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DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20161009T160000
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LAST-MODIFIED:20260304T033600Z
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SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nRecording available for one week: Can’t make the live session? No problem\, a recording of the Office Hours will be available for one week after the event. Please note that you will still need to follow the usual registration procedure by the Friday prior to the live event in order to receive the link to access the recording.  You can also submit your question(s) when you register. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, October 7th 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend.\nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices. \n\n\n 
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-online-qa-with-the-teachers-october9/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Office-Hours_1-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160925T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160925T160000
DTSTAMP:20180419T220254Z
CREATED:20160304T215028Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180419T220254Z
UID:10000516-1474815600-1474819200@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nRecording available for one week: Can’t make the live session? No problem\, a recording of the Office Hours will be available for one week after the event. Please note that you will still need to follow the usual registration procedure by the Friday prior to the live event in order to receive the link to access the recording.  You can also submit your question(s) when you register. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, Sept 23rd 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend.\nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices. \n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-online-qa-with-the-teachers-september25/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Office-Hours-2.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160914T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160914T200000
DTSTAMP:20170216T045045Z
CREATED:20160904T014941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170216T045045Z
UID:10000525-1473877800-1473883200@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Awakening Through Action in Vancouver
DESCRIPTION:Join Dharma Teachers Doug Duncan Sensei and Catherine Pawasarat for a presentation on Awakening Through Action at Banyen Books and Sound in Vancouver. \nHow do we make spiritual progress in the midst of our daily lives? \nHow do we transform work and relationships into a spiritual practice? \nWhat is the potential role of the concept Karma Yoga (yoga = “union through discipline” and karma = “action”) for bringing clarity and radical transformation into our daily lives?@ \nDoug Sensei and Catherine Sensei explore these themes through traditional/classic meditation & yogic practices and philosophy as well as drawing on such influences as The Fifth Discipline and Theory U.
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/awakening-through-action-in-vancouver/
LOCATION:Banyen Books & Sound\, 3608 West 4th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Public Classes
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160911T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160911T160000
DTSTAMP:20180419T220254Z
CREATED:20160304T215451Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180419T220254Z
UID:10000517-1473606000-1473609600@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nRecording available for one week: Can’t make the live session? No problem\, a recording of the Office Hours will be available for one week after the event. Please note that you will still need to follow the usual registration procedure by the Friday prior to the live event in order to receive the link to access the recording.  You can also submit your question(s) when you register. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, Sept 9th 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend.\nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices. \n\n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-online-qa-with-the-teachers-september11/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20160908
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20160911
DTSTAMP:20170216T045045Z
CREATED:20160830T171335Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170216T045045Z
UID:10000524-1473292800-1473551999@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Calgary Teachings: Buddha Now - Find Freedom through Creativity and your Career
DESCRIPTION:Join Doug Duncan Sensei in Calgary for an enlightening three part series\, ‘Buddha Now’.  In these two classes and one meditation session we will discover tools for finding heart and meaning through both career and creativity. \nThursday Sept 8th\,  7 – 8:30pm – Awakening through Career \nIn this enlivening discussion\, Doug Duncan Sensei will describe how we can leverage our careers and professional lives to find a richer\, more free way of life. \nLearn how to develop and use the focus\, drive and energy required for your livelihood to liberate stuck mental and emotional patterning. Create the groundwork for illumined states of consciousness and become an even more powerful professional. \n  \nFriday Sept 9th\, 7 – 8:30pm – Awakening through Creativity \nCreativity arises naturally in states of stillness and presence.  From this place of clear seeing\, inspiration springs forth. In this fast-paced and demanding world however\, the long list of daily needs and preoccupations makes this creative state elusive. \nJoin Doug Duncan Sensei as he shares his approach to accessing creativity. Learn how a deeply creative lifestyle can move you beyond limiting views and connect  you with your unlimited creative Buddha Nature. \n  \nSaturday September 10th  4 – 5:30pm  – Meditations on Awakening through Career and Creativity.  \nJoin us for this practice session where we learn and develop the tools we need to show up in our lives and work mindfully. Give your inner creative warrior the fuel it needs to shine through regardless of the financial\, physical\, emotional or mental obstacles you might face. \n  \nAbout the Teacher\nAchariya Doug Duncan has been teaching the Buddhist path to awakening for over three decades. In 2005\, Duncan founded Clear Sky Meditation Center in Cranbrook\, BC. He continues to travel around the world leading retreats and classes with his partner and co-teacher Catherine Pawasarat. \nKnown for his direct and compassionate engagement with students\, Doug embraces the full spectrum of the various traditions he employs in order to mentor beings to a more awakened state. His great sense of humour\, caring attitude and sometimes very direct involvement makes him an effective catalyst for opening the shadow\, for very practical application of the teachings\, for humorous and gentle relief when tensions mount and through a diverse range of explorations expands the teachings to include all aspects of life. More about Doug Duncan Sensei. \n  \nFull Details and registration: Visit the Dharma Hub Calgary website.
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/calgary-teachings-buddha-now-find-freedom-through-creativity-and-your-career/
LOCATION:Human Potential 360\, Calgary\, 1231 9 Ave SE\, Inglewood\, Calgary\, AB\, T2G 0S9\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Public Classes
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160828T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160828T160000
DTSTAMP:20180419T220254Z
CREATED:20160304T215706Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180419T220254Z
UID:10000518-1472396400-1472400000@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nRecording available for one week: Can’t make the live session? No problem\, a recording of the Office Hours will be available for one week after the event. Please note that you will still need to follow the usual registration procedure by the Friday prior to the live event in order to receive the link to access the recording.  You can also submit your question(s) when you register.. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, August 26th 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend.\nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices. \n\n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-online-qa-with-the-teachers-august28/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160814T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160814T160000
DTSTAMP:20180419T220254Z
CREATED:20160304T215941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180419T220254Z
UID:10000349-1471186800-1471190400@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nRecording available for one week: Can’t make the live session? No problem\, a recording of the Office Hours will be available for one week after the event. Please note that you will still need to follow the usual registration procedure by the Friday prior to the live event in order to receive the link to access the recording.  You can also submit your question(s) when you register. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, August 12th 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend.\nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices. \n\n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-online-qa-with-the-teachers-august14/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20160808
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20160821
DTSTAMP:20260615T055738Z
CREATED:20160126T045111Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T055738Z
UID:10000348-1470614400-1471737599@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Awakening Through Action Retreat
DESCRIPTION:Two-week Deeper Dive: Mon.\, 8 Aug. – Sat.\, 20 Aug.\nOne-week option: Mon.\, 8 Aug. – Sat.\, 13 Aug.[simple_tooltip content=’We recommend arriving a day early and staying a day later\, to help transition between your daily life and a more reflective state. Classes start at 7pm on Monday 8 Aug. and 15 Aug. Sun.\, 14 Aug. is an integration day\, to reflect on one’s learning and allow it to settle more deeply. Classes finish at 1pm on Sat. 13 Aug and 20 Aug.’]  Details[/simple_tooltip]\n\nImportant note on Dāna : \nOur teaching and Clear Sky operate based on the ancient tradition of dāna or generosity. \nPlease learn more about this profound practice before you register. \n  \n  \n  \nOverview\nAction as a Spiritual Path\nWho this retreat is for\nCourse Outcomes\nWhat’s expected of me if I come to this retreat?\nWho are the leaders of this retreat & how do we work?\nKarma Yoga and is it for you?\nWhat does a typical day look like\nWhat kinds of meditation will we do?\nWhy come to Clear Sky?\nCosts & Registration \nRetreat Overview\nHow can we become more self-aware and/or make spiritual progress when we spend the majority of our waking hours at a job\, or figuring out how to make my business successful? To make spiritual progress\, do I need to meditate for months at a time like the Buddha and his monks and nuns? That was 2500 years ago\, so how does it relate to my modern life? \nThese are questions every contemporary practitioner asks. We believe that for many people\, one solution lies in the path of Karma Yoga: yoga means “union through discipline\,” and karma means “action.” \nWe call it Awakening Through Action. \nThis path presents a vehicle for us to grow increasingly self-aware as we go about our daily tasks and functions. \n© D. Steinbock \nA monastery or convent represented the ultimate example of this\, with their cooks and accountants and traders and artists. However we don’t have to live in a monastery or convent to practice Karma Yoga; we can undertake it wherever we work\, including virtually. \nTraditionally\, meditators were meditation professionals: it was a job\, a role\, a responsibility based on predisposition and talent. As mentioned\, other monks and nuns had other predispositions\, and so undertook the other roles and responsibilities that every functioning organization needs: procuring necessities\, training members of the organization\, cleaning\, teaching and studying\, finances\, etc. \nDo you have an image that meditators were the elite cadre of the center? Well\, maybe\, but remember that Deepak Chopra was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s assistant\, which must have involved a wide variety of activities besides meditating. \nThe purpose of the monastery or convent and the teachers and trainees therein was to ensure that all these activities took place with moment-to-moment awareness. Moreover\, flexibility and adaptability was an important element: everyone had experience doing every kind of position. The meditators also served and practitioners doing service also did meditation practice. \n\n \nAction as a Spiritual Path\n© D. Steinbock \nAs you can see\, Karma Yoga is the practice of action or service as a spiritual path\, a path as valid as that of meditation practice. The former is practiced while being active\, and the later while being more passive. \nKarma Yoga involves day-to-day activities that are performed with as much attention to our states\, revealing our assumptions\, feelings and attitudes as to the job itself. The idea is to purify the negatives that arise in situ by replacing them with kindness and incisive awareness. \nDharma Training is the actual learning that happens in the context of Karma Yoga. With the help of mentors we learn how our conditioning colors our work and attitudes\, affecting how we relate and work\, and how we interact with those around us. \nDharma Training serves to eliminate inevitable blind spots (we all have them – it’s part of being human) and suboptimal conditioned habits acquired from when we were small children. \nWith this greater self-knowledge\, we naturally become kinder and more compassionate\, with better energy and functionality. This makes us more enjoyable to be with\, more effective\, more tolerant of others and more capable in stressful situations. \nWhy “Service?”\n© D. Steinbock \nBy calling it “service\,” we instill the idea that we do it with and for others\, helping each other get greater clarity and more contentment through our daily activities. You’ll note that we also thereby benefit ourselves! By putting others first\, we give the ego a chance to relax. This greatly increases our odds of being effective and more successful\, and also having a better time and enjoying our work more. \nWe feel this approach is eminently applicable to the Western lifestyle in the 21st century. This is the practice we undertake with our organizations: Planet Dharma and the Clear Sky Retreat Center. This course offers you the opportunity to learn from our experience\, and take it back home and to work with you. \nIn this course\, we’ll draw on traditional meditation and yogic practices and philosophy. We’ll also utilize exercises drawn from Namgyal Rinpoche’s Holistic Clearing practice\, Theory U\, Fifth Discipline\, Five Dysfunctions of a Team and original exercises we’ve created expressly for Karma Yoga and Dharma Training development.\n \nWho This Retreat Is For – People Who:\n\nWould like to transform work into a spiritual practice;\nWould like to turn their job into a spiritual vocation;\nAre motivated by the concept of service;\nAre looking for values-based ways to work well in a team;\nLive and work in a spiritual community;\nAre attracted to Awakening in Action (a.k.a. Karma Yoga or service) as a spiritual path;\nWould like to improve their Karma Yoga skills or their Dharma Training skills\, or further explore the relationship between Karma Yoga and Dharma Training;\nBeginners and people of all (or no) faiths welcome.\n\n \n \nCourse Outcomes:\n© D. Steinbock \nThe objective of the course is to empower you to carry at least a taste\, or more than a taste\, of the Karma Yoga practice for Awakening in Action into your daily life. \nClear Sky Retreat Center has operated on the basis of Karma Yoga for more than a decade. We’ve studied the patterns of what works (and what doesn’t) to accelerate our learning and spiritual unfoldment. \nWe’ll share these patterns and the tools to overcome obstacles and strengthen good practices\, so that you can apply them to your daily life and work as well. \nThe result? A more direct connection between your spiritual practice and what you spend most of your waking hours doing (ie.\, your job and your relationships). \nThat is\, accelerating your own Awakening in Action\, and supporting the same for others. \nWe’re excited about supporting you this way! How about you? \n[tmls category=”24″ layout=”tmls_list” style=”style2″ image_size=”large_image” image_radius=”large_radius” text_font_family=”” text_font_color=”#777777″ text_font_size=”16px” name_font_family=”” name_font_color=”#777777″ neme_font_size=”14px” neme_font_weight=”bold” position_font_family=”” position_font_color=”#777777″ position_font_size=”12px” order_by=”date” order=”DESC” number=”1″ border_style=”tmls_border tmls_dashed_border” border_color=”#DDDDDD” ratingstars=”enabled” ratingstarssize=”16px” ratingstarscolor=”#F47E00″ ]\n \nWhat’s Expected from Me if I Come to This Retreat?\n© D. Steinbock \nAn open mind\, heart and will and a spirit of adventure are excellent things to bring! \nSeriously\, though\, it’s human to have some apprehensions about doing something new\, or meeting new people\, or going to a new place. Particularly if and when all three happen together. We try to make this as supportive an experience as possible. And changes – including positive ones – require movement\, and movement requires engaged energy. \nSo we ask you to engage with us around the teachings and activities that will support your learning and unfoldment around Awakening in Action. \nParticularly when we are exploring our growth edges\, it’s natural to feel uncertain and awkward. And it’s very fruitful to transform that tension into creative energy by drawing on your own inner resources – such as inquiry\, going with the flow and self-reflection\, just a few of the many different kinds of constructive engagement. \nTo maximize the most of the learning and integration of that learning\, we ask that you refrain from reading\, using the internet or listening to music during the course. We make an exception for journaling\, course assignments and the dancing we sometimes do during exercises or group celebration – all great resources for integration and growth. \nLastly\, we mentioned that Clear Sky has run for a decade on the practice of [simple_tooltip content=’Karma Yoga is our ongoing practice of Awakening in Action. It may entail supporting the center and participants in the area of nourishment\, environmental services\, land management or infrastructure.’]Karma Yoga.*[/simple_tooltip] Our teaching and Clear Sky also operate based on the ancient tradition of dāna or generosity. Please learn more about this profound practice before you register. \n \n \nWho are the Leaders of this Retreat?\n© C. Pawasarat \nCombined\, Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat have been practicing Karma Yoga and meditation for more than 60 years. They both received lay ordination from the Canadian-born Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche\, and have shared teachings of liberation from their Western Canada-based retreat center\, Clear Sky\, and worldwide for decades. \nThey’re well versed in Theravadin\, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist philosophy and practices\, as well as contemporary psychology\, consciousness studies and art. They are pioneering Karma Yoga and generosity practices in the West\, and feel proud to base their teachings and retreat center on these radical and profound practices. \nJoin them to be skillfully supported towards greater empowerment through this straightforward\, dynamic and insightful program. Join this retreat for the valuable opportunity to help share these unique teachings in the contemporary world. \nHow We Work:\nLife is impermanent and unpredictable – everything is always in flux. Developing our practice of Karma Yoga means that we learn to recognize the potential for our spiritual development in anything and everything. In fact\, this kind of flexibility of mind and body comprises one of the benefits of spiritual attainment. \nAs a natural result\, we respond to the people present and our emerging learning by deliberately changing and moving the exercises around. \nThis keeps the program fresh\, somewhat spontaneous and therefore a bit unpredictable. Like life. Our goal is to make our ability to practice Karma Yoga and Dharma Training sustainable throughout the ups and downs of our day-to-day. \nTo this end\, we’ll be teaching about Karma Yoga and Dharma Training in class\, describing them in context and discussing them in group. Outside of classes\, we’ll practice and develop Karma Yoga and Dharma Training in various contexts\, including during our Karma Yoga activities (which most closely simulates how they might be used in daily life) and also through assigned exercises. \nAfter the first week of introduction and overview\, we’ll shift into deeper exploration and practice. As part of this\, the second week will include the option of private interviews with Doug and/or Catherine\, to pursue more personalized inquiries if desired. \nRead on for more details.\n \nWhat is Karma Yoga?\nYes\, we’ve explained a bit about Karma Yoga above\, now let’s give you a little more detail about what it looks like. \n \nKarma Yoga is the path of applied awareness engaged in activity. When performed mindfully\, Karma Yoga reveals and liberates our sense of isolation and separateness\, while enriching our individuality and creativity. \nThe activities of Karma Yoga are engaged in the context of community or virtually\, on one’s own or in teams\, but usually both. With mentors and trained professionals in the field of Karma Yoga\, we learn how to be more effective as an individual and in teams. \nAmong other things\, through Karma Yoga we learn how to: \n\nembrace vulnerability as a positive;\nengage in constructive conflict between individuals and build trust in relationships\, teams and communities;\nbuild clarity by creating and honoring realistic commitments;\nraise our aspirations\, develop skills and capabilities;\npay attention to results and not let our egoism and a “get by” status quo attitude feign as “success;”\nbecome more accountable\, building confidence;\ntransform emotional tension into creative tension;\nincrease clarity around our own personal vision\, and develop the ability to fulfill it.\n\nOne of the huge advantages of doing Karma Yoga and being a Karma Yogi is that it benefits everyone\, including the planet and the environment. We learn to transcend the need for recognition\, and abide in the satisfaction of a job well done\, and even more so in dedicating the merit to the benefit of all beings. \nWhy Would I Want to be a Karma Yogi?\n© D. Steinbock \nA Karma Yogi is a person dedicated to spiritually supporting oneself and other people. S/he trains and practices to purify emotional conflicts and self-limiting views\, yielding greater freedom\, clarity\, joy and peace in our own and others’ lives. In other words\, we become more loving and more compassionate. \nA Karma Yogi is like a superhero. The superhero helps others physically\, with superhuman powers. But unlike the superhero whose powers result from an accident or aberration\, the Karma Yogi builds them through consciously training. The superhero is an entertaining fiction; Karma Yogis are real\, with skillsets and special abilities that any of us can learn. Karma Yogis make the world a beautiful place to be. \nIs Karma Yoga for You?\nWe have four aspects operative in our lives: our bodies (the physical)\, our feelings (emotional)\, our minds (cognitive) and our integrated\, multi-dimensional being (spiritual). The training is focused on “purifying” and transforming the first three areas\, so that we may have ongoing\, real-time access to the fourth. \nBy “purifying\,” we mean that Karma Yoga helps us to remove blocks that may manifest in painful physical\, emotional or psychological patterns from our conditioning. \nThis is a normal part of the human condition\, which is why the Buddha’s First Ennobling Truth is “Life is struggle.” And we can learn how to move beyond the struggle\, by liberating these blocks. The results are less hurt\, anxiety\, worry or depression and a more open mind and heart\, meaning more friendliness\, love\, compassion and joy. That’s a life worth living! \nHere are some examples of how we approach Karma Yoga: \nMind Training \nA lot of meditation and consciousness training focus on this. It’s powerful and important\, but not so useful unless it’s conjoined with additional types of training (see below). \nWe are shaped by our environment and culture\, and the messages of what’s true and what isn’t appear early in the molding of our psyches. The mind is the habitat\, and habit\, of views\, opinions and beliefs. \n© C. Pawasarat \nGenerally speaking\, these “positions” go unexamined in most of our lives\, and therefore can create havoc with our wellbeing. For instance\, racism\, sexism and species-ism (“humans have the right to do whatever they want to the planet and other species”) are all mental positions that have done so much harm\, because they were not properly investigated as mere views\, rather than “truths” or presumptions. \nWhile the superhero fights against “evil\,” the Karma Yogi struggles with limiting views of who they can be. To prevail\, s/he must sacrifice old views of himself. As part of our mind training\, we see what views arise during different situations. We examine these views\, what they’re based on\, and the results of having them. \nBody Training \nAnd our mind is so influenced by our body\, and vice versa! \nClassically yoga\, prostrations and other similar activities were used to make us more aware of our bodies. Meditation allows us to see how the body responds to stimuli when still. We use these methods\, and also extend them to activities like movement/dance and different kinds of service. \nDuring this physically-oriented training\, we focus on our bodies and note any tensions or blocks that disturb our energy fields. Anyone can do this anywhere\, but usually the demands of our jobs or families tend to make us forget to pay attention to how the body is reacting. \nThe idea is to learn how to do this in a retreat context\, and cultivate the spiritual connection explicitly in a safe environment. Then we’re more able to do it implicitly or discreetly\, as appropriate\, at work and at home. \nIn other words\, at Clear Sky we get better at doing this without the pressures of daily life. Then we can take it to the “battlefront” of life\, where the Karma Yogi (as the superhero in disguise as you) gets to show her stuff! \nFeeling Training \nIn some ways this can be the most challenging training. One reason for this is because we think of ourselves as separate beings. Consequently\, we always feel alone and vulnerable to some degree\, so we protect ourselves and we armor our hearts for safety. \nThe results include hypersensitivity to criticism\, anxiousness\, depression or worry when things aren’t going our way. This is the superhero’s Kryptonite or Achilles’ heel\, neutralizing their superpowers. For the Karma Yogi\, it’s any of the array of painful feelings that are part of the human experience. \nThe feeling training aspect of Karma Yoga helps us to observe our reactions to these feelings more objectively. The result is that we gain the freedom of choice\, to move from pain-based reaction to conscious response. \nHow’s that for exciting? \n\n \nWhat Does a Typical Day Look Like?\nOur daily schedule includes: \n© C. Conroy-Low \nMeal times conducted in silence\, with awareness directed towards the nature of “nourishment” and the act of serving oneself and others\, and eating. \nThe proverbial – and actual – chop wood\, carry water\, cleaning dishes will be an active\, enlivening experience. You’ve never had this experience cleaning dishes! \nWe have three meals a day. \nDaily group meditations allow us to gather and reflect as a group in silence\, on a theme related to the other activities of the day. We will also use the meditation to raise inquiries for ourselves\, and to yield insights about what we’re learning. Some meditations will include time for Q & A and discussion. \nTalks on Karma Yoga will address principles\, theory\, and various exercises to practice\, or [simple_tooltip content=’Karma Yoga may entail supporting the center and participants in the area of nourishment\, environmental services\, operational support of Clear Sky Center. This may entail involvement with meal preparation\, serving or cleanup\, the farm and garden\, our sustainable land management\, helping build or site meditation platforms\, etc.’]Karma Yoga activities*[/simple_tooltip]  to follow. We will also have sessions for facilitated discussion and time for Q & A. We’ll also take advantage of group review\, such as regarding lessons learned\, challenges that may arise\, how to adapt what we learn to use at home\, etc. \nApplications: Practice makes perfect\, so we’ll build on each day’s new discoveries to apply what we’re learning\, using more [simple_tooltip content=’See the section above on How We Work.’]engaged exercises*[/simple_tooltip] or a Karma Yoga activity. This helps ensure you’ll be able to replicate what you’ve learned in your life back home. \n© C. Pawasarat \nIntegration time: We respect the importance of this modality! You may use it to take walks around the exquisite Clear Sky property\, engage in your own movement practices\, rest\, reflect\, journal\, etc. \nBased on the emerging group dynamic the schedule may change from day to day\, excepting the group meditations and meal times\, which anchor our practice. \nAs mentioned above\, the first week will introduce basic principles\, theory and practice and overview. The second week will allow us to work more specifically on patterns we’ve identified we’d like to shift\, with deeper exploration and practice. As part of this\, the second week will include the option of private interviews with Doug and/or Catherine\, so that participants have the opportunity to make more specific inquiries pertaining to their particular situation.\n \nWhat Kind of Meditation Do We Do?\nPhoto © Catherine Pawasarat \nThere are many kinds of meditation\, each one useful for a different purpose. Typically\, they fall into one of two categories: calming bliss\, or insight.\nWithin the first category\, there are meditations such as movement\, visualization\, mantra\, devotion\, energy (i.e.\, chakras) and breathing. \nIn the insight category\, there are meditations such as vipassana (insight)\, mahamudra\, Dzogchen\, Zen and breathing. \nNotice that breathing falls in both groups! This is one good reason why it is a popular and useful meditation for many. \nIn this course we will draw on various meditation techniques. One that we are especially pleased to share with you for this course is the Holistic Clearing Meditation\, an original creation by our teacher\, Namgyal Rinpoche. The Holistic Clearing meditation represents a new and unique stream in spiritual practices that is especially suited for modern life. \nThe Holistic Clearing meditation bridges the gap between our own strengths\, weaknesses\, and lacks\, and then balances us to be more effective in our personal and interpersonal lives. \nIt is also a supportive and fully liberating self-contained practice that you can easily do on your own when you return home.\n \nWhy Come To Clear Sky: Experience the Difference:\n© C. Pawasarat \n\nKnow what it is to truly unwind\, surrounded by pristine\, tranquil nature.\nEnjoy fresh air and wholesome food\, with an emphasis on organic and locally sourced.\nExperience the support of a community that exists to help you reconnect.\nBe part of a working and awakening community that practices what it teaches.\nExperience Karma Yoga and Dharma Training in a community that has practiced both together for years\, at a center built on these practices.\nYou’ll both reinvigorate and integrate what you learn into your daily life.\nShare the learning and growth with other participants\, making new friends who are also on a path of spiritual unfoldment.\nConnect to the teachings that have enlivened humanity over centuries (regardless of faith orientation).\n\nOur Values\nThe Clear Sky community: \n\nnurtures awakening through compassionate action and commitment to a lineage of authentic exploration;\ncultivates fiscal\, social\, environmental and spiritual sustainability;\nfosters a supportive and challenging team built on trust\, integrity and accountability;\nprovides timeless solutions promoting joyful discovery and growth for those with a heart for change.\n\n \n© B. Fung \nOther points about the retreat: \n\nWe recommend arriving a day early and staying a day later\, to help transition between your daily life and a more reflective state. \nClasses start at 7pm on Monday 8 Aug. and 15 Aug.\nSun.\, 14 Aug. is an integration day\, to reflect on one’s learning and allow it to settle more deeply. \nClasses finish at 1pm on Sat. 13 Aug and 20 Aug.\nKarma Yoga may entail supporting the center and participants in the area of nourishment\, environmental services\, operational support of Clear Sky Center. This may entail involvement with meal preparation\, serving or cleanup\, the farm and garden\, our sustainable land management\, helping build or site meditation platforms\, etc.  \n\n \n\nReady for Awakening through Action?\nInvest in your growth and unfoldment with master Dharma teachers Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat this summer.  Nestled in the Rocky Mountains\, beautiful Clear Sky meditation centre offers the perfect locale for deep learning.  Receive hands-on training in mind\, body and feeling as Doug & Catherine guide you through Karma Yoga and Dharma Training via classes\, assigned exercises and practice in community. You will also discover the powerful holistic clearing technique and other forms of meditation. \nStay for the full two week ‘deeper dive’ to take advantage of the option of private interviews with Doug and/or Catherine in the second week\, to pursue more personalized inquiries if desired. \nDāna Practice \nDoug & Catherine teach by the ancient practice of dāna or generosity. \nPlease learn more about this profound practice before you register. \n  \n  \nWhat does it cost to stay at the centre? \n\nTwo-week retreat ‘Deeper Dive’: (8 – 20th August)\n\nEarly bird price (Register by July 9): $1625 / Regular price: $1745 \n\nOne-week retreat option: (8- 13 August)\n\nEarly bird price (Register by July 9: $949 / Regular price: $999 \n \n\nGot a question about the retreat?\n[contact-form to=’registrar@planetdharma.com’ subject=’Awakening Through Action Retreat Question Form’][contact-field label=’Your questions:’ type=’textarea’/][contact-field label=’Your Email Address’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]\nSign up here to be notified of updates about this and other Planet Dharma courses\, posts and events.
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/awakening-through-action-retreat/
LOCATION:Clear Sky Meditation & Study Centre\, 3567 Cockell Rd\, Bull River\, British Columbia\, V0B1N0\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Retreats
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160724T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160724T160000
DTSTAMP:20180419T220255Z
CREATED:20160304T220119Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180419T220255Z
UID:10000350-1469372400-1469376000@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nRecording available for one week: Can’t make the live session? No problem\, a recording of the Office Hours will be available for one week after the event. Please note that you will still need to follow the usual registration procedure by the Friday prior to the live event in order to receive the link to access the recording.  You can also submit your question(s) when you register. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, July 22nd 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend.\nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices. \n\n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-online-qa-with-the-teachers-july24/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160710T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160710T160000
DTSTAMP:20180419T220255Z
CREATED:20160304T220200Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180419T220255Z
UID:10000351-1468162800-1468166400@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nRecording available for one week: Can’t make the live session? No problem\, a recording of the Office Hours will be available for one week after the event. Please note that you will still need to follow the usual registration procedure by the Friday prior to the live event in order to receive the link to access the recording.  You can also submit your question(s) when you register.. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, July 8th 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend\nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices. \n\n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-online-qa-with-the-teachers-july10/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20160627
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20160719
DTSTAMP:20230130T051322Z
CREATED:20160113T185710Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230130T051322Z
UID:10000342-1466985600-1468886399@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:The Four Levels of Tantra: Webinar Series
DESCRIPTION:Join Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat for this third of four enlightening webinar series on fundamental teachings of buddhadharma and awakening throughout 2016.  This series is on the Four Levels of Tantra and will be streamed in four classes over four weeks.  These webinars are open to all.  For participants of the 2016 Year of Awakening program\, these webinars are also part of of the program’s curriculum. \nWhat is Tantra?\nPhoto: Wonderlane \nTantra is a weaving of a clear mind and a blissful heart. The image used to portray the metaphor of these dualities of consciousness is the dance of male/female in union. In this four week online seminar (once a week) we explore the four stages of the tantric path. They are action tantra\, relational tantra\, completing tantra and union tantra. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nWhat are the Four Levels of Tantra?\n\nIn Action Tantra\, traditionally the image of a ‘smile’ between male and female is used. A smile is an invitation and a connection. It is relatively low risk and decently far enough away to ensure time to assess if further dialogue is desired or possible. As a karma yoga practice it involve service and generosity in practice.\nRelational Tantra uses the metaphor of ‘holding hands’ as a symbol of closer communication and therefore deeper connection that just a smile. Here dialogue between teacher and student or between one’s actions and one’s psychology is deepened. At this level more honesty is required not only between the teacher and student but with one’s self as well.\nCompleting Tantra\, requires more vulnerability\, greater trust and deeper courage. The metaphor here would be ‘making out’\, to use colloquial language. Not everything in our ego is nice. The monsters of our shadows and the deeper part of our hurts\, our loneliness and betrayals\, will be unveiled. But\, also the strengthening of our hearts and minds occurs here.\nFinally\, in Union Tantra the illusion of separation between beings evaporates. One comes to realize that only loving kindness and compassion exist in the heart/mind of clarity. We are joyous and equanimous in this level of tantra. And as one might expect from the previous metaphoric images\, union is depicted as the surrender anticipated in sexual union.\n\nHow is Tantra Practiced as a Path?\nIn these four webinars we will study how these four levels of tantra apply to the various stages of the path. \nThe tantric traditions of vajrayana Buddhism (mostly originating in the Himalayas) use ‘deities’\, or archetypal energies of enlightenment as an important meditation practice.  The root for deity is ‘dev’ in Sanskrit and means ‘to shine’\, thus shining energy as opposed to a god-like entity. \nThere are two aspects to the meditative path. One path is insight and the other path is bliss. Tantra is the path of bliss\, and that is seen in the imaging/ deities used to portray it. In Karma Yoga we develop both the insight and bliss paths in our daily lives and in our work supporting the organizations to which we belong. \nSuggested Reading:  \nIntroduction to Tantra: A Vision of Totality\, By Lama Yeshe\, Compiled and Edited by Jonathan Landaw\, Wisdom Publications\, London: 1987. \n  \n\nWebinar Details:\n\nSchedule: Watch the webinars live on Mondays 7:30pm\, Mountain Standard Time (MST) – June 27\, July 4\, 11\, and 18 (see below for details).\n\n\nThe teachings are also recorded\, and available for one week after the live session. These classes are open and recordings are also available to all registrants.\n\n\nClick on the “Register Now” buttons below to attend the webinars. By registering for the first webinar\, you will also receive registration links for the subsequent three webinars.\n\n\nPlease note that Office Hours (Saturdays 3-4pm MST) noted below are for the Year of Awakening program participants only.\nIf you’re not a Year of Awakening program participant\, we encourage you to join us for PlanetDharma’s regular semi-monthly Office Hours\, with questions about the classes and/or your daily practice. It’s also an opportunity to connect with the teachers\, the community of practice (sangha)\, and the awakening mindstream. The Office Hours are truly a precious opportunity to solidify and deepen our understanding and practice.\n\n\nDāna\nThese webinars are offered by Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the basis of dāna\, or generosity practice. There will be an opportunity for you to give dāna when you register\, below. Learn more about dāna. \n  \n  \nRegister Now for the Series\n \nClick here to join the PlanetDharma email list and stay informed via your email inbox. \n  \nThe other segments being taught by Doug & Catherine in 2016 are: \n\nFebruary/March:  Theravadin Suttas\nApril/May: Mahayana sutras.\nOctober: Western Mysteries: Womb\, Karma & Transcendence. \n\n 
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/the-four-levels-of-tantra-webinar-series/
CATEGORIES:Online Courses
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160626T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160626T160000
DTSTAMP:20180419T220324Z
CREATED:20160304T220318Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180419T220324Z
UID:10000352-1466953200-1466956800@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nRecording available for one week: Can’t make the live session? No problem\, a recording of the Office Hours will be available for one week after the event. Please note that you will still need to follow the usual registration procedure by the Friday prior to the live event in order to receive the link to access the recording.  You can also submit your question(s) when you register. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, June 24th 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend.\nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices. \n\n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/line-qa-with-the-teachers-june26/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160612T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160612T160000
DTSTAMP:20180419T220324Z
CREATED:20160304T220435Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180419T220324Z
UID:10000353-1465743600-1465747200@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nRecording available for one week: Can’t make the live session? No problem\, a recording of the Office Hours will be available for one week after the event. Please note that you will still need to follow the usual registration procedure by the Friday prior to the live event in order to receive the link to access the recording.  You can also submit your question(s) when you register. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, June 10th 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend. \nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices. \n\n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-online-qa-with-the-teachers-june12/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20160603
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20160607
DTSTAMP:20170224T004025Z
CREATED:20160126T044814Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170224T004025Z
UID:10000347-1464912000-1465257599@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Weekend Retreat: Assets Beyond Measure
DESCRIPTION:Want to have an even better life in six easy steps? Sages like the Buddha have taught us how to do it\, and it’s been proven over 2500+ years of testing. \nOkay\, it’s not possible to do it in “six easy steps\,” because the work in each step takes time and effort. But nevertheless there are just six steps! These six steps are called “Assets Beyond Measure” or “paramis” in Sanskrit. \nThese are qualities we grow to feel better in ourselves and to act from this positive\, wholesome place in one’s relations with others. \nBut … isn’t happiness enough? Why would anyone want to go beyond happiness? \nThe short answer is that happiness is a result\, not a cause. In other words\, if I am in a clear\, loving place\, investigating and curious\, while being calm and absorbed\, then happiness is the most likely result. \nWhat’s more\, happiness is incredibly fickle: that is\, it is impermanent and subject to disappearing. “Beyond happiness” means to look behind the feeling and find its source. The sources of happiness are these very Assets Beyond Measure! \nIntroducing a weekend retreat: \n How to Go Beyond Happiness: Gaining Assets Beyond Measure\nPhoto © Catherine Pawasarat \nThis is a short course to help busy people learn how to get rooted in these timeless and universal principles\, amidst all the challenges of modern life. \nSounds simple\, right? It is simple. Except that\, because we are active people with busy lives\, we feel like we can’t take the time to get grounded with these foundational assets. \nThis affects how we work\, play and relate to each other. As the saying goes\, “It’s hard to remember when you’re up to your neck in alligators that your original intention was to drain the swamp!” \nThis is a short course specifically designed for those of us who feel challenged around making the time.  We’ll be sharing how to cultivate mindfulness in conjunction with the Assets Beyond Measure while we go about our daily lives. \nThis means that we learn ways to embed them in whatever time we have available. Then our work and relationships blossom\, and we’re of greater service to ourselves\, our communities and the planet. \nThis creates more\, and durable\, happiness … even when there are ‘gators nipping at our heels. \nNote: These are universal teachings open to people of any faith\, or with no particular faith. \nCourse Outcomes:\n\nLearn to be more generous with ourselves and others\, materially\, emotionally and mentally.\nDevelop a greater sense of ease around thorny emotional issues.\nCultivate greater patience in the face of life’s ongoing challenges.\nOpen more energy through less resistance rooted in fear and mistrust.\nFind greater calm and focus based on a clearer sense of one’s place in the world.\nDiscover a closer connection to the wisdom inside us that arises from the development of the above outcomes.\n\nWho we are:\nWe encourage everyone to find the “teacher within” that we can be. But\, for almost everyone\, we need to apprentice before we can master. Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat have apprenticed in the teachings of awakening for decades with their teachers\, and have been teaching for almost as long. \nOur explorations and teachings are guided by four principles: spiritual growth\, social connectivity\, economic sustainability and environmental integrity. \nWe teach from various wisdom traditions – including modern science\, art and nature ­­– based on broad interests and a non-judgemental approach. We’ve lived and worked overseas for many years\, and a planetary outlook is important to us. So is humour! \nIn 2004 we opened our retreat center\, Clear Sky\, located in the Canadian Rockies just north of the Montana/Idaho border\, easily accessible by car or plane.Clear Sky is a non-profit\, charitable organization supported by open programs\, membership\, and other generous supporters and partners. \nWe knew many people desired a permanent physical location with a multi-faceted\, non-denominational\, approach to awakening. In essence\, Clear Sky exists as a nurturing space and crucible to help people become more “awake.” \nWe offer world-class awareness and mindfulness training. We specialise in revealing and integrating the shadow\, something that is easy to sidestep in spiritual practice. We offer direct relationships with teachers and trainers that address every aspect of our being. The goal: to awaken in this lifetime. \n  \n[tmls category=”21″ layout=”tmls_slider” style=”style2″ image_size=”large_image” image_radius=”large_radius” text_font_family=”” text_font_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”16px” name_font_family=”” name_font_color=”#000000″ neme_font_size=”14px” neme_font_weight=”normal” position_font_family=”” position_font_color=”#777777″ position_font_size=”12px” order_by=”date” order=”DESC” number=”1″ auto_play=”true” transitioneffect=”crossfade” pause_on_hover=”false” next_prev_visibility=”tmls_visible” next_prev_radius=”large_radius” next_prev_position=”” next_prev_bgcolor=”#F5F5F5″ next_prev_arrowscolor=”tmls_lightgrayarrows” scroll_duration=”500″ pause_duration=”9000″ ratingstars=”enabled” ratingstarssize=”16px” ratingstarscolor=”#F47E00″ ] \n  \nHow We Work:\n \nLife is impermanent and unpredictable – everything is always in flux. Developing these Assets Beyond Measure requires that we “go beyond.” So we respond to the people present and our emerging learning by deliberately changing and moving the exercises around. \nThis keeps the program fresh\, somewhat spontaneous and therefore a bit unpredictable. Like life. Our goal is to make “winning” these assets sustainable throughout the ups and downs of our day-to-day. \nTo this end\, we’ll be teaching about the Assets in class\, describing them in context and discussing them in group. Outside of classes\, we’ll practice and develop the Assets in various contexts\, including during our karma yoga activities (which most closely simulates how they might be used in daily life) and also through assigned exercises. \nIn case more details are helpful\, here’s one example: \nThe first of the six Assets Beyond Measure is generosity. We’ll begin by reflecting on why generosity qualifies as an Asset Beyond Measure. \nWe’ll practice giving\, receiving\, and not giving\, not receiving\, during this course as experiments that allow us to perceive the varying effects\, results and feelings. Here are some of the reflections that may arise: \n\nHow do we feel when we give?\nWhen we don’t?\nDo you feel stronger or weaker?\nDoes it make a difference if you give to someone you like\, compared to someone you don’t?\nIs “giving” just about material things\, or can we emotionally and mentally generous?\nMight giving sometimes be enabling or co-dependent\, such as in a “purchase” of love?\nDoes generosity’s near companion\, compassion\, inform of us when acceptance (a kind of generosity) may be unwholesome and when it isn’t?\nIs listening always generous?\nAre passivity or aggressiveness sometimes generous and sometimes not?\n\nWe’ll engage is scenarios that enact and demonstrate these various perceptions\, for each of the six Assets Beyond Measure we’ll develop in this course. Better still\, it will be fun. \nHow do I know I’ll feel comfortable?\n\nWe work with beginners and advanced participants alike\, and mold our teaching to the readiness of each student.\nEach student sets the pace and scope of their own development. We do encourage you to stretch your comfort zone so that it becomes broader\, and so you enjoy maximum benefits of the course.\nThe schedule is very accessible (see below for details).\nOur teachers and staff are friendly and well trained\, and have supported many people to reach “beyond happiness” for something more lasting.\n\nWhat’s expected from me if I come to this course?\n\nCome with an open and engaged attitude.\nParticipate in the program as fully as you’re able.\nFoster and maintain an atmosphere of trust and acceptance in the group-learning environment.\nRefrain from reading\, using the internet or listening to music during the course (except journaling and assigned reading).\nParticipate in Karma Yoga[1] service at Clear Sky (maximum of two hours daily).\nSupport the teachers and teachings through the practice of dāna.\n\nSample Daily Schedule:\n\n6:30 Wake up\n6:45 – 7:15 Meditation\n7:15 – 8:15 Breakfast\n8:15 – 9:45 Talk on the theme of Assets Beyond Happiness\n10:00 – 11:30 Exercises[2] from the talk (on developing these assets alone and in groups)\n11:30 – 12:30 Integration time: walk or reflection\n12:30 – 1:30 Lunch\n1:30 – 2:00 Rest\n2:00 – 3:30[3] Karma Yoga: an opportunity to practice the Asset currently under discussion in an active working situation\, so that you may be sure of being able to replicate what you’ve learned in your life back home.\n3:30 – 5:30 Exercises: combining what we’ve learned from the class\, exercises and karma yoga activity\, we adjust and deepen our exploration of the Asset.\n5:30 – 6:00 Integration time: walk or reflection\n6:00 – 7:15 Supper and clean up\n7:15 – 8:30 Group meditation\, ending with Q & A about the day and discussion of any points or difficulties encountered\n8:30 – 9:30 Integration time: walk\, reflection or journaling.\n9:30 – 10:00 Integrative / creative meditation\n10:00 – Bedtime\n\nWhy Come To Clear Sky: Experience the difference:\n© C. Pawasarat \n\nKnow what it is to truly unwind\, surrounded by pristine\, tranquil nature.\nEnjoy fresh air and wholesome food\, with an emphasis on organic and locally sourced.\nExperience the support of a community that exists to help you reconnect.\nBe part of a working and awakening community that practices what it teaches.\nYou’ll both reinvigorate and integrate what you learn into your daily life.\nShare the learning and growth with other participants\, making new friends who are also on a path of spiritual unfoldment.\nConnect to the teachings that have enlivened humanity over centuries (regardless of religion).\n\nFrom Us to You:\nWe look forward to meeting you and sharing some of the jewels of humanity’s search for meaning. In this age of superheroes as an archetype\, this course will bring you into closer contact with the true superhero motif within yourself. That superhero is awake\, compassionate and loving because s(he) lives immersed in the Assets Beyond Measure you’ve developed. From this perspective\, there are no battles to be fought: the enemy – hurt\, anxiety\, loneliness\, etc. – have already been defeated. \nWe offer this course as a potentially grand step forward in your ongoing growth and learning – see you here. \n \nNotes: \n[1] Karma Yoga is our practice of awakening in action. It may entail supporting the center and participants in the area of nourishment\, environmental services\, land management or infrastructure.\n[2] See the section on How We Work on this page.\n[3] The time of day will vary depending on the form of service. \nCourse Schedule: \n\nFriday\, June 3rd\, 7pm – 9pm\nSaturday\, June 4th\, 7am – 10pm\nSunday\, June 5th\, 7am – 10pm\nMonday June 6th\, 7am – 1pm
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/weekendretreat-assets-beyond-measure/
LOCATION:Clear Sky Meditation & Study Centre\, 3567 Cockell Rd\, Bull River\, British Columbia\, V0B1N0\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Retreats
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GEO:49.615543;-115.6300709
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Clear Sky Meditation & Study Centre 3567 Cockell Rd Bull River British Columbia V0B1N0 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=3567 Cockell Rd:geo:-115.6300709,49.615543
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160522T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160522T160000
DTSTAMP:20180419T220324Z
CREATED:20160110T005218Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180419T220324Z
UID:10000341-1463929200-1463932800@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nRecording available for one week: Can’t make the live session? No problem\, a recording of the Office Hours will be available for one week after the event. Please note that you will still need to follow the usual registration procedure by the Friday prior to the live event in order to receive the link to access the recording.  You can also submit your question(s) when you register.. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, May 20th 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend.\nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices. \n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-online-qa-with-the-teachers-may22/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160508T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160508T160000
DTSTAMP:20180419T220324Z
CREATED:20160108T192322Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180419T220324Z
UID:10000340-1462719600-1462723200@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nRecording available for one week: Can’t make the live session? No problem\, a recording of the Office Hours will be available for one week after the event. Please note that you will still need to follow the usual registration procedure by the Friday prior to the live event in order to receive the link to access the recording.  You can also submit your question(s) when you register.d. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, May 6th 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend.\nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices. \n  \n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-online-qa-with-the-teachers-may8/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20160425
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20160524
DTSTAMP:20230214T193100Z
CREATED:20160106T003925Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230214T193100Z
UID:10000508-1461542400-1464047999@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Mahayana Sutras: Webinar Series
DESCRIPTION:Join Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat for this second of four enlightening webinar series on fundamental teachings of buddhadharma and awakening throughout 2016.  This series is on the Mahayana Sutras and is streamed in four classes over four weeks.  These webinars are open to all.  For participants of the 2016 Year of Awakening program\, these webinars are also part of of the program’s curriculum. \n© Catherine Pawasarat \nIn the second quarter of 2016 (25 Apr – 22 May) we will examine some Mahayana sutras\, teachings that\, it’s said\, were received as termas centuries after the Buddha’s death. \nMahayana teachings build on the Theravadin “teachings of the elders\,” from a foundation of an individual’s awakening experience towards using that awakening to benefit all beings. Generally speaking Mahayana sutras are considerably longer and more complex than Hinyana suttas. Over these four webinars we’ll study two major\, classic sutras\, in order to get a feeling for  this later development of Buddhist philosophy and its salient features. Please see the details on specific sutras in the schedule below. \n© Catherine Pawasarat \nSome sources say that Mahayana sutras are teachings by the Buddha that were too advanced to be understood contemporaneously. Consequently they were hidden during his lifetime and revealed centuries later as termas. \nMahayana Buddhism exists primarily in China\, Korea and Japan. Since Doug Duncan lived in Japan for more than 10 years\, and Catherine for more than 20\, our teachings have been deeply influenced by Japanese culture\, and by extension\, Japan’s Mahayana Buddhism. \nLater in the year we’ll study the four levels of Vajrayana tantra and spiritual teachings from Western traditions. \nWe are pleased to share these teachings with all who are interested\, particularly in the context of this methodical approach to the different Buddhist vehicles and Western teachings that comprise our Path. \nPlease note that one of the benefits of the Year of Awakening program is priority for webinar participation. \n\nWebinar Details:\n\nSchedule: Mondays 7:30pm\, Mountain Standard Time (MST) – Apr 25\, May 2\, 9\, and 16 (see below for details).  Pre-reading begins Apr 18. There will be reading between each subsequent class.\n\n\nThe webinar teachings are recorded\, and available for one week after the live session. These classes are open and recordings are also available to all registrants.\n\n\nClick on the “Register Now” buttons below to attend the webinars. By registering for the first webinar\, you will also receive registration links for the subsequent three webinars.\n\n\nHomework for anyone attending teachings: read the sutta before the class\, and look up any terminology unfamiliar to you.\n\n\nPlease note that Office Hours (Saturdays 3-4pm MST) noted below are for the Year of Awakening program participants only.\n\n\nIf you’re not a Year of Awakening program participant\, we encourage you to join us for PlanetDharma’s regular semi-monthly Office Hours\, with questions about the suttas and/or your daily practice. It’s also an opportunity to connect with the teachers\, the community of practice (sangha)\, and the awakening mindstream. The Office Hours are truly a precious opportunity to solidify and deepen our understanding and practice.\n\n\nDāna\nThese webinars are offered by Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the basis of dāna\, or generosity practice.  There will be an opportunity for you to give dāna when you register\, below. Learn more about dāna. \n  \n  \nTranslation Details:\nIn these four webinars we will study the Diamond Sūtra\, and the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra. \nFor the Diamond Sutra\, we highly recommend Namgyal Rinpoche’s book Suchness – The Diamond State Of Realization available from Bodhi Publishing.  The same translation of the Sutra is also available in the book The Diamond Sutra and The Sutra of Hui-Neng\, translated by A.F. Price and Wong Mou-lam\, published by Shambhala Classics. Both books contain the version of the Diamond Sutra that Doug Sensei studied with Namgyal Rinpoche\, and is available as a Kindle e-book\, paperback or hardcover. \nFor the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra we recommend either or both these books: The Holy Teaching of Vimlakirti by Robert Thurman and/or the Vimlakirti Sutra by Burton Watson. \nPlease procure your copies well in advance\, as shipping may take some time. \nOther versions are available\, and please note that the translations vary widely. \n  \n\nSchedule: April 25 – May 16\n\nMon.\, Apr. 25: Mahayana Sutras Part One: The Diamond Sutra\n\nThis is the first webinar in this series on the Mahayana sutras\, mystical texts that were revealed in the Common Era. Join Doug and Catherine Sensei for a study of the Diamond Sutra\, a small book\, and also the very essence or core of the Maha-Prajnaparamita (Greater Perfection of Wisdom) of which it’s a part. The latter’s many volumes form the largest part of the scriptural canon of the Mahayana school of Buddhism. \nThe Diamond Sutra is written in the form of a dialogue about the bodhisattva path and enlightenment between the Buddha to Subhuti\, one of his senior students. It heavily influenced Chinese Chan and Japanese Zen schools of Buddhism. \nIts theme is the diamond state of realization. The diamond or thunderbolt cuts through delusional states of mind to reveal wisdom and ultimate truth. The sutra sheds light on major themes such as non-attachment\, non-self and emptiness. \n“Whosoever can receive and retain this teaching\, study it\, recite it and spread it abroad will be clearly perceived and recognized by the Tathagata and will achieve a perfection of merit beyond measurement \nImage: Vimalakirti\, by Hakuin Ekaku\, ink on paper\, 127 x 69.3 cm. Minneapolis Museum of Art \nor calculation – a perfection of merit unlimited and inconceivable.” – The Buddha (The Diamond Sutra\, Section XV\, The Incomparable Value of This Teaching)\nHow is that for motivation? \nStreamed live at 7:30pm MST. Pre-registration for each webinar is required\, please use the “Register Now” button below: \nPre-Reading assignment: Mon.\, Apr. 17 – Sun.\, Apr. 24: Read the first half of The Diamond Sutra. There will be reading between each subsequent class. \n[Office Hours for Year of Awakening Participants will take place on Sat.\, Apr. 30. This is a time for questions on the Diamond Sutra and related teachings.] \nMon\, May 2: Mahayana Sutras Part Two: The Diamond Sutra\n \nWe continue our study of the illusory nature of self\, the pursuit of non-attachment and emptiness as ultimate reality with the Diamond Sutra. \nStreamed live at 7:30pm MST. Pre-registration for each webinar is required\, please use the button below: \n[Office Hours for Year of Awakening Participants will take place on Sat.\, May 7\, and for other participants on Sun.\, May 8. This is a time for questions the Diamond Sutra and related teachings.] \n \nMon\, May 9: Mahayana Sutras Part Three: Vimlakirti-Nirdesa Sutra\n\nNext we’ll study the Vimalakirti-Nirdesa sutra. Dating to the 1st century AD\, the Vimalakirti Sutra presented radical notions that must have rocked the Buddhist world\, such as the possibility of awakening for all beings\, including the non-elite and women. It was written in the vernacular (vs. academic) language\, and so directed towards the average person\, another startling concept for the time. With the wealthy layman Vimalakirti\, miraculous feats illustrated profound Buddhist teachings\, all directed towards teaching about the ultimate nature of emptiness. \nStreamed live at 7:30pm MST. Pre-registration for each webinar is required\, please use the “Register Now” button below: \n[Office Hours for Year of Awakening Participants will take place on Sat.\, May 13\, This is a time for questions on the relevant sutra and related teachings.] \nMon\, May 16: Mahayana Sutras Part Four: Vimlakirti-Nirdesa\nWhat qualities and teachings in the the Vimalakirti-Nirdesa sutra put it in a different category from the Theravadin suttas? Why did Vimalakirti value the bodhisattva path above that of arahatship? What’s non-duality and why do we care? We continue our learning\, streamed live at 7:30pm MST. Pre-registration for each webinar is required.\n[Office Hours for Year of Awakening Participants will take place on Sat.\, May 21\, and for other participants on Sun.\, May 22\, both at 3-4pm Mountain Time. (click for time zone converter) This is a time for questions on the relevant sutra and related teachings.] \n  \n\n__________________________________________________________________________________ \nThe other segments being taught by Doug & Catherine in 2016 are: \n\nFebruary/March:  Theravadin Suttas\nJune/July: Teachings on tantra\nOctober: Western Mysteries: Womb\, Karma & Transcendence.\n\nClick here to join the PlanetDharma email list and stay informed via your email inbox.
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/mahayana-series/
CATEGORIES:Online Courses
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160424T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160424T160000
DTSTAMP:20181005T054609Z
CREATED:20160108T005215Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181005T054609Z
UID:10000339-1461510000-1461513600@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nRecording available for one week: Can’t make the live session? No problem\, a recording of the Office Hours will be available for one week after the event. Please note that you will still need to follow the usual registration procedure by the Friday prior to the live event in order to receive the link to access the recording.  You can also submit your question(s) when you register. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, April 22nd 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend.\nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. \nPlease Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices \n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-online-qa-with-the-teachers-april24/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160413T070000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160413T203000
DTSTAMP:20170216T045253Z
CREATED:20160405T033932Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170216T045253Z
UID:10000355-1460530800-1460579400@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Calgary Teaching: If You Want the Present\, You Have to Open the Box
DESCRIPTION:If you want the present\, you have to open the box.\nPublic Teaching by Achariya Doug Duncan:\n April 14 2016\, 7pm-8:30pm\n\nDoug Duncan – a Canadian-born teacher with an eclectic approach and eccentric sense of humour – will share some teachings based loosely on the Buddha’s fire sermon. In this discourse\, the Buddha compares the process of spiritual ‘Awakening’ to liberating people struggling uncomfortably in a burning house while preoccupied with their toys (we’re not making this up!). In an attempt to lure these endangered souls out of the fire and into safety\, he first offered them freedom from fire. Apparently the toys were more engrossing\, so the Buddha used ‘skillful methods’ to save them: he offered them even more wonderful toys outside with him\, free from the fire and associated danger. \nThe present – the here-and-now – is a wonderful toy. But we have to get out of the burning house to untie the ribbon\, tear off the pretty paper\, and open the box! Doug will share how we can do this\, and enjoy doing it\, during our busy modern lives. Nothing less than spiritual awakening is the inevitable result. \nAbout The Teacher\nAchariya Doug Duncan has been teaching the Buddhist path to awakening for over three decades. In 2005\, Duncan founded Clear Sky Meditation Center in Cranbrook\, BC. He continues to travel around the world leading retreats and classes with his partner and co-teacher Catherine Pawasarat. \nKnown for his direct and compassionate engagement with students\, Doug embraces the full spectrum of the various traditions he employs in order to mentor beings to a more awakened state. His great sense of humour\, caring attitude and sometimes very direct involvement makes him an effective catalyst for opening the shadow\, for very practical application of the teachings\, for humorous and gentle relief when tensions mount and through a diverse range of explorations expands the teachings to include all aspects of life. More about Doug Duncan Sensei. \nDāna\nThis teaching is offered by Sensei as a form of Dāna (traditional generosity giving) and likewise\, attendees are asked to reciprocate generously to the teacher. There will be a Dāna bowl available at the foyer of the Dharma Hub for you to give your offering.  More information: Dāna Guidelines and Practice.  \nAdministration Fee: The Dharma Hub will be charging a $10 administration fee for the class\, which does not go to the teacher. \nDetails:\nTime: The class will start at 7pm\, please arrive 10 minutes early so we can start on time. \nLocation: Dharma Hub Calgary is located at 2232 Bowness Rd\, NW in West Hillhurst (near Kensington\, not in Bowness). \nFor registration & to pay the administration fee online\, visit the Dharma Hub website for full details.  \n 
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/calgary-public-teachings-want-the-present-open-the-box/
LOCATION:Human Potential 360\, Calgary\, 1231 9 Ave SE\, Inglewood\, Calgary\, AB\, T2G 0S9\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Public Classes
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/sensei-present-calgary.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Dharma Hub Calgary":MAILTO:conscioustransformationcalgary@gmail.com
GEO:51.0412899;-114.0348147
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Human Potential 360 Calgary 1231 9 Ave SE Inglewood Calgary AB T2G 0S9 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1231 9 Ave SE\, Inglewood:geo:-114.0348147,51.0412899
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160411T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160411T190000
DTSTAMP:20170216T045253Z
CREATED:20160319T172622Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170216T045253Z
UID:10000354-1460397600-1460401200@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:London Public Teaching by Achariya Doug Duncan
DESCRIPTION:If You Want the Present\, You Have to Open the Box.\nLondon Public Teaching by Achariya Doug Duncan:\n April 11 2016\, Watkins Books\, 6pm – 7pm\n\nDoug Duncan – a Canadian-born teacher with an eclectic approach and eccentric sense of humour – will share some teachings based loosely on the Buddha’s fire sermon. In this discourse\, the Buddha compares the process of spiritual ‘Awakening’ to liberating people struggling uncomfortably in a burning house while preoccupied with their toys (we’re not making this up!). In an attempt to lure these endangered souls out of the fire and into safety\, he first offered them freedom from fire. Apparently the toys were more engrossing\, so the Buddha used ‘skillful methods’ to save them: he offered them even more wonderful toys outside with him\, free from the fire and associated danger. \nThe present – the here-and-now – is a wonderful toy. But we have to get out of the burning house to untie the ribbon\, tear off the pretty paper\, and open the box! Doug will share how we can do this\, and enjoy doing it\, during our busy modern lives. Nothing less that spiritual awakening is the inevitable result. \nDoug’s talk will be at 6pm at Watkins Books\, 19-21 Cecil Court\, London WC2N 4EZ …\nGetting there by tube: Leicester Square (Northern and Piccadilly lines): take a Charing Cross Road exit and turn in the direction of Trafalgar Square. After a short walk you will find Cecil Court on your left and the shop half way down this famous pedestrian alley. \nAlso check out Doug Duncan Sensei’s full UK retreat here.
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/london-public-teaching-by-achariya-doug-duncan/
CATEGORIES:Public Classes
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/sensei-want-the-present-london.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20160401
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20160409
DTSTAMP:20170224T004042Z
CREATED:20160131T002234Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170224T004042Z
UID:10000509-1459468800-1460159999@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Calm and Clear\, UK Retreat with Doug Duncan Sensei
DESCRIPTION:Calm and Clear Retreat at Maitreya House in the UK \nInviting Insight\, Bliss & Wisdom into our lives Fri. April 1 – Fri. April 8 \nWould you like to feel more calm and clear? How do you imagine it would affect your quality of life? Calm and Clear is a kind of meditation method\, and it applies to the day-to-day. Although it’s a text and practice rooted in Vajrayana Buddhism\, the applications can apply just as well in the office\, at home\, in recreation and even in our personal and professional relationships. Imagine bringing a sense of calmness and clarity to all of those places! \nThis has been called “analytical meditation” because it focuses on insight\, our mind’s incredible ability to understand. Its partner\, sammatha\, is also known as bliss meditation; it’s considered the great healer\, because when bliss is present\, it supersedes all mental and physical anguish. \nThese are not empty promises: as we all know\, bliss can be interrupted and difficult to regain. Therefore\, we need to understand the nature of what interrupts the bliss\, which means developing more insight. We also learn the supporting conditions of mind that can re-establish the bliss\, and reveal a kind of bliss we didn’t recognize before. \nWhat kind of bliss is that? You may be asking. This is the bliss of a calm\, clear\, awake luminosity of consciousness\, which generates both bliss and insight. Combined\, we call them wisdom:  Wisdom is generated when bliss conjoins with clarity and focuses on a question or investigation of some kind. \nThis retreat/advance takes place over one week on the Welsh borders (Fri.4pm\, April 1 – Fri 4pm\, April 8) at historic Maitreya House\, set in a beautiful and homey pastoral environment surrounded by hedgerows and working small-scale farms.\nThe daily schedule is approachable for both beginner and advanced practitioners. \nFor further information contact:\ndharmaeurope@outlook.com\nJonathan 07891 621865 or Zoe 07861 247357\nVenue: Maitreya House\, Lower Maescoed\, Hereford HR2 0HP\n(Nearest stations Abergavenney and Hereford) \nAlso check out Doug Duncan Sensei’s London public talk on April 11th click here for details. \nRetreat organization fees: \n\n£500 early bird rate (Full payment required by Feb. 15th) or £600 for payments received after Feb 15th. This includes course fees\, food and accommodation; Dāna for the teacher is extra.\n£100 non-refundable deposit required to secure a place.\n\nRetreatants can also join Doug on a trip to Winchester (8th-11th April – details on application). \nTranslation available into German (and into French if requested in advance) \nDāna\nPlease click for more about offering Dāna. \nRegister Now\nIf you are interested in attending\, please contact the organizers as soon as possible.  Email: dharmaeurope@outlook.com
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/calm-and-clear-retreat-with-doug-duncan-sensei/
LOCATION:Maitreya House\, Lower Maes-coed\, Hereford\, England\, HR2 0HP\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Retreats
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ORGANIZER;CN="Dharma Europe":MAILTO:dharmaeurope@outlook.com
GEO:51.9720215;-2.9511638
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Maitreya House Lower Maes-coed Hereford England HR2 0HP United Kingdom;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Lower Maes-coed:geo:-2.9511638,51.9720215
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160320T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160320T160000
DTSTAMP:20181005T054650Z
CREATED:20160103T191912Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181005T054650Z
UID:10000507-1458486000-1458489600@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nIf you are unable to attend live\, you can register to receive access to the recording for up to one week after the office hour finishes. In this case\, if you have a question you will need to submit it beforehand. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nPlease note\, pre-registration by Friday\, March 18th 9pm (Mountain Time) is required to attend.   \nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices. \n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-march-20/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160306T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160306T160000
DTSTAMP:20181005T054727Z
CREATED:20160103T191140Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181005T054727Z
UID:10000506-1457276400-1457280000@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nIf you are unable to attend live\, you can register to receive access to the recording for up to one week after the office hour finishes. In this case\, if you have a question you will need to submit it beforehand. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices \n\nRegistrations Close: Friday\, March 4th\, 9pm (Mountain Time)\n\n\n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-march-6/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160222T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160222T210000
DTSTAMP:20180830T162644Z
CREATED:20151125T011715Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180830T162644Z
UID:10000502-1456169400-1456174800@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:The Theravadin Suttas: Webinar Series
DESCRIPTION:Join Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat throughout 2016 for four enlightening webinar series on fundamental teachings of buddhadharma and awakening.  These webinars are open to all. \nIn the first quarter of 2016 (Feb 22 – March 26\, 2016) we will examine some classic Theravada suttas\, teachings by the Buddha that have been recited and passed down orally by traditional Buddhist practitioners since the Buddha’s lifetime. These are taken from the Majjhima Nikaya or Middle-Length Sayings\, also known as the Middle-Length Discourses\, teachings given by the Buddha. Subsequent webinars in 2016 include the Mahayana sutras in April/May\, teachings on tantra in June/July\, and on Western mysteries in October. For participants of the 2016 Year of Awakening program\, these webinars are also part of of the program’s curriculum.\n \n© Daniella Hartmann (flickr) \nTheravada (a.k.a. Hinayana) teachings are considered the teachings of the elders. Our purpose is to familiarize ourselves with a sampling of these fundamental discourses\, to learn about the unique offerings of the Theravadin tradition. \nMore to the point\, we’ll get a better sense of how these teachings have shaped our lineage’s diverse path. Our Canadian-born teacher\, Namgyal Rinpoche\, first trained as a Theravadan monk\, ordained Ananda Bodhi. He was trained for seven years by the Burmese insight master U Thila Wunta Sayadaw at his monastery in Yangon. Through this line our lineage can be traced from student to teacher\, back to the Buddha. \nLater in the year we’ll study Mahayana sutras\, Vajrayana tantras\, and spiritual teachings from Western traditions. Please see the Year of Awakening program webpage for an overview and schedule. \nWe are pleased to share these teachings with all who are interested\, particularly in the context of this methodical approach to the different Buddhist vehicles and Western teachings that comprise our Path. \nPlease note that one of the benefits of the Year of Awakening program is priority for webinar participation. \n\nWebinar Details:\n\nThis online course consists of four webinars\, presenting the suttas as a single body of work.\n\n\nSchedule: Mondays 7:30pm\, Mountain Standard Time (MST)- Feb 29\, March 7\, 14 and 21 (see below for details).  Pre-reading begins Feb 22. There will be reading between each subsequent class.\n\n\nThe webinar teachings are recorded\, and available for one week after the live session. These classes are open and recordings are also available to all registrants for the one week after the live webinar.\n\n\nAdvance registration is required: Click on the “Register Now” button below to sign up.\n\n\nThe US$50 course fee covers all four webinars\, and payment is due upon registration. Dāna practice is separate (please see details in the following section on dāna). Registration closes on February 29th at 7pm MT.\n\n\nHomework for anyone attending teachings: read the sutta before the class\, and look up any terminology unfamiliar to you.\n\n\nPlease note that Office Hours on Saturdays 3-4pm MT\, as noted below are for the Year of Awakening program participants only.\n\n\nIf you’re not a Year of Awakening program participant\, we encourage you to join us for Planet Dharma’s regular semi-monthly Office Hours on Sundays 3-4pm MT\, with questions about the suttas and/or your daily practice. It’s also an opportunity to connect with the teachers\, the community of practice (sangha)\, and the awakening mindstream. The Office Hours are truly a precious opportunity to solidify and deepen our understanding and practice of awakening in daily life.\n\n\nDāna\nThese webinars are offered by Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the basis of dāna\, or generosity practice.  Our ability to live a life full of generosity in all its myriad manifestations is a profound practice\, and central to our spiritual unfoldment. There will be an opportunity for you to give dāna when you register\, below. Learn more about dāna. \n\nTranslation Details:\nWe’ll be using the translation by I.B. Horner\, published by the Pali Text Society\, only available in hardcover editions (not available in an e-version nor as paperback). \nPlease procure your copy well in advance\, as shipping may take some time. \n\nA collection of all three volumes can be purchased via Amazon.\nSuttas 1\, 2 & 4 are in Volume 1\, available via Amazon in North America\, or from the Pali Text Society in the UK.\nSutta #137 is in Volume 3\, also available from Amazon in North America and at the same link from the Pali Text Society in the UK.\n\nOther versions are available\, and please note that the translations vary widely.  Please see a sample of the Horner translation below for comparison if you’re considering a different translation\, so you can understand how different they may be and make an informed decision. \n\nSchedule: Feb 29-Mar 21\n\nMon.\, Feb. 29: Theravada Suttas Part One: Synopsis of Fundamentals\n\nThis is the first webinar in this series on the Theravada suttas\, 2500 year old jewels of wisdom attributed to the historical Buddha.  Join Doug and Catherine Sensei for a study of the first sutta in the key Theravada Buddhist text\, the Majjhima Nikaya (Middle-Length Sayings).  This specific sutta #1\, is called the Discourse on the Synopsis of Fundamentals.   It focuses on how you can recognize appearances and phenomena as they really are.  Streamed live at 7:30pm MST.  Pre-registration is required. Please use the button below to sign up: \nPre-Reading assignment: Mon.\, Feb. 22 – Sun.\, Feb. 28: Read assigned sutta this week: #1\, Discourse on the Synopsis of Fundamentals. There will be reading between each subsequent class. \nOffice Hours for Year of Awakening Participants will take place on Sat.\, Mar. 5\, and for other participants on Sun.\, Mar 6\, both at 3-4pm Mountain Time (click for time zone converter).  This is a time for questions on sutta #1 and related teachings. \n \nMon\, Mar. 7: Theravada Suttas Part Two: On All the Cankers\n\nWondering how to wisely attend to the obstructions to freedom in your life?  Join Doug and Catherine Sensei for a study of the second sutta in the key Theravada Buddhist text\, the Majjhima Nikaya (Middle-Length Sayings).  This specific sutta #2\, is called the Discourse on All The Cankers.  Streamed live at 7:30pm MST. \nOffice Hours for Year of Awakening Participants will take place on Sat.\, Mar. 12\, and for other participants on Sun.\, Mar 20\, both at 3-4pm Mountain Time (click for time zone converter).  This is a time for questions on sutta #2 and related teachings. \n\nMon\, Mar. 14: Theravada Suttas Part Three: On Fear and Dread\n\nHow might one deal with fear and negative thinking?  Join Doug and Catherine Sensei for a study of the fourth sutta in the key Theravada Buddhist text\, the Majjhima Nikaya (Middle-Length Sayings).  This specific sutta #4\, is called the Discourse on Fear and Dread.  Streamed live at 7:30pm MST. \nOffice Hours for Year of Awakening Participants will take place on Sat.\, Mar. 19\, and for other participants on Sun.\, Mar 20\, both at 3-4pm Mountain Time (click for time zone converter). This is a time for questions on sutta #4 and related teachings. \n  \nMon\, Mar. 21: Theravada Suttas Part Four: The Six Sense Fields\n\nExplore the miracle of the six senses and discern between the struggles or freedom we associated with them. Join Doug and Catherine Sensei for a study of sutta #137 in the key Theravada Buddhist text\, the Majjhima Nikaya (Middle-Length Sayings).  This specific sutta #137\, is called the Discourse on the Analysis of the Sixfold (Sense-)Field.  Streamed live at 7:30pm MST. \nOffice Hours for Year of Awakening Participants will take place on Sat.\, Mar. 26\, and other participants are invited to join the next scheduled Office Hours on Sun.\, April 24th at 3-4pm Mountain Time (click for time zone converter).  This is a time for questions on sutta #137 and related teachings. \n \n\n \nSample Excerpt from I.B. Horner Translation\nMajjhima Nikaya (Middle-Length Sayings) sutta #1\, Discourse on the Synopsis of Fundamentals. \n \n  \n__________________________________________________________________________________ \nPlan ahead for the next sequence of webinars in April and May\, on Mahayana sutras. After that we’ll progress to teachings on tantra in June/July\, and on Western mysteries in October.\n \nClick here to join the PlanetDharma email list and stay informed via your email inbox.
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/weekly-webinars-online-teachings-on-theravada-suttas/
CATEGORIES:Online Courses
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/thailand-453393_1280-by-suc-pixabay.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160221T030000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160221T160000
DTSTAMP:20181005T054738Z
CREATED:20160103T190949Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181005T054738Z
UID:10000505-1456023600-1456070400@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nIf you are unable to attend live\, you can register to receive access to the recording for up to one week after the office hour finishes. In this case\, if you have a question you will need to submit it beforehand. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices \n\nRegistration Opens: check back soon.\n\nRegistrations Close: Friday\, February 19th\, 9pm (Mountain Time)\n\n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-feb-21/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160218T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160218T203000
DTSTAMP:20170216T045253Z
CREATED:20160117T190519Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170216T045253Z
UID:10000346-1455822000-1455827400@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:The Cha Cha Cha of Awakening: Stepping Back\, Stepping Forward
DESCRIPTION:How would you define your current spiritual dance?  How are you moving forward and when do you step back from the edge of growth and awareness? \nJoin Dharma Teachers Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat for The Cha Cha Cha of Awakening: Stepping back\, Stepping forward.  Doug and Catherine will be teaching at the Dharma Hub in Calgary.  While they recently taught in Calgary separately\, on this night there will be the opportunity to hear them speak together\, to experience their wisdom\, insight and humor in the co-teaching form.\n \nAbout the Teachers\nAchariya Doug Duncan has been teaching the Buddhist path to awakening for over three decades.  Known for his direct and compassionate engagement with students\, Doug embraces the full spectrum of the various traditions he employs in order to mentor beings to a more awakened state. His great sense of humour\, caring attitude and sometimes very direct involvement makes him an effective catalyst for opening the shadow\, for very practical application of the teachings\, for humorous and gentle relief when tensions mount and through a diverse range of explorations expands the teachings to include all aspects of life. \nCatherine Pawasarat began her spiritual practices in earnest in her early 20s\, when she struggled to make sense of personal suffering and international environmental and social justice challenges.  She has trained daily with Acariya Doug Duncan since 1998 in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. Since the early 2000s Catherine has provided dharma training and taught the path of awakening to hundreds of students\, together with Doug and on her own. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Catherine also draws on generative living (a.k.a. sustainability) and the arts. With Doug she is co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center in the BC Rockies and PlanetDharma\, and a lineage holder for these teachings. \nFees: Dāna\nThis teaching is offered by Sensei as a form of Dāna (traditional generosity giving) and likewise\, attendees are asked to reciprocate generously to the teacher. There will be a Dāna bowl available at the foyer of the Dharma Hub for you to give your offering. More information: Dāna Guidelines and Practice. \nFurther Details:\nTime: The class will start at 7pm\, please arrive 10 minutes early so we can start on time. \nLocation: Dharma Hub Calgary is located at 2232 Bowness Rd\, NW in West Hillhurst (near Kensington\, not in Bowness). \n 
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/the-cha-cha-cha-of-awakening-stepping-back-stepping-forward/
LOCATION:Human Potential 360\, Calgary\, 1231 9 Ave SE\, Inglewood\, Calgary\, AB\, T2G 0S9\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Public Classes
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Cha-cha-cha-awakening-web.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Dharma Hub Calgary":MAILTO:conscioustransformationcalgary@gmail.com
GEO:51.0412899;-114.0348147
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Human Potential 360 Calgary 1231 9 Ave SE Inglewood Calgary AB T2G 0S9 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1231 9 Ave SE\, Inglewood:geo:-114.0348147,51.0412899
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160128T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160128T203000
DTSTAMP:20170216T045253Z
CREATED:20160116T061346Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170216T045253Z
UID:10000345-1454007600-1454013000@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Calgary Teaching: No Hope\, No Fear\, Free.
DESCRIPTION:Join Doug Duncan Sensei in Calgary for a special talk on Thursday night at the Dharma Hub.  Inspired by the philosopher/writer Nikos Kazantzakis\, “No Hope\, No Fear\, Free” is a phrase Doug will share about in this lively and inspiring Dharma teaching. \nDoug Sensei will be sharing practical tools on this night and teaching us how to transcend hope and fear so that we can dwell in the eternal freedom of “Now”. \nAbout the Teacher\nAchariya Doug Duncan has been teaching the Buddhist path to awakening for over three decades. In 2005\, Duncan founded Clear Sky Meditation Center in Cranbrook\, BC. He continues to travel around the world leading retreats and classes with his partner and co-teacher Catherine Pawasarat. \nKnown for his direct and compassionate engagement with students\, Doug embraces the full spectrum of the various traditions he employs in order to mentor beings to a more awakened state. His great sense of humour\, caring attitude and sometimes very direct involvement makes him an effective catalyst for opening the shadow\, for very practical application of the teachings\, for humorous and gentle relief when tensions mount and through a diverse range of explorations expands the teachings to include all aspects of life. \nFees: Dāna\nThis teaching is offered by Sensei as a form of Dāna (traditional generosity giving) and likewise\, attendees are asked to reciprocate generously to the teacher. There will be a Dāna bowl available at the foyer of the Dharma Hub for you to give your offering.  More information: Dāna Guidelines and Practice. \nFurther Details:\nTime: The class will start at 7pm\, please arrive 10 minutes early so we can start on time. \nLocation: Dharma Hub Calgary is located at 2232 Bowness Rd\, NW in West Hillhurst (near Kensington\, not in Bowness).
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/calgary-teaching-no-hope-no-fear-free/
LOCATION:Human Potential 360\, Calgary\, 1231 9 Ave SE\, Inglewood\, Calgary\, AB\, T2G 0S9\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Public Classes
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/No-hope-no-fear-free-calgary.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Dharma Hub Calgary":MAILTO:conscioustransformationcalgary@gmail.com
GEO:51.0412899;-114.0348147
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Human Potential 360 Calgary 1231 9 Ave SE Inglewood Calgary AB T2G 0S9 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1231 9 Ave SE\, Inglewood:geo:-114.0348147,51.0412899
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160117T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160117T160000
DTSTAMP:20181005T054752Z
CREATED:20160103T190331Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181005T054752Z
UID:10000504-1453042800-1453046400@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nIf you are unable to attend live\, you can register to receive access to the recording for up to one week after the office hour finishes. In this case\, if you have a question you will need to submit it beforehand. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below. Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices \n\n*Registrations Close: Friday\, January 15th\, 9pm (Mountain Time)\n\n\n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours-jan-17/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160103T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20160103T160000
DTSTAMP:20181005T054805Z
CREATED:20160101T205512Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181005T054805Z
UID:10000503-1451833200-1451836800@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours: Online Q&A with the Teachers
DESCRIPTION:Have a question for the teachers? Take advantage of these office hours twice a month to get your question answered. Join in and benefit from the learning of others. \nPlease bring your question to the session or submit it beforehand. \nIf you are unable to attend live\, you can register to receive access to the recording for up to one week after the office hour finishes. In this case\, if you have a question you will need to submit it beforehand. \nDetails on how to submit your question will be sent to you along with the connection or recording details when you register. \nDāna\nThe teachings and guidance are given freely according to the practice of dāna. By practicing with a healthy spirit of generosity\, we deepen our own practice and support teachers to make these healing teachings and tools available to all. There will be an opportunity to practice Dāna when you register below.  Please Read:  Offering Dāna: Some Guidelines and Practices \n\nRegistration Opens: Sunday\, December 27th\, 2015\nRegistrations Close: Friday\, January 1st\, 9pm (Mountain Time)\n\n\n\n \nPowered by Eventbrite
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/office-hours/
CATEGORIES:Office Hours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.planetdharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Office-Hour-Thumbnail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20160101T080000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20160101T175900
DTSTAMP:20260708T055222Z
CREATED:20150901T031434Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T055222Z
UID:10000335-1451635200-1451671140@www.planetdharma.com
SUMMARY:2016: A Year of Awakening
DESCRIPTION:Announcing our first year-long program\, A Year of Awakening\, starting in January\, 2016.\nDo you feel your spiritual practice and your daily life don’t play well together? Are you swamped with so many options for spiritual teachings and practices that you don’t know what to choose? \nWe’ve designed this program for experienced practitioners who’d like to access more joy and freedom through a supported\, regular spiritual practice. We created this program to help you leverage your practice to triumph over the ups and downs of daily life. \nNote: Program starts January 1\, 2016. Registration is now closed.  \n*If you were unable to register or are new to these teachings\, you’re invited to weekly streaming teachings that take place throughout the year. See “What’s It Going to Take?” below for details.  \nWho Will Benefit From A Year of Awakening … and Why\nWe know that many of you have a regular spiritual practice and a strong aspiration. You probably also have a busy and complicated life\, that makes it challenging to balance these involvements. \nAs a committed spiritual practitioner\, we appreciate that you aspire to meditate and attend teachings and retreats regularly. You’re also committed to your career and your community\, and perhaps a personal relationship. The competition between these worthy commitments and decisions about where to allocate your time and money and energy can be a source of vexation and even stress. \nWhen trying to integrate dharma and our daily lives\, most people invest a lot of themselves into serious practice\, attend teachings and retreats\, and find ways to apply dharma in their life and work. They practice and undertake Karma Yoga together with their sangha. They might even try to be satisfied with the status quo in other parts of their lives\, such as work or family\, which may feel not entirely under our control. \nWe can undertake many years of practice and still fall into unawakened habitual patterns in our daily lives (also known as primitive views\, conflicting emotions\, and a conditioned pull to “just get by”). By staying in touch with the teachers and teachings year-round\, you get access to the ongoing clarity and truthfulness of the awakening mind\, and build habits to keep awakening front and center on a daily basis. \nAs dharma teachers and practitioners\, we aspire to exemplify what awakening looks like when we live it full time. In a sense\, this is the Big Picture of what life is about. \nWe aspire to offer a source and role models of loving kindness\, clarity and truthfulness\, and to demonstrate awakening in action. \nThen we can be a better resource\, offering more loving kindness\, more compassion and more wisdom to our sangha\, family\, friends and colleagues. \nAnd let’s talk about the benefits for you of this year-long course. \nThe more time spent with awakening beings\, the more we are awakening: this is what we call “the tuning fork principle.” This program is designed to tune up a community of practitioners\, so that you can in turn help tune other members of our sangha. We’re going to make beautiful music together. \nA year of consistent effort and application of dharma teachings and practice is sure to yield profound transformation: deeper realization\, greater bliss\, and fuller integration with our daily lives. Increased and ongoing focus on dharma is what inevitably leads us to fuller awakening. That’s something to be excited about. \nYou’ll enjoy stronger\, more “dharmic” relationships with the community of practitioners. This will provide you with support throughout the year and beyond. There’s good reason that Sangha – the community of practitioners – is one of the Triple Gems. \nWe’ll teach throughout the year on our emerging pillars of Dharma Training\, Karma Yoga and Dāna\, so you’ll be among the best informed regarding these teachings and practices\, so revolutionary for the West. \nAs always we’ll be integrating traditional Buddhist philosophy with modern findings in psychology\, science\, and organizational development. This will empower you to share dharma with your friends and colleagues\, in an accessible way that’s relevant to them as well as you. \nLastly\, the program has been carefully crafted with the typically full modern life in mind. The homework is chosen as a trim tab to get the maximum amount of leverage in your life and work and relationships\, with a minimum amount of time and energy. This is designed to be a highly sustainable spiritual practice. \n  \nThis Year-Long Program Offers Participants:\n\nAn in-person retreat to start the year: This serves to ground us\, provides regular and consistent contact with teachers (once more\, the “tuning fork principle”)\, provide powerful teachings and a supportive environment for solid practice. The theme is the Visuddhimagga (The Path of Purification)\, a profound 5th-century treatise of Theravadin doctrine by the monk Buddhaghosa\, describing how to cultivate purification of body\, emotions and mind. This sets the awakening tone for the rest of 2016.\n\n\nThe opportunity and support to develop a robust personal dāna practice. As dāna holds pride of place as the first parami\, and since its perfection results in the inevitable perfection of the other five parami\, a focus on strong and consistent dāna will provide an unshakable foundation for the rest of your spiritual practice. It will also ensure the success and sustainability of this program and the viability of future programs like it.\n\n\nQuarterly streamed classes: Benefit from regular contact with the teachers and other committed practitioners through the vehicle of fundamental teachings. Throughout the year streamed classes will be on select Majjhima Nikaya sutras\, Mahayana sutras\, the four levels of Tantra\, and Namgyal Rinpoche’s seminal work on Womb\, Karma and Transcendence. This diverse yet methodical approach to a range of classic to contemporary Buddhist philosophy offer a solid understanding of the teachings and practices embraced by our lineage. We encourage participants to attend live\, and in appreciation of time zone challenges we’ll also make the recordings available for the following week; by viewing within the week you can stay on schedule and be in sync with the teachers and community of practitioners\, the year-long sangha. Weekly office hours provide time for questions that arise during the week. See the calendar below for details.\n\n\nA light amount of home study – primarily reading of relevant texts – will help keep the thread of consistent dharma practice and reflection on dharmic tenets and principles going throughout your week. The readings are chosen to build a solid\, well-rounded foundation of knowledge of the spiritual practices undertaken in this lineage. To respect participants’ other commitments\, reading assignments will be modest.\n\n\nAt-home “flash” retreats. To support a deeper and more solid meditation practice throughout the year\, there will be three three-day retreats for you to do at home\, with virtual support from the teachers. These target the focused integration of deep practice with daily life. These will take place on long weekends (as observed by Canada and the US and some other countries – please check your own calendar): Fri – Sun\, Mar 25-27; Sat – Mon\, May 21-23; and Sat – Mon\, Sept 3-5. All dates and times given are in the Mountain time zone\, in which Clear Sky is located. See the attached calendar.\n\n\nTriple Gem Lifeline: To provide some powerful\, personalized support to your practice and ongoing spiritual unfolding\, this program offers regular\, intimate personal dialogue with the teachers and other committed practitioners\, through regular online classes and office hours. These will include teachings about how to apply dharma to daily life\, relevant to alleviating suffering\, others’ and one’s own. The modest cohort size was chosen to allow for personalized attention and also maximize personal connections between teachers and participants.\n\n\nA unique\, interactive\, Namgyal-style retreat to end the year. On the topic of Namgyal Rinpoche’s Womb\, Karma & Transcendence\, the year-end retreat offers the opportunity to do personalized work on the womb experience. This work is original to the Namgyal lineage stream and to our knowledge is a unique contribution to Buddhist philosophy and practice. People who’ve undertaken this work call it “life-changing.”\n\n  \nWhy Are Sensei & Cata Offering This Particular Program?\nOver the past several years we’ve seen that practitioners benefit from ongoing support to keep our dharma training vibrant\, and our practice alive and practically relevant in our day-to-day lives. We’ve also seen the need for support to keep local sanghas dynamic and growing. \nTo this end we crafted this year-long course with minimal homework and maximum support for your spiritual practice. The majority of it is online so that you can do it in the comfort of your own environment\, saving time and money and travel. The year-round schedule means that you don’t need to spend time and energy deciding what you are going to study and when – we do that for you. It’s also spread out over the year so that you can have support for your practice year-round\, while not demanding too much of your time at once. At the same time\, the course provides context for an ongoing spiritual involvement that makes it a central pillar of your life. \nWe see this year-long program as a transition to a more developed curriculum\, with clearer steps and stages and milestones. \nThe streaming classes in particular are designed to dovetail with activities you undertake with your local sangha. They can be viewed together as a weekly sangha class\, or your sangha gatherings may be used for group discussion regarding the streaming topics. Or\, depending on your personal and sangha spiritual goals and resources available\, the streamings may be an addition to your sangha gatherings. \n \nWhat We’re Covering When\n \n  \n\n \n*Check your local date and time.\n \nWhat’s It Going To Take? \n \n  \n\nHere’s the low-down on what you’ll need for the year-long program: \n\nIn-person attendance for a two-week retreat at Clear Sky\, Cranbrook\, BC\, Canada\, Jan. 1-17\, 2016\, on the Visuddhimagga\, and\nIn-person attendance for two-week retreat at Clear Sky\, Dec. 16-31\, 2016\, based on the exercises in Womb\, Karma & Transcendence\, by Namgyal Rinpoche.\n\n\nOngoing reading;\nOngoing engagement\, including:\nRegular access to high-speed internet access\n\n\nConsistent attendance of weekly streaming classes on Mondays (between 60 and 90 minutes each)\, or weekly viewing of the recording.\n\n-Feb 29  – Mar 21 Teachings on assigned Majjhima Nikaya suttas \n-Apr 25 – May 16 Teachings on assigned Mahayana sutras \n-Aug 8 – Aug 29 Teachings on the four levels of Tantra \n-Nov 7 – Nov 28 Teachings on The Womb\, Karma and Transcendence \n\nStreaming classes will be offered via an online webinar software like Fuze\, Google Hangouts or the equivalent. Connection details will be provided well in advance\, and we’ll make it as easy as possible for you. And please connect 10-15 minutes early to ensure your own minimal technical distress.\n\n\nWeekly online office hour on Saturdays to engage in questions and answers on the reading and teachings;\n-Mar 5 – Mar 26  Majjhima Nikaya suttas-Apr 30 – May 21 Mahayana sutras-Aug 13 – Sept 3 The four levels of Tantra-Nov 12 – Dec 3 The Womb\, Karma and Transcendence\nWeekly postings / discussions on an online platform such as Juice or an equivalent;\n\n\nThree-day\, at-home retreats:\n-Mar 25-27\, on the Brahma Viharas;-May 21-23\, on the Common Foundations (Four Thoughts That Turn The Mind);-Sept 3-5\, on on Chenrezig & Compassion.\nA one-time program fee of US$475 to cover program operating costs for the year. (This fee increases to $500 for payments made after Nov. 5th.) Please note that Clear Sky retreat costs are separate and not included. Click here to make this payment.\n\n\nA healthy year-round dāna practice.\n\n\nOngoing commitment to your own and others’ spiritual unfoldment\, including (aspiring) awakening in this lifetime.\nRegular personal meditation practice;\nAn open heart and open mind.\n\n \nAbout Your Teachers\nDoug Duncan is a Canadian-born Dharma teacher and counselor who has traveled\, studied and meditated for most of his life. He has taught and founded centers for awakening in Japan and Canada as well as being a visiting teacher in many other countries. Known for his direct and compassionate engagement with students\, Doug embraces the full spectrum of the various traditions he employs – in particular the different Buddhist vehicles\, psychology\, neuroscience\, Western mysteries – in order to mentor beings to a more awakened state. His great sense of humour\, caring attitude and sometimes very direct involvement makes him an effective catalyst for opening the shadow\, for very practical application of the teachings\, for humorous and gentle relief when tensions mount and through a diverse range of explorations expands the teachings to include all aspects of life. \n  \n  \n  \n  \nCatherine Pawasarat has developed awakening for the alleviation of suffering for all beings by training daily with awakening master Doug Duncan Sensei since 1997.  She lived in Kyoto\, Japan for twenty years\, studying the traditional Japanese arts and working as an advocacy journalist\, interpreter/translator and editor specializing in sustainability. She spent a year studying shamanism in the Brasilian Amazon before beginning her intensive dharma apprenticeship with Doug Duncan Sensei in 1997. With Doug Sensei and other students\, Catherine helped found Dharma Japan and the Clear Sky Retreat Centre in Canada. In particular Catherine focuses on dharma training and how sustainability figures in the practices of awakening and vice versa. Her diverse and multi-disciplinary talents enable her to serve the Clear Sky board as their Chief Visionary Officer. \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://www.planetdharma.com/event/year-long-program/
CATEGORIES:Online Courses
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