PRELIMINARY RETREAT
January 18 – 21
Gain experience of the practices that support and ripen spiritual realizations. The preliminaries are likened to the wheels of a car; basically, we are not going very far without them. In essence, these are highly effective methods to remove obstacles, accumulate merit, and receive powerful blessings so that the seeds of spiritual realizations can grow.

Schedule
Friday, Sat and Mon
9-10:30, 11:30-1, 2:30-4
Sunday
1-2:30, 3-4

$50 for entire retreat, $5/session

Friday – Refuge
In this retreat, we meditate on basic Buddhist view to create a strong foundation for our spiritual life

Saturday- Vajrasattva
Because we carry within our mental continuum negative karmic imprints, we find it difficult to develop faith in Buddha’s teachings. If we have faith, these imprints make it difficult to develop the intention to practice. They also obstruct us from experiencing the results of our practice. Vajrasattva purification practice is the most effective method to remove karmic obstructions from our mind.

Sunday- Making Images of Buddha
As we create each image we imagine that a new living Buddha enters our world. This practice “creates the cause for us to become a living Buddha in the future”

Monday – Mandala Offerings
With this practice we focus on accumulating a vast amount of merit by mentally creating a pure universe and offering it to our Spiritual Guide. Merit is a positive force within our mind that empowers us to fulfill our wishes.

Led by American Buddhist nun and Resident Teacher, Gen Lhadron. Gen Lhadron’s sincere teachings are presented with humor and practical examples that make them accessible to everyone. Through her kindness and enthusiasm for meditation practice, she provides an inspiring example of a modern Buddhist practitioner for our society.