On August 10 to 16 the Foundation for Contemplative Studies will host a residential retreat with our spiritual director, Lama B. Alan Wallace.
General Information
The retreat will be held in North Kunsangar (70km away from Moscow) and be focused on the Great Perfection (Dzogchen) teachings based on the following three texts:
- An overview of the View, Meditation and Conduct by Yangthang RInpoche
- Lamp to Dispel the Darkness by Mipham Rinpoche
- Shower of Blessings: A Guru Yoga conjoined with the Seven-line Prayer by Mipham Rinpoche
The teachings will include detailed practical explanations of the texts and elaborate instructions on their practical application.
Due to the advanced nature of the root texts, the retreat is first and foremost geared towards experienced Buddhist practitioners with a general knowledge of such topics as the Four Noble Truths and the mind-training teachings, along with practical experience in the practices of shamatha, four immeasurables and four applications of mindfulness.
Note that teachings will be accompanied by consecutive translation into Russian and filmed. The expected number of participants is between 200 and 250 people.
Participation
The suggested donation for the retreat (to cover the organizational expenses) is 200 US dollars per person; however, the actual amount of your offering depends on your own financial situation.
Participants will also have a chance to make a personal offering to the teacher at the conclusion of the teachings.
If you are coming from abroad, you will most likely need a Russian visa (check the rules for your own country). Please not that we are not able to provide visa assistance or guidance. The best way to get a visa is to contact a visa agency in your country; you can either employ them to apply on your behalf or just order a tourist voucher and invitation that need to be submitted together with your visa application.
The lodging and food at the retreat are provided by North Kunsangar; the final cost will depend on the type of accommodation available and the exchange currency rate for RUR at the time of the retreat.
For your reference, the price of lodging and food for a double room is 3400 rubles per day for 2 people; it is 1550 rubles for a 4-person dormitory per person. You can generally expect your accommodation and food to be under 300 dollars/euro. Please note that North Kunsangar cannot guarantee a gluten-free diet; however, vegetarian and non-vegetarian options will be provided.
The teacher
B. Alan Wallace is a prominent voice in the emerging discussion between contemporary Buddhist thinkers and scientists who question the materialist presumptions of their 20th-century paradigms. He left his college studies in 1971 and moved to Dharamsala, India to study Tibetan Buddhism, medicine and language. He was ordained by H.H. the Dalai Lama, and over fourteen years as a monk he studied with and translated for several of the generation’s greatest lamas. In 1984 he resumed his Western education at Amherst College where he studied physics and the philosophy of science. He then applied that background to his PhD research at Stanford on the interface between Buddhism and Western science and philosophy. Since 1987 he has been a frequent translator and contributor at the “Mind and Life” conferences at which the Dalai Lama and prominent scientists exchange views, and he has written and translated more than 40 books. Along with his scholarly work, Alan is regarded as one of the West’s preeminent meditation teachers and retreat guides. He is the founder and director of the Santa Barbara Institute for Conscious Studies and is the motivating force behind the develop of the Center for Contemplative Research in Tuscany, Italy.
Retreat registration
Before registering, please check your flights and look into the visa process. If you are absolutely sure you will participate, please email us at elena.molokova@gmail.com with the following information:
- Your full name
- Your expected arrival and departure dates (to Moscow / from Moscow)
- Your preferred accommodation – double or 4-person dormitory (please note that due to the expected number of participants we cannot guarantee a specific type of room)
You will be able to pay for accommodation, food and the retreat itself upon arrival.
Ondy Willson is an expert in teaching mindfulness, a writer and a Buddhist teacher. She has been studying contemplative practices with leading Eastern masters since 1970’s. In 2001 she founded Wellseeing Consultancy, delivering programmes of personal and professional development across the public and private sectors. Her commitment to good psychology is based on her own training, for over 30 years, from experts in the field of meditation and mindfulness. She was Head of Belief, Philosophy and Ethics in a large comprehensive school, and contributed to primary and secondary school educational books on moral issues. She delivers Mind Training focusing on Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence and Ethics both nationally and internationally.