Four-Month Human Development Training Retreat

If we can find ways to awaken the
full power of awareness, we can enter
a new phase of human evolution and
revitalize ourselves and our world.
Tarthang Tulku
Four-Month Human Development
Training Retreat
September 2 – December 17, 2014
NYINGMA INSTITUTE
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1815 Highland Place, Berkeley CA
(510) 809-1000 | nyingma-institute@nyingma.org
www.nyingmainstitute.org
What graduates say about the Four-Month Human
Development Training Retreat:
What an experience! To have the opportunity to evaluate my life
after sixty years, to realize who I have become, and to get a new
foundation for the remaining part of my life. I wish I had discovered
this possibility earlier. Retreat Graduate, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
The Four-Month Retreat was one of the most joyous and fulfilling
experiences of my life. What could be better than being immersed in a
place of wisdom and beauty, while learning essential meditation and
relaxation techniques? Every day was a new experience in awakening
new levels of creativity and balance in my life. And those positive
seeds of awareness continue to blossom. Carol V., Boston, MA
Under the expert guidance of the faculty, the retreat combined
deep inquiry, experiential learning, and gentle movement techniques
to offer a wide range of useful skill sets to call upon anytime in
our lives. I can’t recommend the retreat highly enough. Creating
ease in stressful times is indeed a precious gift. For me, the retreat
was like choosing joy as an antidote to the busyness of our modern
lives—and the result was a refreshed and renewed appreciation
for my life! Catherine B., Berkeley, CA
This retreat really gave me something very precious, which is
the loving and compassionate guidance of our teachers, the
protection we had in the Institute, and these powerful teachings which
were really needed by me to find out it works. I know my mind better
and I have tools to quiet it down, to be more at peace with myself
and others. Joleen V., Amsterdam, Holland
I think back to the kindness with which I was received by Sylvia and
Jack, that beautiful room overlooking San Francisco Bay and the
city, the coastal mountains and the sun behind the hills. Time and
space given for practice. To practice every morning in the meditation
room was excellent. All opportunities for learning. Pat H., Hilo, HI
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2014 Four-Month Human
Development Training Retreat
Description: This retreat provides students with an intense
period of study and practice of Nyingma teachings. The retreat
curriculum is a program in human development, working both cognitively and experientially with mind, body, and spiritual awareness. Students develop insight into the nature of consciousness,
emotion, thought, embodiment, and feeling. Exercises release
the hold of negative habitual patterning within body and mind,
allowing previously untapped human qualities to emerge.
Participants are instructed in how to integrate their new
knowledge and way of being within daily life so that what is
learned in the retreat continues to unfold and develop.
Although the program draws on the practices and insights from
the ancient wisdom of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, it deals
with the direct, human experience of growth and change and
does not require acceptance of any dogma.
Objective: Upon completion, students will understand how
habitual patterns of thought and emotions arise, how to transform
negative energy patterns to allow previously untapped human.
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Program Length: 16 weeks. September 2 – December 17, 2014
Program Components: 5.5 hours of daytime instruction,
Mondays-Fridays; between 1.5 and 3 hours of evening instruction,
Mondays-Fridays, including nine evening classes; and fourteen workshops. (See pages 6–7 for a list of the evening classes, and pages 9–10 for
the list of the workshops.)
Program Cost: $5,200 (non-residential); $7,600 (residential). May be
paid in monthly installments ($1300 non-residential; $1900 residential.)
Primary Instructors:
Sylvia Gretchen, Co-Dean of the Nyingma
Institute, has studied and worked with Tibetan
Lama Tarthang Tulku since 1969. She has
served as Co-Dean of the Nyingma Institute
since 1996 and has also worked extensively
with Tibetan sacred art and literature under
the direction of Tarthang Tulku. She served for
over 20 years as a research editor with Dharma
Publishing. She is a member of the Yeshe De
translation team and is a writer and editor for
Dharma Publishing.
Jack Petranker, J.D., has been a student of
Buddhism since 1973. He is a senior editor
for Dharma Publishing, and has served as
Vice-President of the World Fellowship of
Buddhism from 1988-1992. He is the founder
of the Center for Creative Inquiry, an independent non-profit corporation inspired by
the Time, Space, and Knowledge (TSK) vision
introduced to the West by Tarthang Tulku.
He is also the director of Mangalam Research
Center for Buddhist Languages.
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Typical Daily Schedule
7:00 AM: Relaxation and meditation
8:00 AM: Breakfast and clean-up
9:30 AM: Instruction session
10:30 AM: Tea break
11:00 AM: Instruction session
12:30 PM: Vegetarian buffet lunch
2:00 PM: Work practice and individual
practice/study
5:30 PM: Vegetarian buffet dinner
6:15 PM: Evening class session
8:00 PM: Evening class session (optional)
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Evening Classes:
DHS211 Buddhist
Studies Tutorial
In this intermediate and advanced tutorial, students closely read
primary sources which can include Indian Buddhist works in
translation (such as the Bodhicharyavatara) or Tibetan Buddhist
works such as the Ngal-gso-skor-gsum (Kindly Bent to Ease Us).
KNR104 Beginning
Kum Nye: Kum
Nye to Balance Feelings
Gentle movement practices expand and
balance feelings, harmonizing body and
mind. A sense of deep fulfillment arises
as students connect more fully with
their senses.
KNR105 Beginning Kum Nye: Expanding
Enjoyment and Ease
A series of Kum Nye practices that help
to reduce physical and mental tension
are combined with practices that expand
the enjoyment of each of the senses.
KNR106 Kum
Nye Self-Massage
A five-week “hands-on” class in Kum Nye self-massage. Students
will be led through slow massage routines that promote relaxation
and deepen their sense of physical presence.
KNR109 Healing
Power of Touch
An introduction to Kum Nye self-massage. Students will learn
how to sensitize the hands to feeling and how to apply the slow,
flowing strokes of Kum Nye massage to face, hands, and feet.
MED301 Advanced
Meditation
Advanced meditation teachings are based on traditional Tibetan
texts. Students are introduced to new techniques that increase
mindfulness and insight as they deepen the meditative
experience of bliss and openness.
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MED305 Advanced
Meditation
Concentrated and advanced study of a single advanced meditation
topic, such as the four energy centers, experience of time, or
healing through meditation.
NPS103 Working
With Emotions
Emotions can be binding and painful, but they can also be great
teachers. This class teaches meditation exercises for working
with emotions in daily life. Learning to use mindfulness to
appreciate the transient nature of emotions can free us from
the tendency to cling to both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.
We discover the key to transforming negative emotional energy.
NPS107 Liberation
Psychology
Mind rules our lives. But what is mind? Buddhist psychologists
have studied this question for thousands of years. Drawing on
their insights, this course examines mind, thought, and emotions
and shows how impoverishing mental patterns can be transformed into liberating growth. Includes mindfulness and
meditation practices.
Weekend Workshops: Most workshops are Saturday 10 AM -
4:45 PM. Some are Friday evenings (7-9 PM) through Saturday
(10 AM-4:45 PM).
KNR405 Tasting
Relaxation
The relaxation that comes through Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga)
practice is like a rich nectar that flows through the body and
feelings. This workshop presents practices that allow
participants to “taste” this deep relaxation.
KNR406 Joy
and Spaciousness
Gentle Kum Nye movement and
breathing practices enhance
a sense of spaciousness and
develop joyous feelings. Taught
mostly outdoors, the beauty of
nature will help foster and
expand inner joy.
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The Nyingma Institute, a Berkeley landmark for
over 40 years, offers classes, workshops, and retreats
that address basic human questions in a setting rich with
Tibetan imagery. This photograph shows the golden
Enlightenment Stupa in the meditation garden.
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MED404 Unlocking
Consciousness
Concentrating on an ancient Buddhist symbol for awareness, we
catalyze meditation practice through visualization and mantra.
Levels of consciousness emerge that are beyond words and labels.
NPS411 Loving
Yourself, Loving Others
In order to love others fully, we must also learn to love ourselves.
Then we find an unending source of unconditioned love that we
can freely share. This workshop presents classic Buddhist teachings
that expand love and compassion beyond all boundaries.
Gesture of Balance
This workshop introduces awareness and meditation practices
that can be used in everyday life to balance and heal body,
breath, and mind. Instruction includes teachings from Buddhist
Studies, Nyingma Psychology, Tibetan Yoga, and the Time,
Space, and Knowledge vision.
MED418
NPR410 Dream
Yoga and Authentic Communication
Meditation and visualization exercises from the Tibetan tradition
bring a special awareness into the dream state that helps us
to use dreams to cultivate insight. Practices will be introduced
that stimulate lucid dreaming, along with exercises that release
tension in the head and neck, enhancing our ability to listen well
and speak truly.
NPS406 Activating
Joyous Feeling
Meditation, awareness, and movement practices awaken and
expand joyous feelings. Students will learn exercises that distribute deep feelings of joy through both body and mind.
DHS412 Dharma
Studies Workshop
Topics in traditional Buddhist studies are offered with an emphasis
on how the teachings are integrated into patterns of behavior.
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NPS407 Transforming
Personal History
Habits and patterns intertwined with painful memories often
prevent us from enjoying the freedom and beauty that the human
body and mind offer. It is possible to skillfully touch these memories
in a way that cuts through their power to restrict us. Practices
from Knowledge of Freedom can help transform personal history
from a source of pain into a wellspring of renewal.
DHS415 Path
of Prayer to the Land of Bliss
Buddhist art and architecture stand as guides to enlightenment.
This workshop explores sacred forms and their symbolic language
from an advanced perspective.
MED409 Silent
Mind, Peaceful Mind
By letting go of expectations the mind becomes silent, peaceful,
and aware. Meditation practices that transform mental experience can lead to this form of perfect equanimity.
NPR402 Cultivating
Compassionate Love
We can learn to love ourselves and others more deeply
through actively cultivating compassionate love. This kind of
love heals the painful divisions between living beings, allowing us
to forgive others and to cleanse ourselves of ill will. The workshop
introduces gentle visualization, mantra, and meditation practices
given by the Buddha.
MED410 Origin
of Appearance
Advanced meditation contacts states of mind free from desires
and conflicting emotions. “Mind” is directly experienced as a
process emerging from the ground of being. Workshop includes
kunzhi practices and a brief introduction to the Yogachara
school of Buddhist thought.
NPS409 Attaining
Inner Confidence
An infinite source of well-being lies within. This workshop
presents meditations that help develop the confidence to access
and follow the knowledge in our hearts. Students learn ways to
expand mindfulness and openness in their daily lives.
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Residential Retreat Rooms
Retreat participants stay in beautiful rooms in one of our two
campus buildings. The rooms oriented to the east overlook our
meditation garden and the hillside that rises behind Nyingma
Institute. Most rooms are oriented to the south or west and enjoy
sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, and
the Garden Terrace.
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Joy of Being
It is important to make strong efforts to develop
knowledge and apply it. You can do this by
reminding yourself daily: There is beauty that
you have not yet seen. There is sound that carries
consciousness into heavenly spheres. There is
fragrance more exquisite than the rarest incense.
There is joy that expands beyond ecstasy and
dissolves the seeds of suffering. You deserve to
experience all these treasures and manifest their
significance to all humanity.
Tarthang Tulku, The Joy of Being
Nyingma Institute
1815 Highland Place
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 809-1000
www.nyingmainstitute.org
nyingma-institute@nyingma.org
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