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This is a once-a-week online course for people who have a mindfulness practice and who done at least two weeks in total in silent residential meditation retreats. It will run for 10 weeks. The course will cover practices given by Rob Burbea (1965 - 2020), the pioneering and much loved Gaia House resident teacher. These practice are designed to help understand the deeper teachings of the Buddha. There’s a framework to understand the Path that will be outlined over the weeks as the course progresses. We’ll cover basic samadhi; practices that lead to us being less bound up; how we can use insights that might otherwise fade away; ways of working with the three characteristic (dukkha, anicca, anatta) and understandings of emptiness/shunyata and dependent arising.
The program is based on the first half of Rob Burbea’s book Seeing That Frees: Meditations on Emptiness and Dependent Arising. The aim of the course is to give people familiarity with a range of meditation practices so they can choose what works best for them. Format of each session. There will be a check-in period in each session, generally related to the practices given in the previous week. There’ll be a talk, often around 20 minutes, then time for questions and discussion. Each session is expected to last between an hour and an hour and a half. The course is run as a small group, currently just 8 people. There will be some reading sent each week, but always less than 15 pages. Continuity / Expectations: The course will develop themes that build on each other week by week. It’s best if you try not to miss sessions. The course is meant for people who have the time and inclination to practise the meditations between sessions. |
Course 1: 27 March to 29th May 2022.
Times: 7:30 - 9:00 pm (NSW time) on each Sunday evening. 10 sessions. Course 2: 19th June to 28th August, with no session on the 17 July. This course is now full. Times: 6:00 - 7:30 pm (NSW time) on each Sunday evening. 10 sessions. Where: Online. The Zoom link which will be sent to you before the course begins. Future courses: There is another course planned for early in 2023. If you're interested in hearing about this course, please email us at the DharmaCloud email address below. Cost: $30 per person. The registration fee covers only a contribution to course administration, zoom costs and booking fees. Additional cost: 'Dana' - In keeping with a 2,500 year old tradition no fee has been charged for the teachings. At the end of the retreat you are invited to give a donation (dana) to express your appreciation and to support the teacher. For more information email dharmacloud [at] dharma.org.au
About the Teacher Victor von der Heyde. Victor has been involved in dharma practice for over 35 years and has taken teaching roles since the mid 1990s. He was a student of Rob Burbea from 2012 to 2020. This is a combined Sydney Insight Meditators and DharmaCloud event. |