Holding Ourselves and the World in Kindness: A Queer Meditation Retreat on the Four Immeasurables

January 25, 10am — 4:30pm

Hosted by the Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London

The Four Immeasurables constitute a core Buddhist practice that is helpful for establishing attentional balance, transforming our relationships with others, and building healthy intentional communities for bringing change to the world. This retreat is being offered by the Jamyang Rainbow Sangha for all who identify as LGBTQ+ and are interested in Buddhism and meditation practice. 

The methods for cultivating these attitudes are a contemplative technology of their own—a highly refined system of practice that brilliantly illustrates all the basic principles of Buddhist meditation and provides the practitioners with immediate benefits, affecting the overall quality of life and strengthening multiple habits related to inner wellbeing. 

This retreat will be suitable for beginners as well as more experienced practitioners. We will draw upon traditional texts as well as some modern-day research on the benefits of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. In addition to that, we will touch upon the topic of mental states that underlie these attitudes: empathy, caring, and mental stability.

This retreat will be held in person at Jamyang and online, hosted by Buddhist translator and meditation instructor Michael Lobsang Tenpa. Please note that Michael Lobsang Tenpa will be joining us remotely on this occasion.

We will explore the four quintessential aspects of kindness, along with the two underlying qualities necessary for their cultivation: attentional balance, established through a certain amount of concentration practice, and the quality of tsewa, or tender affection that serves as a stem cell for the immeasurable mental states. You can also find further resources on the Four Immeasurables for this retreat here.

REGISTER HERE

January 15
8:30–9:30 PM London time

Hosted by the Sangye Yoga School

Yoga-nidra (or “yogic sleep”) practices have become a popular tool for soothing the body, adjusting the state of the nervous system, and reconnecting with our deeper aspirations. Combining progressive relaxation, elements of meditation, and a comfortable position of the body (usually supine), these practices can serve as a wonderful act of self-care, replenishing our energy before or after other important activities.

There are, however, much deeper ways to use yoga-nidra, mainly related to extending the energy of our awareness to the states of dreaming, deep sleep and the process of falling asleep. This connects nidra practices with the fine Buddhist yoga of dreaming and sleeping, preserved in the Himalayan traditions of Buddhism and B?n as a way of tapping into our deep potential.

In this practice session, Buddhist translator and meditation instructor Michael Lobsang Tenpa will begin with upright gentle meditation, followed by some mindful movement, then facilitate a guided practice combining yoga nidra with the practices of heartfulness (including tenderness, loving kindness, and compassion). It is an opportunity to experience deep rest while also allowing our body and mind to deeply absorb the beautiful qualities of loving kindness and so forth.

REGISTER HERE

Wednesday 23rd October
8:30pm-9:30pm UK time
Hosted by the Sangye Yoga School, London

Yoga-nidra (or “yogic sleep”) practices have become a popular tool for soothing the body, adjusting the state of the nervous system, and reconnecting with our deeper aspirations. Combining progressive relaxation, elements of meditation, and a comfortable position of the body (usually supine), these practices can serve as a wonderful act of self-care, replenishing our energy before or after other important activities.

There are, however, much deeper ways to use yoga-nidra, mainly related to extending the energy of our awareness to the states of dreaming, deep sleep and the process of falling asleep. This connects nidra practices with the fine Buddhist yoga of dreaming and sleeping, preserved in the Himalayan traditions of Buddhism and B?n as a way of tapping into our deep potential.

In this practice session, Buddhist translator and meditation instructor Michael Lobsang Tenpa will begin with upright gentle meditation, followed by some mindful movement, then facilitate a guided practice combining yoga nidra with the practices of heartfulness (including tenderness, loving kindness, and compassion). It is an opportunity to experience deep rest while also allowing our body and mind to deeply absorb the beautiful qualities of loving kindness and so forth.

REGISTER HERE

Hosted by the Sangye Yoga School
September 18, 8:30 - 9:30pm UK Time

Yoga-nidra (or “yogic sleep”) practices have become a popular tool for soothing the body, adjusting the state of the nervous system, and reconnecting with our deeper aspirations. Combining progressive relaxation, elements of meditation, and a comfortable position of the body (usually supine), these practices can serve as a wonderful act of self-care, replenishing our energy before or after other important activities.

There are, however, much deeper ways to use yoga-nidra, mainly related to extending the energy of our awareness to the states of dreaming, deep sleep and the process of falling asleep. This connects nidra practices with the fine Buddhist yoga of dreaming and sleeping, preserved in the Himalayan traditions of Buddhism and Bon as a way of tapping into our deep potential.

In this practice session, Buddhist translator and meditation instructor Michael Lobsang Tenpa will begin with upright gentle meditation, followed by some mindful movement, then facilitate a guided practice combining yoga nidra with the practices of heartfulness (including tenderness, loving kindness, and compassion). It is an opportunity to experience deep rest while also allowing our body and mind to deeply absorb the beautiful qualities of loving kindness and so forth.

ENROLL HERE

Hosted by Tibet House US
September 1, 12pm Eastern Time

Cultivating Emotional Balance is a comprehensive training method centered around the exploration of our emotional landscape and using its energy to support greater wellbeing—essentially, a greater sense of happiness, meaning and joy in the midst of our turbulent times.

Developed by Dr. Alan Wallace, Dr. Paul Ekman and Dr. Eve Ekman at the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, CEB is a secular approach that combines the scientific understanding of emotions as an evolutionary mechanism with the profound contemplative methods for developing concentration, kindness and insight.

CEB as a program offers its participants some of the key psychological and contemplative skills that provide for a greater sense of meaning, increased control over emotional states, better communication and a greater commitment to prosocial action. The essence of the program is cultivation of inner balance—a genuine inner equilibrium that allows for true psychological flourishing.

This info session will focus on establishing a basic understanding of the role emotions play in our wellbeing, and the way we can deal with them by means of observation, suppression and reappraisal.

SIGN UP FOR FREE HERE

Hosted by the Sangye Yoga School
Wednesday July 3, 8:30 - 10:00PM British Time

Yoga-nidra (or “yogic sleep”) practices have become a popular tool for soothing the body, adjusting the state of the nervous system, and reconnecting with our deeper aspirations. Combining progressive relaxation, elements of meditation, and a comfortable position of the body (usually supine), these practices can serve as a wonderful act of self-care, replenishing our energy before or after other important activities.

There are, however, much deeper ways to use yoga-nidra, mainly related to extending the energy of our awareness to the states of dreaming, deep sleep and the process of falling asleep. This connects nidra practices with the fine Buddhist yoga of dreaming and sleeping, preserved in the Himalayan traditions of Buddhism and Bon as a way of tapping into our deep potential.

In this online presentation, Buddhist translator and meditation instructor Michael Lobsang Tenpa will cover the history of yoga nidra and its connection to the profound Buddhist yogas. At the end of the session we will perform a guided nidra practice together.

SIGN UP HERE

Sunday June 30
12:00 - 1:30PM Eastern Time

CEB as a program offers its participants some of the key psychological and contemplative skills that provide for a greater sense of meaning, increased control over emotional states, better communication and a greater commitment to prosocial action. The essence of the program is cultivation of inner balance—a genuine inner equilibrium that allows for true psychological flourishing.

This info session will focus on establishing a basic understanding of the role emotions play in our wellbeing, and the way we can deal with them by means of observation, suppression and reappraisal.

SIGN UP HERE

Hosted by Tibet House US
6-9pm ET
Online via Zoom

The “Praise to Tara with Twenty-One Verses of Homage” is a tantric text popular in the Indo-Tibetan tradition of Buddhism. Many lay and monastic practitioners know this text by heart and recite it as a prayer for protection and success; however, it also has deeper dimensions associated with all the levels of the Buddhist path.

In this introductory session with Buddhist translator Michael Lobsang Tenpa, we will look at the interplay between the “Twenty-One Praises” and Buddha-nature theory, especially as interpreted by the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions. In this approach, every verse can be said to describe different facets of our deepest nature, and each repetition of the praise can bring us closer to manifesting the associated qualities in our daily life. We will go through each verse, discussing their literal meaning; meditate on Green Tara; and discuss different ways to chant the praise.

If you are interested in Tara practice, Buddhist chanting techniques, or Buddha-nature theory, this session will most likely be a source of inspiration.

SIGN UP HERE

1pm Eastern Time | 6pm UK Time
Hosted by the Tibet House US

Shantideva’s Entry to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life is one of the most beloved Buddhist texts of the Sanskrit tradition. Teaching the two types of “awakening mind”, or bodhicitta, and the six ethical perfections of a bodhisattva, it provides a clear map for training in wisdom and compassion. In particular, the last chapter of the text contains multiple powerful aspirations, and each one of them can be used as a basis for powerful meditation on loving kindness and compassion.

On this Orthodox Christmas Eve, we are inviting you to join us in resounding some of these aspirations from a state of wisdom and compassion and union, planting powerful seeds for our personal and communal flourishing. The birth of bodhicitta in our heart will be the most powerful way to celebrate the winter season and also create causes for our conduct in the new year.

All the proceedings from this session will be donated to the relief effort for Ukrainian refugees.

REGISTER HERE

Hosted by the Sangyé Yoga School (London)

White Tara—a beloved meditational deity in the Indo-Tibetan tradition—is an expression of the qualities of wisdom, positive potential, and longevity in the form of a dynamic female buddha. Her practices, used and transmitted by many Buddhist lineage holders, provide us with a powerful set of tools for connecting with our basic goodness, strengthening both our compassion and wisdom, and changing the overall interdependence within which our experiences unfold.

This session with Tibetan Buddhist translator Michael Lobsang Tenpa will include guided meditations, a yoga nidra healing practice and explanations aimed at establishing two facts: this practice is ancient and profound, and yet it is also fully accessible to anyone who is inspired to do it.

We will explore the historical context, analyse the visual and psychological significance of White Tara’s appearance, and experiment with different aspects of practice, all to establish a firm foundation for personal or group practice in the future.

REGISTER HERE (In person and online)

Monday, December 18 (International Migrants Day), 1:00pm-1:30pm ET
Hosted by the Tibet House US

December 18 is the International Migrants Day, and thus an invitation to contemplate the ideas of home and belonging. Where can we feel safe at this moment in our personal and collective history? While trying to establish outer types of safety and security, we can also look at the idea of inner refuge — a profound sense of reliance on our basic goodness and the collective goodness that surrounds and holds us in different ways.

In this 30-minute meditation session with Michael Lobsang Tenpa, we will focus on the practice of inner refuge—finding safety within the qualities of our own basic goodness and the goodness of others. Although based on the practices of the Buddhist tradition, this session would be equally suitable for all, regardless of personal religious affiliations.

All the proceeds from this session will be donated to the relief effort for Ukrainian refugees.

REGISTER HERE

Sunday, December 10 (Human Rights Day), 1-4pm Eastern Time
Hosted by Tibet House US

Although sometimes reduced to merely a practice for feeling somewhat better, loving kindness meditation (maitrī-bhāvanā in Sanskrit) is a profound method that can be seen as containing the entire path to full awakening. On a psychological level, it is a wonderful technique for establishing profound types of balance in six important dimensions of our psychological activity: ethical, conative, attentional, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual.

This 3-hour class with meditation instructor and Buddhist translator Michael Lobsang Tenpa will focus on these 6 domains and different ways of transforming them through the focused and regular practice of loving kindness. This exploration will be equally suitable for beginners and for experienced meditators who want to view the familiar practice through a new lens.

December 10 is the Human Rights Day, celebrated by the Tibetan community as the day when the Dalai Lama formally received the Nobel Peace Prize. This session is an opportunity to explore the foundational quality of kindness that lies at the root of the Dalai Lama’s work and ethical philosophy.

REGISTER HERE

October 10, 1–1:40pm Eastern Time
Hosted by Tibet House US

For this World Mental Health Day, we are going to connect to a state of profound inner balance by using the meditation on loving kindness (maitrī in Sanskrit, mettā in Pali): a practice that has been historically used for opening the heart and cultivating a stable and focused state of mind (samādhi).

Over the course of the 40-minute session, we will progress from a state of outer stability and stillness to an exercise in self-directed loving kindness, which helps us find a firm ground in meaningful aspirations. From there, we will move into the realm of universal loving kindness, strengthening our sense of connection to our communities, and, eventually, to all who live.

All the proceeds  from this session will be donated to the relief effort for Ukrainian refugees.

REGISTER HERE

July 30,
Hosted by the San Francisco Dharma Collective

In this three-part series we will explore three dimensions of EcoDharma: 
 
 - The plane of personal wellbeing associated with inner ecology (also referred to as emotional hygiene by the Dalai Lama);
 - The relational domain of social wellbeing (complimented by the sphere of so-called spiritual ecology, which can be viewed through the lens of anthropology—or contemplative experience); and, finally, 
 - The service-oriented domain of engaged environmental protection, which brings us into action aimed at protecting the planet.
 
All the three levels—which might seem more or less interesting to us personally at different times—can perhaps be transformed through the application of a few key contemplative practices, which the Buddha and his followers from the Indo-Tibetan tradition organized into several convenient numbered lists. Combining these lists with our own deepest feelings about the planet and the sacredness of nature, we will see if the field of EcoDharma can be a source of inspiration and flourishing for us as individuals.

INFO AND REGISTRATION HERE

Saturday June 24, 12–3PM Eastern Time
Hosted by Tibet House US

White Tara—a beloved meditational deity in the Indo-Tibetan tradition—is an expression of the qualities of wisdom, positive potential, and longevity in the form of a dynamic female buddha. Her practices, used and transmitted by many Buddhist lineage holders, provide us with a powerful set of tools for connecting with our basic goodness, strengthening both our compassion and wisdom, and changing the overall interdependence within which our experiences unfold.

This 3-hour session with Tibetan Buddhist translator Michael Lobsang Tenpa will include guided meditations and elaborate explanations aimed at establishing two facts: this practice is ancient and profound, and yet it is also fully accessible to anyone who is inspired to do it.

We will explore the historical context, analyse the visual and psychological significance of White Tara’s appearance, and experiment with different aspects of practice, all to establish a firm foundation for personal or group practice in the future.

REGISTER HERE

June 18, Sunday
6 to 8PM UK Time
Hosted online by the CCN (Contemplative Consciousness Network)

In this specific 2-hour workshop with CEB teacher Michael Lobsang Tenpa, we will focus on our enjoyable emotions—the largest of the universal emotional families.

This group of emotional states plays a key role in motivating us to cooperate, connect with others, procreate, and explore the unknown to experience greater levels of wellbeing. Triggered by a variety of different events, these states include gratitude, different types of sensory pleasure, amusement and many other experiences that bring a positive tone to our everyday life.

By looking at these states through the lens of CEB training (which includes being able to understand their inner logic) and using CEB-based practices, including several types of meditation, we can increase the role of joy in our life–and then radiate it to others.

This class is fully suitable for beginners, but would also be beneficial to those who have taken CEB programs before. Please join and invite your friends! 

REGISTER HERE

Saturday, June 10, 2023
1pm ET
Online via Zoom

In this 30-minute Pride Month-themed meditation session, Cultivating Emotional Balance teacher Michael Lobsang Tenpa will guide us in the process of extending the foundational quality of tenderness (Tib. tsewa)—attentive, affectionate warmth looking into the depths of each being— towards ourselves and others. From this boundless warm spaciousness, we will step into generating loving kindness aspirations for a world that is more equitable, just, compassionate, and free of fear for all living things.

100% of the proceeds from this session will go to the Trevor Project (https://www.thetrevorproject.org) in support of LGBTIA+ youth in vulnerable situations.

REGISTER HERE

“The Eight Verses of Mind Training” (Tib. Lojong Tsiggyema) is a quintessential set of instructions for training in compassion and wisdom, compiled by the Tibetan master Langri Thangpa. One of the original sources for the powerful practice of “giving and taking”, or tonglen, this text is often used as the basis for daily training, and, when studied in detail, can even be said to encompass the entire Buddhist path. In this 2-hour session held on the day of Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and passing (according to the Buddhist calendar), Michael Lobsang Tenpa will explain how to use this text for greater happiness and wellbeing.

This teaching will be in person & also virtually on zoom: all attendees on the workshop list will be sent the zoom link.

REGISTER HERE

Hosted by Tibet House US
Tuesday, March 21 (Spring Equinox)
1:00-1:40pm ET
Free, $5, $15, $20, $50| Online via Zoom

In this EcoDharma-themed meditation facilitated by Michael Lobsang Tenpa, we will explore the five natural elements as they relate to both our mind/body and the world around us.

Reconnecting to each element and the psychological qualities it represents (from the point of view of the Indo-Tibetan contemplative tradition) can help us strengthen our inner wellbeing and inspire our service to the preservation and protection of the planet and its multiple communities.

The proceedings from this session will go to the Indigenous Environmental Network (https://www.ienearth.org) in support of their grassroots work for environmental justice

REGISTER HERE

Saturday, March 18, March 25, April 1, April 8, April 15, April 22
Each class between 1PM and 3PM Eastern Time
Hosted by Tibet House US

The four applications of mindfulness (Pali: satipaṭṭhāna) are powerful techniques originally taught by the Buddha and aimed at liberating our mind from inner entanglements. Combining both concentration and insight, these practices help us establish profound levels of both attentional and cognitive intelligence, all through challenging assumptions about the true nature of our body, feelings, mind, and all phenomena.

There are dozens of specific styles of satipaṭṭhāna practice across multiple traditions, all co-existing in the spirit of complementarity. In this course taught by Tibetan Buddhist translator Michael Lobsang Tenpa we will explore the basic terms used in these meditations, explore the benefits they might bring to us personally, and learn a few foundational techniques from the Indo-Tibetan tradition, which, when applied deeply, can take us to profound liberating insights about the nature of our experience.

While no course can encompass the full depth and breadth of these methods, this 6-week exploration will help the participants to establish a stable basis of practice that can then be further deepened through gradual personal exploration.

REGISTER HERE

Hosted by the Lumbini Museum
Time: 7.30 PM Nepal | 8.45 AM US EST

This open talk with Michael Lobsang Tenpa will center around two dimensions of Dharma as it relates to environmental issues: Buddhism’s ability to support our eco-activism, and the potential for strengthening our wellbeing by finding deeper contact with nature.

Michael will dwell on the very concept of “Eco-Dharma” and then present a variety of ideas that could be used to explore both of these planes of practice, along with some contemplative techniques that anyone could start using in rebuilding the connection with the natural world. 

The talk will also include some time for Q&A or, depending on the time, a guided meditation practice.

REGISTER HERE

Saturday February 18, 12PM – 3PM Eastern Time
Hosted by Tibet House US

Fear, worry, and anxiety are our frequent companions. From an evolutionary point of view, they are supposed to help us deal with the unexpected, ensuring survival, and, ideally, even helping us offer greater service to the world that so badly needs profound change. However, if the deeper patterns associated with these emotional states become obscured from our view—so much that reactions arise merely automatically—our life can become quite difficult.

The Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB) program, developed upon the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, includes both contemplative tools and psychological tools that can help us harness the primordial energy of fear and turn it into a helpful tool assisting our wellbeing.

In this 3-hour online session, CEB teacher Michael Lobsang Tenpa will offer the basics of the CEB approach, facilitate an in-depth exploration of different approaches to fear, and share some tools for calming our system down in moments of uncertainty. The workshop will include guided meditations, journaling, explanations, and optional group activities, all done in the spirit of tender enquiry.

REGISTER HERE

Hosted by Tibet House US
December 3, 11AM – 2PM ET (New York time)
3 hours with a 20-minute break in the middle 

The powerful emotional experiences of guilt and shame can be a large part of emotional landscape, helping us adjust our behavior in some cases and freezing us in a profound state of discomfort in others. 

In this 3-hour practice workshop based on the framework of the Cultivating Emotional Balance program (co-developed by Dr. Paul Ekman, Dr. Alan Wallace and Dr. Eve Ekman) Lobsang Tenpa will guide us in a number of contemplative practices and journaling exercises aimed at harnessing the energy of these emotions to establish greater inner balance and wellbeing. 

We will explore the way guilt and shame affect our self-perception, our feelings about ourselves, and our intentions, and then see how tender attention to these two emotions can help us access both kindness and insight—the two main wings of contemplative practice.

REGISTER NOW AT THE TIBET HOUSE US WEBSITE