One day retreat with FOH founder Catherine Jetsun Yeshe

Sunday May 10, 2009 10am to 5pm at FOH.

Chenrezig.  $75 for non-members, $60 for members of FOH.  Kindly pre-register by April 30, 2009.  Registration form is here. Please fill it out and send your payment to FOH. This retreat will focus on Chenrezig compassino practice based on Catherine Jetsun Yeshe's new book "Clear Heart, Open Mind".  This One Day Retreat follows the Saturday May 9 initiation into this wonderful practice.  Ideally plan to attend Saturday 1 to 3pm as well as Sunday retreat, particularly if you are new to Chenrezig practice.   Creative exercises will help the student to vividly see how they can bring this wonderful practice into their lives. 

Please wear loose clothing, bring a lunch to share, a notebook and some simple art supplies.  A special opportunity for a short retreat with Lama Jetsun Yeshe. 

Try this short retreat to see if you would like to join us for the one-week residential retreat (there is also a weekend option if space permits) with Lama Jetsun Yeshe July 17 to 24, 2009.

Printable retreats flyer is here.

Weekend Residential Retreats

Friends of the Heart may offer the following weekend retreat, in fall 2009, date to be confirmed:

Heart Opening and Insight Retreat

Weekend only, Friday afternoon/evening to Sunday mid-afternoon.

 

During this retreat, we will explore the integration of Vipassana or insight meditation and Metta.  Metta, kindness for oneself and others can be practiced as a meditation on its own or as a complement to working with the breath in insight meditation.

We will learn the practice of Metta and how it can aid the development of calm abiding as a foundation for investigation of mind in insight meditation.

We will also investigate Vipassana or insight Meditation is a practice that emphasizes the development of clarity and equanimity with awareness.  Vipassana means to see separately or to see clearly, distinctly and with penetration. 

This going deeply with awareness allows for transformation and release from our conditioning.  The ever changing flow in mind and body is experienced with joy, affection and calm as we learn to take ourselves less seriously.  Our retreats look to balance mind and body in our meditation practice. 

We include in the daily schedule, yoga in the morning, formal walking and sitting meditation and time to be with nature. We ease naturally into silence. The reduction of inner chatter supports the outer silence, just as letting go of social chatter and engagement enhances inner silence.

We usually have a small intimate group of 8 to 10 people.  Very suitable for beginners and experienced meditators alike.

Retreats are held at Harmony Dawn Retreat Centre.  $325 includes teacher fees, shared accommodation, and fabulous vegetarian meals.   Registration details below.

Our retreatants say: "Harmony Dawn is just about perfect as a retreat centre!"

"Thank you, thank you thank you. I found this experience to be a wonderful gift."

                          - Lovingkindness spring retreatant, 2007

Comments on our Spring 2007 Lovingkindness retreat

"Despite having never meditated before, I felt very comfortable on this retreat with the instructions, guidance, and the teacher, who was very approachable and went out of her way to give me extra consideration."

"While I originally found the silence discomfiting, I eventually got used to it. Well done and well organized."

"The timing of the schedule was impeccable. Stillness and activity felt perfectly balanced."

Comment on our Fall 2008 Metta retreat

"Thank you both for a wonderful retreat. The gentle environment was just what I needed."

"Nicola's cooking always leaves me feeling wonderfully nourished!"

For information

  If you are interested, here are some sources for advance reading.
For metta meditation:

• Sharon Salzberg - Loving-Kindness The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
• Jack Kornfield - A Path With Heart
• WildMind - Buddhist Meditation

For Tonglen meditation

• Pema Chodron - Start Where You Are

• Lama Surya Das - Awakening the Buddhist Heart
• Sogyal Rinpoche - Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

   May you enjoy this precious moment.

• Weekend only Friday - Sunday
• cost is roughly $325.00

Registration
Call FoH now at (416) 486-5105, or email us with your questions.  Download the weekend registration form & questionnaire (note links to be working soon)

• Winter 2009 Weekend Retreat
• 4 Day Retreat (possible if enough interest) (not offered in September)
• Meditation Background Questionnaire

Retreat Precepts

At the beginning of retreat and for the duration of the retreat, all participants are asked to undertake a commitment to harmonious living.  We take at least the first 5 Precepts and depending on retreat and teacher, the additional 3 precepts.  These will be explained in depth prior to start of retreat.  If you have any questions, please contact us.  The retreat organizer or teacher will be happy to answer any questions.

• Retreat Precepts

Advance Reading for All Retreats

    Please have a look at our brief guide to approaching retreat meditation at Turn Your Retreat Into an Advance by Catherine Jetsun Yeshe and Joyce Allen. When we do retreat at Friends of the Heart, we are not trying to retreat from anything, but rather advancing toward our aspirations. Daily life does not normally offer us the quiet spaciousness needed to go beyond a certain threshold of calm in meditation. During retreat, we have the opportunity to move through repeated meditation cycles, allowing us to go deeper each time in a safe, quiet, compassionate atmosphere.

Donations and Payments

If you wish to make a payment to Friends of the Heart we have setup a shopping cart that will process your payment through Paypal. You will find here options for audio teachings, memberships, retreats, donations and for other activities of Friends of the Heart.
You can use Paypal to make secure payments in your own currency. The Canadian dollar amount will be automatically converted for your credit card or bank account. We prefer to work through PayPal as it is time consuming for a volunteer organization to handle cheques and email credit card orders.