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Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times:

A Meditation Retreat

Join World-Renowned teacher Alan Wallace for a five day meditation retreat focusing on the teachings of Atiśa Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna (982-1055), one of the greatest masters of Indian Buddhism. This will be Alan Wallace’s only Australian retreat in 2022.

Where

Balmain Town Hall
370 Darling St, Balmain NSW 2041

When

5-9 December 2022

Cost

Early Bird: $535 (ends 31st August)
Full Price: $595 (AUD)
VI Members: receive 10% off the ticket price. If you are a member, email spc@vajrayana.com.au to receive member pricing access.

During this five-day retreat, we shall focus on some of the core teachings of Atiśa Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna (982-1055), one of the greatest masters of Indian Buddhism. These have become the source of spiritual practice within all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. They provide ‘pith’ instructions that go straight to the heart of our modern concerns – how to face suffering, develop satisfaction and serenity, have compassion for others and reduce the self centred concerns that are the cause of so many of our problems.

The retreat is structured with a balance of meditation instruction, meditation practice, lectures and discussion sessions. Alan Wallace will draw on two short texts (newly translated by him) that take the form of dialogues between Atiśa and his principal disciple Drom Tönpa, entitled, “Cutting the Root of Suffering and Equalizing Excitation and Laxity” and “Blaming Everything on a Single Culprit.” These two exchanges go right to the heart of meditation, while at the same time representing a lively guru-disciple exchange that is both reverent and critical at the same time. We will then turn to Atiśa’s quintessential meditative guidance in his root text The Mahāmudrā Granted by the Noble Lord to Gönpawa. Atiśa’s approach provides us today with a bridge between understanding the nature of reality according to the Prāsaṅgika-Madhyamaka view, Mahāmudrā, and Dzogchen.

This retreat provides an excellent grounding in meditation practice and buddhist philosophy for new students and includes new material and further guidance for those who have previously attended Alan Wallace’s meditation retreats.

About the Teacher - Dr Alan Wallace

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 to meetings between the Dalai Lama and prominent scientists, 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.

More Information / FAQs

The retreat will run from December 5th to 9th 2022 9.00 am to 5.00 pm each day. The venue is Balmain Town Hall, 370 Darling St, Balmain NSW 2041.

Early Bird: $535 (ends 15 August). Full Price: $595(AUD)
VI Members: receive 10% off the full ticket price. If you are a member, email spc@vajrayana.com.au to receive member pricing access.

Catering is not provided.  Participants may wish to bring their own food, alternatively, there are a number of other cafes and restaurants close by providing easy access to food and drinks.

Cancellation received in writing up to 30 days before the start of the retreat will receive a 50% refund of the registration fee. We regret that no refunds can be made if the cancellation is received within 30 days before the start of the retreat.

This will be Alan Wallace’s only retreat in Australia in 2022. Interstate and international participants may find affordable and nearby accommodation through Airbnb, or in local hotels and apartments.  Arrange your accomodation early as this retreat is close to Christmas which brings an influx of interstate visitors to Sydney at this time.

Get Your Ticket

Where

Balmain Town Hall
370 Darling St, Balmain NSW 2041

When

5-9 December 2022

Cost

Early Bird: $535 (ends 15 August)
Full Price: $595 (AUD)
VI Members: receive 10% off the full ticket price. If you are a member, email spc@vajrayana.com.au to receive member pricing access.

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