Already Awake: Seeing Our Buddha Nature | Hybrid (in person and online)
with John Rockwell
Program and Registration Information
Join us in person at the Shambhala Meditation Center of Milwaukee to participate as a local group in this Shambhala Online program. We will watch the program live on Zoom, and have an opportunity to engage in discussion with each other.
Register here with Shambhala Online, and note the following:
- If the program price is an obstacle for you, you may request a discount before you register from Shambhala Online. They will send you a coupon code you can use when you register.
- Please help support our local center by entering the Revenue Share information below when you register. Shambhala Online will then share a percentage of the net revenue with the Shambhala Meditation Center of Milwaukee.
Revenue Share Center: Milwaukee
Revenue Share Code: 2024RevShare25
The Shambhala Meditation Center of Milwaukee has a Generosity Policy to make our offerings available to anyone who wishes to participate. All are welcome to join us at the center for this program, regardless of ability to pay.
For questions/technical issues with your registration or payment, please email [email protected].
For other questions, please email [email protected].
About the Retreat
In this weekend retreat, we will explore the Buddha’s teachings on buddha nature and the fundamental truth that we are “already awake.”
Out of fear, we have tried to cover our awakened heart, but its brilliant and spacious presence keeps escaping and shines out into the world. Sometimes this brilliance feels weak or nonexistent, but in fact, it is always shining fully, even on our darkest days. This profound Buddhist teaching was controversial, regarded by some as a pacifying teaching for those too fearful to face the fathomless space of emptiness. In our tradition, it is regarded as the “lion’s roar”—the fearless proclamation of unconditioned awareness.
Our weekend will ground itself in the sitting practice of meditation enriched by the compassion practices of the Four Limitless Ones and tonglen (sending and taking). We will delve into the heart of emptiness or openness, to which buddha nature is said to have the unique relationship of fullness. There will be walking meditation (inside and outside), talks with question/answer, small discussion groups, and spontaneous creativity.
We will use Chögyam Trungpa’s short but potent seminar, Glimpses of Mahayana, as our guide. The seminar of six talks is now republished with three other early seminars in a wonderful collection entitled Glimpses of the Profound, which it is highly recommended to purchase.
Retreat Topics
- The practices of sitting and walking meditation
- The Buddha’s teaching on buddha nature and that we have a “luminous mind” that is always present in us—whether we are aware of it or not!
- What is preventing us from experiencing our buddha nature
- Exploring the traditional Buddhist compassion practices of “The Four Limitless Ones” and tonglen (translated as “sending and taking”)
- Excerpts from Chögyam Trungpa’s book Glimpses of Mahayana
Live Sessions include:
- Guided meditation
- Guided contemplation
- Talks by an experienced dharma teacher
- Discussion groups
- Question & answer periods
Prerequisites
Open to all.
About John Rockwell
John Rockwell has been on the path of dharma for 47 years. He met Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1975 and studied and practiced the Buddhist and Shambhala teachings for 12 years with him, and in particular worked with him on translating Tibetan texts into English. For ten years, he studied and taught at Naropa University in the Buddhist Studies department. For many years, he served as an acharya or senior teacher for Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and also studied intensively with Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. His inspiration now is to open the heart and senses on the spot.