Catherine Pawasarat Sensei.

More About Qapel | About the Lineage

What Do Previous Retreatants Say?

Ruth Levin

Dearest Cata Sensei,
THANK YOU – for holding and shining the outstanding love, care, compassion and wisdom that you do. We are so grateful to have you in our lives and for your presence in this world of ours.
Much love, gratitude and appreciation to you for the incredible woman, teacher and human being your are. Thank you for being a true light and inspiration in this world.

Ruth Levin
Dean Nicholson

Catherine Sensei is an excellent teacher with a gentle manner and a keen intellect and breadth of knowledge.

Dean Nicholson
Executive Director
Cheryl Bate

It is simply hard to put the ineffable to words. I don’t find meditation easy, but I do find it worth it. I would not have dreamed that a 3 day online retreat could resolve complicated matters that I have wrestled with for years. Yet it did. Thank you, Sensei. Thank you each one of you at Clear Sky.

Cheryl Bate
Clinical Counsellor, Private Practise, Whistler, BC
Michelle Heinz

Catherine Sensei is an inspiring model and teacher of Women in Buddhism. She deftly weaves context, questions and her own experiences with wisdom, curiosity and a stunning clarity.

Michelle Heinz
Dan O’Brian

Dear Catherine Sensei, we are so blessed to have you as one of the dedicated teachers at Clear Sky. I admire your continued commitment to helping us and others on the planet and I am awed by your abilities. 

Dan O'Brian
Author, Japan Series

Course Fees & Requirements

All Retreatants: A Dāna Based Retreat

This retreat is offered on the basis of dāna (generosity).

Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”, and is the traditional way in which Buddhist teachings are offered.  With dāna, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. You may have come across this in the form of “pay from the heart”. It’s our joy to offer this course, and we trust you’ll match our time, energy, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us.

You will be sent a link to offer “dana” to the teachers after registration. 

For more information on dāna click here.

For Online Retreatants: Admin Fees & Requirements

In order to bring you this retreat at home, there is an additional admin fee* of $250 CAD. The admin fee is to cover the costs of running these online courses – for equipment and software to provide you the teachings online.

If you are taking this retreat online, we require that you devote your full attention to the retreat for the entire week.

Requirements include:

  • Block out the retreat duration and be focused on the retreat for this entire period, using this time and participating in the retreat as if you were at Clear Sky in person.  This includes a rigorous, full, daily meditation schedule.
  • Participate in all of the daily classes and group practices via online streaming.
  • Set up a quiet space or location where you can focus on the Meditation Retreat, and not need to engage in conversation or work with others.
  • Put away your phone, digital devices and other distractions.
  • If there are enough people in the same time zone as you, you could also make a cohort to meet to do a group practice throughout the retreat.
  • Note: full details/ requirements will be sent to you after registering

 

About the administrative fee*

In a traditional model of in-person teachings, a retreat center or urban meditation center invites teachers to visit. In these cases the centers have infrastructure and organization costs to cover, which might be covered by an admin fee. For the teaching itself, dāna to the teachers is offered in a bowl. This honors both the sustainability of the teachers and of the supporting center.

We’ve tried to recreate this approach online.
The teachers’ time and the teaching themselves are offered on the basis of dāna, separate to the admin fee. With our dāna offering we are making a direct gift of generosity to the teachers to support their teachings and livelihood. Learn more about the practice of dāna here.

The admin fee goes to support the infrastructure and organization necessary to support them to teach. As anyone with an online business will know, it can be surprising the costs of setting up a good infrastructure to support effective teaching and connection online.

Below are a few of the work and benefits that your admin fee payment is supporting:

  • high speed internet (to allow interviews and classes on-line)
  • online class systems (Zoom)
  • registration / admin systems (Eventbrite, Basecamp)
  • communication systems to keep everyone informed, share connection details, teachings and other resources (Mailchimp)
  • online storage (for example, Dropbox, to allow us to let students watch recordings and to store and share selected teachings in other forms such as podcasts and videos after the Teachings)
  • quality sound, video and editing equipment (both for live teachings and to provide good enough quality for later sharing as podcasts and video). We are regularly updating our equipment to improve your user experience.
  • online calendar booking system to allow students to book interviews
  • website hosting and maintenance for sharing upcoming courses, teachings, blogs and other resources.

May all our efforts be sustainable, abundant and for the benefit of all beings!

*We also do not wish to exclude anyone from the Teachings, so if you are not currently in a financial position to afford the admin fee, please contact us so we can support you to attend.

We welcome any questions. Please feel free to contact [email protected].

Retreatants at Clear Sky: Lodging Fees & Covid 19 Protocols

In addition to Dana to the Teacher, Clear Sky Meditation Centre provides an incredible space for your retreat.  Situated on a beautiful 310-acre property in the Rocky Mountains, the center and its karma yogis provide you nourishing daily meals and comfortable accomodation. Read more: Staying with us (Clear Sky Meditation Centre)

Please go to the retreat registration page for this retreat for details of the all inclusive fee for the retreat.

Covid-19 Protocols

Our retreats comply with current BC Covid-19 Health Orders.  Please refer to those provincial guidelines as well as the Canadian federal travel guidelines, especially if you are planning to travel to Clear Sky Center in person.

Detailed Daily Schedule

Specific times may change (MST)

RETREAT DAILY SCHEDULE
6:30 – 7:30 AM Walk &/or Personal Practice
7:30 – 8:15 AM Breakfast: Prepare, eat, clean up
8:15 – 8:45 AM Walk &/or Personal Practice
9:00 – 10:00 AM Class with Teachers
10:00 – 10:30 AM Walk
10:30 – 11:30 AM Group Practice lead by Sangha
11:30 – 12:30 PM Personal Practice
12:30 – 1:30 PM Lunch: Prepare, eat, clean up
1:30 – 3:00 PM Personal Practice
3:00 – 4:00 PM Group Practice lead by Sangha
4:00 – 5:30 PM Personal Practice
5:30 – 7:00 PM  Dinner: prepare, eat, clean up
7:00 – 7:30 PM Walk &/or Personal Practice
7:30 – 8:30 PM Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers
8:30 – beyond Personal Practice & bed

 

Ready to Register?

Please click on the buttons below to register for either retreat option. If you  If you have questions about the retreat, please phone 250-429-3929, or contact [email protected].

 

 

Registration deadlines: IN-PERSON retreatants – March 25, 2023.  ONLINE retreatants – March 31st, 2023.