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The Contemplative Resource Center Presents
The 29th ​​Treasury of Knowledge Retreat
Wise Compassion: Navigating Dark Times with a Courageous Heart
with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche & special presenters Susan Aposhyan and Mitra Tyler Dewar
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20 THROUGH SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2023
In-person San Antonio, Texas & simultaneously available worldwide via Zoom
(with Chinese, Spanish and German translation)
Dear Friends:
In our shared journey as spiritual practitioners, we are awakened daily to the deep interconnectedness of all sentient beings. Our hearts resonate with compassion, love, and joy, recognizing the challenges and pains faced by many.
From the apparent calamities of war and climate change, illness, or even death, we are not mere bystanders but active participants in a global dance of healing and awakening.
Rinpoche reminds us that “our aspirations and prayers are not passive words but definitely have a strong impact.”
Our prayers are seeds of love and compassion, blossoming into a garden of positive change. They form a bridge, allowing us to connect directly with all beings, known or unknown.
This connection is not merely a practice but a heartfelt desire to infuse every interaction, every moment, with love, compassion, and wisdom. It is the very essence of our bodhisattva way, allowing us to reach out, embrace, and touch each being with the light of understanding.
While we may acknowledge the presence of pain and sadness in the world, we also recognize the profound opportunity hidden within. These challenges are but a clarion call, urging us to amplify our resilience, our wisdom, and our compassion to all beings.
Shining the light of compassion, that not only dispels darkness but infuses the world with gentleness, warmth and positivity, takes courage. It also requires skillful methods and unshakable wisdom grounded in experience.
Join us in this noble teaching with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche as we explore how to find our true joy and fulfillment. Let’s welcome this moment to create meaningful connections and embrace the world with the powerful force of love, joy and positivity.
With Love,
The Contemplative Resource Center
Watch a special teaching from Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche:
"The Last Thing is Love"
“We need to put all our strength in the compassionate wisdom that can bring the force of positivity and the power of love, compassion and joy to other sentient beings. We need to work even harder on shining the light of compassion, which changes the world as it touches each being.” Â
— Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Who Is This Program For?
- Spiritual Practitioners and Independents: People who are committed to personal growth and/or a spiritual path and seek a greater sense of purpose, as well as a more expansive, sophisticated understanding of compassion and wisdom.Â
- Leaders: People who take bold action in their lives and communities and desire ways to lead not only with courage but also with insight and clarity.Â
- Changemakers: People engaged in social action, community organizing, and conflict resolution who seek a fresh approach and more effective tools to truly alleviate suffering and manifest a wiser, more compassionate world.
- Healers & Health Professionals: People working in challenging healing and helping professions who seek the inner resources to care for themselves and others with less stress and deeper, longer-lasting positive impact.Â
Program Elements
1Four Live Talks, including a Q&A Session with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
In a world filled with uncertainty and rapid changes, it's imperative to harness the power of 'Wise Compassion.' Over the course of this weekend program, you will dive deep into understanding how to genuinely alleviate suffering for ourselves, our family, and our community. We will explore how our best intentions sometimes miss the mark and the importance of bringing wisdom into our compassionate activities.Â
In these talks with Ponlop Rinpoche, you will…
- Embark on a profound journey into the heart of compassion so you emerge with a heightened sensitivity, better equipped to foster genuine connections and understanding with those around you
- Learn how to shine the light of compassion even in the darkest of times, so that adversity becomes an opportunity for growth and resilience, helping you navigate life's challenges with grace and empathy.
- Explore the analytical function of the mind so you can make clearer, more intentional decisions, leading to more fulfilling relationships and experiences in your daily life.
- Discover a deeper connection to your own compassionate heart so you're empowered with a renewed sense of purpose, making every day more meaningful and aligned with your core values.
- Enhance your capacity to benefit both yourself and the world around you so your actions leave lasting positive impacts, creating ripples of change that inspire others to do the same.
2Two Embodying the Heart of Compassion Sessions with Susan AposhyanÂ
These afternoon sessions will include guided body awareness, movement, and meditations designed to help you feel your heart, find relaxation in your meditation, and discover embodied compassion. By working kindly with ourselves as we meditate, we are practicing self-compassion. We will explore how self-compassion feels and how it enhances compassion for others. The Buddha said that mindfulness of the body is the first foundation of mindfulness. Growing awareness of ourselves, our bodily state in its everchanging subtlety, and our physical hearts all support us to develop wise compassion. There will be interactive time to discuss bringing these practices into our lives.
3Exploring the Experience of Wise Compassion with Mitra Tyler Dewar
During this 1h15m session, Buddhist teacher Tyler Dewar will share reflections on and offer guided meditation instruction connected to methods for deepening the experience of compassion and the wisdom that naturally arises with it. In particular, we will explore how cultivating unconditional fondness for others gives our compassion a sturdy ground on which to grow.Â
Bonus - Free Night at CRC's Guest Ranch
As a special thank you for your attendance, we would like to offer 3 nights at CRC's West 1077 Guest Ranch for the price of 2 nights. Take advantage of contemplating the beauty of nature as a way to continue to integrate that which you have experienced at TOK.
**Mention TOK when making your reservation to take advantage. Offer good until May 31, 2024 depending on availability.
Vist UsHow To Be a Courageous Being
To be a courageous being, we don’t need a gun or a knife, we don’t need to beat anyone up, we don’t need a spear or armor, we don’t need anything at all. What do we need?
We need Bodhicitta and its practice.
We need loving-kindness, compassion, and their practice.
It’s not enough just to talk about loving-kindness, compassion, and bodhicitta.
It’s not enough just to think about loving-kindness, compassion, and bodhicitta.
We need to take them up and put them into practice.
We need to do these things.
Therefore, if there is a friend that you’re having difficult relations with, then to be really courageous, you must forgive that friend.
If you are holding any anger or resentment towards them, you need to clear that anger and resentment from your mind.
Then you will become a courageous being.
You will be a great hero or heroine.
Ponlop Rinpoche, Seattle, June 17, 2016
Why Wise Compassion?
Compassion is something we all have. It’s as fundamental to our existence as our body and mind.Â
It’s universally esteemed as a quality to be nurtured in ourselves and our children.
In its purest sense, compassion is the heartfelt wish to care for others, to free them from suffering, to keep them safe from all physical, emotional and mental harm.Â
Our wish for the happiness and well-being of others is the same as our wish for the happiness of our children and ourselves. It is a deep and powerful wish that motivates our actions and calls on us to courageously go beyond our own self-deceptions and biased views. It calls on us to free ourselves of whatever limits our ability to help others. Â
And for that, we need wisdom. That wisdom fulfills our heart's intention and leads to positive change.
Here’s everything you get:
Four Talks, including a Q&A Session with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Two Embodying the Heart of Compassion Sessions with Susan Aposhyan
Compassion Practice Session with Mitra Tyler Dewar
Morning Meditation Sessions
A special offer of 3 nights at CRC's West 1077 Guest Ranch
for the price of 2 nights good until May 31, 2024
And if you are joining us in person in San Antonio, Texas, lunch is also included!
Event Details:
Date: Friday evening, October 20 through Sunday afternoon, October 22, 2023
Date: Friday evening, October 20 through Sunday afternoon, October 22, 2023Times: Friday Evening 7-9pm, Saturday 9-12pm, 2-5pm, Sunday 9-12pm, 2-4:30pm (all times are Central Time)
Location: Live in San Antonio, Texas, and via Zoom
Hotel Discount: We have negotiated a steep discounted rate of $119/night (standard rates are $183/night) at our designated hotel, accessible once you register. We have limited rooms available, so please grab your hotel room once you register.
In-Person Retreat Registration
with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche in San Antonio, Texas
$305 usd
(includes Tuition plus 2 Lunches, Value $60)
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is a widely celebrated Buddhist teacher and the author of Emotional Rescue, Rebel Buddha, and other books. A lover of music, art and urban culture, Rinpoche is a poet, photographer, accomplished calligrapher and visual artist, as well as a prolific author. Rinpoche is the founder, president, and spiritual director of Nalandabodhi, an international community of Buddhist centers.
Rinpoche is acknowledged as one of the foremost scholars and meditation masters of his generation in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He is known for his sharp intellect, humor, and easygoing teaching style, for launching the kindness initiative #GoKind and for his outreach to communities internationally.
Mitra Tyler Dewar
Tyler has been a student of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche since 1998 and, in 2005, was among a group of students appointed as senior teachers of the Buddhist community called Nalandabodhi. Tyler has been serving as a translator of spoken and written Tibetan since 2000 and enjoys drawing from both the philosophical and meditative traditions of Buddhism when sharing the dharma with others.
About Contemplative Resource Center
The Contemplative Resource Center (CRC) is a nonprofit Health and Wellness center located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. CRC provides individuals, families and groups with contemplative training and education that nurtures the growth of harmonious, healthy, and sustainable communities. CRC hosts teachers and programs grounded in authentic spiritual and cultural traditions that value wisdom, compassion, understanding, and a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of all beings and the natural environment that sustains us.Â
In addition to programs that enhance personal growth and creativity, CRC has a strong commitment to the health and well-being of communities. We welcome partnerships with local and national businesses and community-focused organizations that support the values of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion and seek to meet the evolving needs of families and communities facing a world of change, challenge, and opportunity.Â
In the pristine environment of the Texas Hill Country, CRC offers a unique combination of intellectual engagement and community outreach designed for promoting connection and community, with the belief that personal growth plays an essential role in the health of the individual and community.
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