Building Strength and Capacity in the Path of Liberation and Awakening

An Invitation from Island Dharma: Please join us for a rich weekend of teachings and meditations from Lama Mark Webber on the crucial topic of building strength and capacity—Merit—in the Path of Liberation and Awakening. These teachings are open to all. Three classes will be offered:

Saturday evening, September 12, 7:30 -9:30 pm 
Sunday morning, September 13, 9:30 am-11:30 am 
Sunday afternoon, September 13, 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Lama Mark writes: To gain a steady and excellent unfolding of liberation and awakeness we must gather ‘the two accumulations’: Merit and Wisdom. Although the natural condition of our mind is utterly awake and free of emotional turmoil, to make and unfold this discovery, and develop steadiness of mind, heart, and action, we need to build strength and capacity. Wisdom is the recognition of the innate freedom of mind. Merit is great love, compassion, power, determination, generosity, virtue and other wholesome qualities. Our “field of merit” is like a storehouse of gold that gives us strength in scope and range to everything we do—especially the meditations of tranquility and wisdom/insight.

September 12-13, 2020
Nanaimo, B.C.
Bethlehem Retreat Centre
Non-Residential mini-retreat
Register by emailing islanddharmaretreats@gmail.com

Texts used:

Two texts will be used during this weekend’s teachings:

The Thirty-Seven Practices of all the Bodhisattvas by Gyalse Tokme Zangpo: Buy here>>

and

The Thirty Seven Factors of Enlightenment, A Study Guide by Lama Chokyi Gyaltsen*

*If you attended previous Island Dharma teachings with Lama Mark you may have copies of these texts. If not, you can order them. The texts are not required but they are a helpful guide to the precious topics we will be studying together.  A hand out that will be made available to you

This will be a non-residential retreat. Please arrive by 7pm on Saturday evening so you can have time to enter the chapel and get settled. (We will of course be observing physical distancing and taking all precautions for a safe and supportive time together. More information about that below.) On Sunday there will be two classes – morning and afternoon. 
You are welcome to stay on property on Sunday between the two classes. If you bring your own lunch you can eat on the grounds and perhaps enjoy a beautiful walk around Westwood Lake. The chapel will remain open for meditation and quiet contemplation over the extended lunch break.
If anyone from out of town wishes to join this retreat and stay overnight at Bethlehem Centre, please contact Bethlehem directly, let them know you are with Island Dharma, and they can arrange accommodations and meals for you.

Contact: Email islanddharmaretreats@gmail.com with questions or to register (details below)

Lama Mark (Lama Yongdu Chokyi Gyaltsen) has been studying and teaching Buddha-dharma for over forty years. For thirty years his main root teacher was the great Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche who taught all three cycles of the Buddha’s teachings, including Abhidhamma, Vipassana in the lineage of Mahāsi Sayādaw, generation and completion stage practices of the Tantrayana and Mahamudra/Dzogchen of many lineages, especially of the Karma Kagyu and Sakya. More recently under the guidance and request of Drikung Lho Ontul Rinpoche, Lama Mark has been teaching principally the richness of the Drikung Mahamudra and Drikung Yangzab Dzogchen traditions.

Lama Mark has a deep and long term interest and collaboration in a number of scientific fields and the arts which he integrates with the teaching of Buddhism.

His compassionate activities demonstrate a profound commitment to freeing beings from innumerable suffering states. Lama Mark’s emphasis with practitioners and students is on uncovering pure Dharma to reveal its extraordinary benefits and share the great joy of its deep study, meditative practices and integration into all aspects of our lives.

For more information about Island Dharma, please see:

www.islanddharma.com
https://www.facebook.com/islanddharma/