Whether you are interested in meditation as a spiritual path, or simply for its benefits as a way to reduce tension, cope with stress, and gain a more positive outlook, this class will provide everything you need to start and maintain a regular sitting practice.  This will be a great opportunity to bring along friends and family who are curious about meditation!

Led by Lama Nancy, resident teacher at the Ann Arbor KTC, the session will include instruction, meditation practice, and discussion.

Sunday October 30, 10 AM – 12 Noon.

No prior meditation experience needed.

Learn and practice meditation techniques aimed at helping us develop our own inherent compassion at this free workshop.  The day will include training in tonglen or “sending and taking” meditation in which we will learn to increase our compassion for others (ranging from our nearest and dearest to those who annoy or even harm us) while decreasing our attachment to our own self-image.   We will also learn to use slogans to extend our practice from formal sitting sessions to the remainder of our lives.  By increasing our compassion for others, we simultaneously decrease our own ego-clinging and the pain it causes us.

Led by Lama Nancy, resident teacher at the Ann Arbor KTC Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center, the day will alternate instruction with periods of practice and discussion.

Some prior experience in meditation recommended but not required.  Please register by emailing Lama Nancy at nburks.61053@yahoo.com.  For further information, call Pat Forsberg-Smith at 734-678-7549 or see our website: annarborktc.org.

Schedule:  10:00-12:30    Morning session
12:30-1:30      Lunch break (bring a vegetarian lunch if you wish)
1:30-4:00        Afternoon session

Location: Ann Arbor KTC Buddhist Meditation Center, 614 Miner St., Ann Arbor 48103
Free; donations welcome.

Lama Nancy Burks has been a student of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche since 1978.  In February 2000, she completed a traditional 3-year, 3-month meditation retreat under his guidance at Karme Ling Retreat Center in upstate New York.  In addition to teaching and leading meditation practices at the Ann Arbor KTC, she is available for individual instruction and guidance.

“Look at all experience as a dream. . . .  Be grateful to everyone. . . .  When misfortune fills the world and its inhabitants, Make adversity the path of awakening.”
–From “The Seven Points of Mind Training” in The Great Path of Awakening: The Classic Guide to Lojong, a Tibetan Buddhist Practice for Cultivating the Heart of Compassion by Jamgon Kongtrul, Translated by Ken McLeod, Shambhala, 2005

In our busy, complicated lives, we focus most of our attention outward as we constantly interact with the complex world around us.   Much of the time, we leave our minds on automatic pilot and take their inner workings for granted.  Meditation allows us to turn our attention inward and gain perspective on our lives and priorities.

Spend a Saturday learning and practicing shamatha meditation, also known as “tranquillity meditation” or “calm abiding” in the Buddhist tradition.  Shamatha promotes mindfulness, stability, and calmness, helps reduce both physical and mental stress, and lays a foundation for more advanced meditation practices such as vipassana or “insight meditation.”

Led by Lama Nancy, resident teacher at the Ann Arbor KTC Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center, the day will alternate instruction with periods of practice and discussion.  Participants will learn basic methods of shamatha meditation, techniques to deepen the meditation experience, and tips for overcoming various obstacles that might arise.

Suitable for those who have not meditated before as well as experienced meditators seeking to deepen their practice.  Bring your own vegetarian lunch if you wish.  Please register by emailing Lama Nancy at nburks.61053@yahoo.com.

Schedule:  10:00-12:30    Morning session
12:30-1:30      Lunch break
1:30-4:00        Afternoon session

Free; donations welcomed.

Dear Friends,

I will be performing the Buddhist Refuge Ceremony on Sunday, July 17 at 2:00 pm at the Ann Arbor KTC, 614 Miner St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103.  If you or anyone you know might be interested in taking Refuge, you are welcome to participate.

Refuge is a ceremony in which you formally enter the Buddhist path and take the Buddha, his teachings, and his community as your sources of refuge in this endeavor.  It takes about an hour and there is no charge to participate (though it is customary to make a small offering, such as a white scarf or small donation).

If you would like to participate, or have any questions, please email me: nburks.61053@yahoo.com.

Yours,
Lama Nancy

Our minds are by nature clear and bright, but we can’t see this inherent clarity while we are involved with the endless barrage of our constant thoughts, feelings and perceptions.   Meditation helps us quiet our minds and cut through our habitual mental habits to facilitate a direct experience of our own mental clarity.  Remaining in silence between meditation sessions helps us maintain this awareness throughout the day.

Lama Nancy Burks will lead this meditation day, giving brief introductory remarks at the beginning of each session, and leading the group in opening and closing chants aimed at aligning our minds and hearts with the Bodhisattva motivation of obtaining enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Please join us for this silent meditation day at the Ann Arbor KTC Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center.  Recommended for those who have some prior experience with meditation.

Schedule:
10:00-12:30 Morning session
12:30-1:30 Lunch break
1:30-4:00 Afternoon session

There will be a short break in the middle of each session.  Bring your own vegetarian lunch; beverages will be provided.

No charge; donations gratefully accepted.  Please register in advance by emailing Lama Nancy at nburks.61053@yahoo.com; also email if you have any questions or special needs.

Lama Nancy has been a student of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche since 1978, and in 2000, she completed the traditional 3-year, 3-month meditation retreat under his guidance.  In addition to teaching and leading meditation practice at the Ann Arbor KTC, she is available for individual instruction and mentoring.