Summer 2010 Retreat

Friends of the Heart is offering the following long retreat:

• The Three Steps Retreat with FOH founder Catherine Jetsun Yeshe

Retreats are held at Harmony Dawn Retreat Centre.

Our retreatants say this about the venue:

"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."
   - Spring 2007 Lovingkindness retreatant

"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."

Summer 2010

July 16 to 23 at Harmony Dawn

The Three Steps Retreat with Catherine Jetsun Yeshe

Three steps are necessary to awaken fully in one lifetime: listening, reflecting /examining and practicing.

Usually, the initial impetus to awaken comes from an event such as a moment of illumined consciousness spontaneously breaking through our ignorance. Or we may experience a personal crisis that shakes our core and asks us to question why we are here. Thus we are given an internal "push" to begin our search for meaning and truth in our lives. If we have any emotional or spiritual maturity, or are simply desperate enough, we quickly realize that we are going to need study and guidance to find and achieve our life purpose.

When we begin the studies that will make the path of life an awakened reality, we may question why awakening begins with listening to teachers and teaching. Taking this first step can be difficult for many, as the Western ego usually rises up to tell us that we can do this on our own. Our inbuilt arrogance can cause years of delay in stepping into this study. That delay wears many faces: "I have to finish my degree... raising my children... paying off my house..." "Waiting until next year" becomes, for some, a life-long mantra that means at the end of our days, we find ourselves in a state of deep regret, confusion and even panic. That is why the first preliminary teachings in Vajrayana Buddhism are to remember that we have a precious human birth and that it can be easily lost, for we cannot know exactly when we will die. Tsunamis, earthquakes, motor vehicle accidents all happen without warning and sweep away the innocent and the guilty without distinction.

Our retreats look to balance mind and body in our meditation practice. We include in the daily schedule, Moving Yoga in the morning, 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.

Retreat costs include food, accommodation and teaching. We help coordinate ride sharing amongst retreatants.

Please register early. 

Week Retreat cost is $1200 ($1400 for non-members)

Registration
Call FoH now at (416) 486-5105, or email us with your questions. If you wish to register or hold a spot for the weekend retreat, please fill out a registration form and send in your payment. We will not process your credit card or cash your cheque unless you are accepted into retreat.   PLease note that this summer retreat is not well suited for beginning meditators. Please watch for one-day retreats at FoH in the Fall.

• July 2010 Week Retreat
• Retreat 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

Also please download an interview questionnaire to fill out and bring with you to the retreat. These are some questions about your meditation experience to help teachers give you individual guidance. download questionnaire.

Advance Reading for All Retreats
Please have a look at our brief guide to approaching retreat meditation at Turn Your Retreat Into an Advance.

There is no need for prior reading to attend the Three Steps retreat. However, the following books are listed for those who wish to have some intellectual touch points. Texts that will be referenced include:

• Breath by Breath, by Larry Rosenberg


• The Quintessence of the Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, by Karma Chakme Rinpoche and Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche


• Creation and Completion, by Jamgon Kontrul and Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

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.