Applied Buddhist Psychology Retreats
Applied Buddhist Psychology Retreats
The Applied Buddhist Psychology Retreats are day-long courses involving lecture and meditation. These retreats take advanced Buddhist concepts and teachings and apply them in ways designed to help students transform psycho-spiritual imbalance and move to greater levels of realization and understanding about the nature of the self. Counseling professionals will find these retreats useful for working with their clients.
Prerequisites – It is recommended that students with no prior experience with Buddhist philosophy and practice take Applied Buddhist Psychology 1: Entering the Stream, and Applied Buddhist Psychology 2: The Enlightened Mind. If you do not take these classes, but have studied Buddhist philosophy, or are practicing in a lineage, you may join with the consent of the teacher.
The Psychology of the Bodhisattva
When we make the decision to dedicate ourselves to helping others, our priorities change. Although this decision can be made in an instant, the process of learning how and when to best help others can take longer than we might expect. Buddhist philosophy offers invaluable guidance regarding what it really takes to develop the capacity to truly be of service. This is called the Path of the Bodhisattva. This path provides invaluable insight and guidance not only about the nature of service but also how being of service deepens understanding of the basic teachings of Buddhist philosophy. In this module, we will explore the way in which our psychological orientation changes as we dedicate our self-development to the benefit of all.
Gateway to the Tantra
In this module, we focus on Tantric practices for purification, for broadening the practitioner’s definition of self, and for studying the movement of power.
Emotions and the Elements
In this module, we focus on how the elements of fire, water, earth, air and space move through emotional states. Students gain a deeper understanding of how their emotions reveal who they are on a deeper level.
Deity Meditation
In this module, we delve more deeply into the teachings of Vajrasattva, Vajradhara, Mahakala, and Yamantaka and students learn meditation practices that deepen the understanding of still more deities.
Dharma Protectors
In this module, we focus on the practices of Mahakala and Yamantaka, the concept of fierce compassion and the ideal relationship to negative intention.
Introduction to Dzogchen
In this module, we will study the texts that some of the better known Dzogchen practitioners in the West, including Tenzin Wangyal and Namkhai Norbu, point to in their teachings. We will also engage in meditation practice designed to deepen the student’s understanding of the clear light and the way it moves through all phenomena.
These workshops will:
• Establish students in a transformational group of practices for dissolving negativity and expanding insight.
• Foster a sense familiarity with the wisdom held by deities in the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, including Vajrasattva, Vajradhara, Mahakala, Yamantaka, Chenrezig (or Avalokiteshvara), Medicine Buddha, Green Tara, White Tara, and Manjushri.
• Introduce tantric practice.
You will find these workshops especially beneficial if you:
• Wish to understand currents running underneath experience and how to work with them positively.
• Seek more sustained connection with your own deeper nature.
• Seek to experience Tibetan deities in a deeply personal and connected way.
Prerequisites:
Applied Buddhist Psychology 1: Entering the Stream and Applied Buddhist Psychology 2: The Enlightened Mind or by permission of the instructor.
Workshop Details:
Tuition (per module): $325
Workshop Format: These are offered both as in-person courses and as Distance Learning courses.