Drawing on the Deep Well Within
Exploration & Meditation
with David Berry
July 26 -31
This retreat supports our always-present capacities to awaken. In his later years, Namgyal Rinpoche pointed to a Universal path of direct experience: “What I am about is helping people break out of their stagnation so they can re-enter the stream or flow of natural evolution and transcendence.” In Dharma talks he transmitted hints about the nature of this path (taken from my notes at the Dharma Centre in 1993 and 1996):
“Westerners want to start with exotic inner planes in meditation and those planes are there and are magnificent but inevitably there are imbalances to be dealt with first.”
“Don’t look to the Lama to save you. If the Lama could, it would have been done long ago. You must walk the path yourself. Put responsibility on your own true nature.”
“Do you really think enlightened beings need to come to you in Tibetan form or some other specific form?”
“The enlightenment process is going on within you in spite of your feeble attempts to thwart it.”
As a class ended, he would often say “All right, now get on with it!”
What Happens in the Retreat? Rather than suggest something to learn or to believe, the retreat will invite experience. In quiet moments, each of us can sense a calm field in the inner depths, beneath the storms of our reactions to provocation. We’ll explore that field and make it real – in other words, Realize the Field. We shall draw from that deep well to reveal & sustain fuller presence to enable us to contribute to those around us in times of turbulence and chaos.
We will move within metaphors from diverse traditions including some shared by Namgyal Rinpoche. We will also work directly with light and sound which are natural bridges between material and energetic experiences.
We will gather for morning and afternoon Dharma talks and supportive practices & ceremonies. There will be personal silent time each day and the middle days of the retreat will be in silence. This teaching has a foundation of great reverence for sacred traditions and this is also a retreat to which you could bring a friend who says they have no interest in religion. David has shared Dharma in Buddhist Centres, European Benedictine monasteries, a science center in Korea, a school in Tibet, the Museu do Amanha in Brazil, the United Nations, Academies of Science, Parliament Hill, the White House & other environments, each with its own exotic flora & fauna.
At the Dharma Centre, Nature, rest, & healthy food support rejuvenation & regeneration.
David Berry first studied with Namgyal Rinpoche in 1971 and traveled with him to Antarctica, the Arctic, and to Indonesia scuba diving. In 1996, Rinpoche asked David to teach at the Dharma Center in a program called “Bridges to Transcendence.” David has taught here many times since. He was ordained by Rinpoche in 2003 at the end of the “Teaching Dharma” courses that Rinpoche gave six weeks before he died.
David is a past president and chair of the Dharma Centre. He is a co-gatherer, contributor and publisher of the book “Tales of Awakening,” recollections of 68 students of moments with Namgyal Rinpoche which had a profound impact on them.
Important Details
When: July 26 - July 31, 2024 Please plan to arrive between 3-5pm on the first day. The retreat will begin with a property orientation at 5:30pm followed by a light supper and the first evening class and will finish after lunch on the final day.
Rates: non-members: $690 members: $625
(To find out how to become a member please visit our membership page)
Rates include: Single accommodation and all meals. They do not include instructor fees. Teacher is sharing his/her experience within the traditional Buddhist understanding of Dana. To understand more about Dana, please read the following:
What is Dana? Teachers give the teachings of awakening (Dharma) freely so that anyone, no matter their financial means can attend classes. Each time one receives teachings, it is an opportunity to consciously practice generosity. Giving money and other means of support expresses gratitude and support to the teacher and helps to ensure that these teachings continue. Each person receiving Dharma teachings determines the kind and amount of Dāna according to one’s heart and one’s financial means. When deciding how much to offer, one should think about what these teachings mean to you and try to give accordingly. It is recommended that students make an offering of dāna at the beginning of a class or retreat to establish the intention to make the most of this opportunity for one’s own progression and for the benefit of all others.
Deposit: A 50% deposit is required to hold your space upon registration.
Cancellation policy:
All cancellation are subject to a fee of $100. These funds will support other low income practitioner (Practitioner Support Fund).
Loss of 50% of deposit if cancel within 14 days ( = 25% of the retreat cost) – Funds to go into the Renewal Project (Buildings Renewal Fund)