with Susan Mickel
April 16-23, 2021
The simplicity, peace, and power of our true nature tend in ordinary life to be clouded over by habitual patterns of thought, emotion, and perception. Such patterns keep us seeking happiness and wisdom externally, rather than opening to and dwelling in what is already present within. Recognition of our basic goodness and inner wisdom, and cultivation of dwelling in them, are the heart of meditation in the Indo-Tibetan essence traditions.
We begin with an emphasis on mental stabilization and opening to the positive states of mind that are already present within, such as lovingkindness, compassion, joy, equanimity, patience, and generosity. With that as a basis, we investigate how the mind constructs experience ways that perpetuate patterns of reactivity to our life experience. Finally, the instructions point to resting in nondual open awareness. As compared with the foundational level retreat, this retreat more emphasizes working with positive states and increased depth of exploration of emptiness, nondual awareness, and resting the mind.
Although the emphasis in this retreat is on cultivation of direct experience through meditation, the teaching will also present conceptual understandings of the approach. Where relevant, the teaching will clarify distinctions between this Buddhist approach and that of western psychology. Group discussion of meditation experience gives an opportunity for regular feedback to help students to stay on track, and it helps participants to learn from each other.
Prerequisite: practitioners must have completed a foundational level Opening to Pure Awareness retreat with Susan Mickel, or an entry level weeklong retreat with Susan Mickel or a teacher from Pointing Out the Great Way. A brief telephone call with Susan regarding ongoing practice is required to approve participation (there is no charge for this).
If you have questions about the retreat, or to register, contact Susan at susanmickel2@me.com.
