The Annual Three-week Crystal Mountain Retreat: The Nature of Community: going into the heart of communing with all, Galiano Island, BC

Lama Mark will guide participants on an in-depth exploration–through meditations, group discoveries, classes and discussions–around the themes of community, communing, meditation, liberation and learning. We will start the retreat with four to five days of intensive explorations of body-mind awareness and physical integration through Feldenkrais guided by Jamie van Dam.

“We are enmeshed in a vast interconnected web of life and form and we are all part of a immense and intelligent community. But what do we really know of it? How do we participate in and explore this web without confusion, projection and turmoil? The word community literally comes from the roots “together” and “gift”, meaning to “exchange together”, or “give amongst each other”. Which kind of gifts are we giving and receiving: anxiety, harm, confusion or clarity, intelligence and compassion? Are we really aware of what we are exchanging internally and to others? Before we can commune well on a big scale–together with humans, groups and all kinds of creatures–we need to learn about giving and exchanging on the micro level. We require a clarity and depth exploration of what it is like to ‘commune’ with our own organism, to feel deeply comfortable and loving in our own ‘skin’. And the practice of generosity is the basis. Generosity builds great strength of mind. We will learn how to give deeply to our being, by drenching ourselves in mindfulness and loving-kindness, moment by moment and thereby expand this openness to all creatures and forms about us. To commune well is to be clear, alive, discovering, sensing and compassionate. To be clear and compassionate requires a deep physiological dissolving of our mental confusion and turmoil. The 21 Taras Empowerment will be bestowed on Sunday, July 18th.The Empowerments of Namgyal and White Mahakala will also be bestowed.” (Lama Mark)

For further information please call Jane at 604-266-6866 or 604-837-4744 or email janemortifee@telus.net

Here is the poster for the public classes
To see the poster for the retreat, please click here.

Galiano Island, BC, Canada