The Four Immeasurables - Nyingma Centrum Nederland

Met groot genoegen kondigt Nyingma Centrum Nederland de komst aan van gastdocent Christoph Bangert, Dean van het Nyingma Institut in Keulen, Duitsland. Christoph zal in de herfstvakantie in Amsterdam een retraiteprogramma presenteren getiteld ‘The Four Immeasurables’.

Retraite programma ‘The Four Immeasurables’ o.l.v. Christoph Bangert donderdag 16 oktober 19.30 uur lezing: ‘Choosing Goodness: Bodhicitta and the Four Immeasurables Qualities ’ vrijdag 17 oktober 10.00 - 16.00 uur workshop: ‘Unconditional friendship - The Voice of the Heart’

‘The Four Immeasurables’ lezing-workshop-retraite o.l.v. Christoph Bangert 16 - 19 oktober 2014

vrijdag 17 oktober 19.00 uur tot zondag 19 oktober 17.00 uur retraite: ‘The Cultivation of the Four Immeasurables Qualities’

Christoph Bangert

Christoph Bangert is a student of Venerable Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche since 1987. He is trained in Kum Nye Yoga, Meditation Shamatha and Vipashyana, Nyingma Psychology, and Classical Buddhist Studies and Practices, and is leading courses, programs, workshops and seminars since 1995. In 1999 he became a fulltime member of Nyingma Zentrum Germany. Currently he is a member of the Executive Board of Nyingma Zentrum and co-Dean of the German Nyingma Institute in Cologne. In 2012 he was invited to become a Member of NC Board of Teachers, California.

........‘May all beings be happy, and may they be free from suffering. May they never be separated from joy, and may their mind rest in peace’..........

Deelnamekosten voor het totale programma bedragen €290, voor Nyingma cursisten €250. Voor wie niet alles kan bijwonen zijn de onderdelen eventueel ook los toegankelijk: lezing €10 workshop €95 retraite €220 De prijs is incl. maaltijden, koffie en thee. Voor wie buiten de stad woont is gratis logies mogelijk op eenvoudige meerpersoonskamers (beperkt beschikbaar, dus geeef je tijdig op!) De voertaal is Engels. Voor een vertaling naar het Nederlands wordt desgewenst gezorgd.

Opgave: [email protected] Betaling: IBAN NL19INGB0003133166 t.n.v. Nyingma Centrum Amsterdam o.v.v. ‘Four Immeasurables’

Nyingma Centrum Nederland Reguliersgracht 25 Amsterdam www.nyingma.nl [email protected]

RETRAITE PROGRAMMA ‘The Four Immeasurables’ do 16 okt 19.30 uur tot zo 19 okt 17.00 uur

Workshop: “Unconditional friendship - The Voice of the Heart” vr 17 okt: 10.00 - 16.00 uur Do we not all yearn for somebody who always cares for us, listens when we need an ear, giving us a hand when we stumble, advising us when we do not know what to do? This yearning often makes us restless and dissatisfied and leads again and again to frustration. What makes us believe fulfillment is to be found somewhere out there? How can we become intimate with the way we create barriers of isolation and suffering in ourselves? For sure there is a path to reach the tenderness of our heart and its natural aspiration to unconditionally love and care for ourselves and others. It starts by openly accepting and embracing all of our experience.

Lecture: ‘Choosing Goodness: Bodhicitta and the Four Immeasurables Qualities ’ do 16 okt: 19.30 - 21.00 uur Arousing Bodhicitta, the precious mind of enlightenment is the heart of the Buddhist Mahayana Path. The bodhicitta practices are ways for cultivating the intention and aspiration to bring all sentient beings to enlightenment. Often called the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, Bodhicitta brings true happiness for oneself and others and aspires to fulfill the highest potential of all beings. A very powerful bodhicitta practice is the meditation on the Four Immeasurables: equanimity, loving kindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy – the boundless limitless treasure inherent qualities of all sentient being. In this opening lecture Christoph will give an overview of the Four Immeasurables and their key role in the Mahayana Path. At the same time the lecture serves as the introduction for the workshop and retreat that follow directly the days after.

In this workshop we will pursue these questions and listen to our inner answers. Deep relaxation and meditation as well as sensitive inner seeing will open up a deeper understanding of the path towards unconditional friendship with ourselves. Maybe thus we will start to hear again the voice of the heart, we so long dismissed. Maybe the heart will gently pronounce: welcome home!

At the core of this training is Bodhicitta - the wish to liberate all being from suffering and the causes of suffering. One of the essential parts of this training is cultivating the Four Immeasurables – equanimity, loving - kindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy – which helps us open our mind and heart to arouse this generous aspiration: ‘May all beings be happy, and may they be free from suffering. May they never be separated from joy, and may their mind rest in peace’. Cultivating the Four Immeasurables will give you a deep understanding of the state of your own mind and heart right now. This will enable you to contact the experiential benefits of these limitless qualities. The retreat will present methods for cultivating the Four Immeasurables. Through traditional texts, discussion, mantra, and special Meditation Practices you will learn about • what prevents you from cultivating each one of these Immeasurable Qualities • the power of these four boundless qualities to counteract negative emotional patterns • how they can become a natural response to life.

Retreat ‘The Cultivation of the Four Immeasurables Qualities ‘ vr 17 okt 19.00 uur tot zo 19 okt 17.00 uur No matter how and where we live we all share this basic wish for a happy life free of sorrow. But if we look at our own and at the life of others we have to admit that despite all our efforts the happy moments we experience are relatively rare. On a basic level we do not really know what conditions will lead to genuine happiness for ourselves and others. We need a training that will help us to sow the seeds of this heartfelt motivation. ....

Wij hopen dat veel van onze studenten dit bijzondere retraiteprogramma in zijn geheel of gedeeltelijk zullen kunnen bijwonen. Speciale voorkennis is niet nodig: deelname staat open voor ieder die oprechte belangstelling heeft en bereid is om het hart te openen voor de eigen innerlijke ervaring.