Santa Fe Vipassana Sangha

Dharma Talks ~ Tuesday Evenings ~ Mountain Cloud Zen Center
July 6, 13, 20, 27 & August 3 ~ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Day Long Retreat ~ Sunday, July 18 ~ 9:30 am – 4:30 pm ~ MCZC
Bring a lunch, $20 plus teacher dana.
To register: Mikalea Barnes, 986-6080 or Mikaelab355@aol.com

Meditation & Dharma Discussions ~ Wednesday Evenings ~ 113 Camino Escondito #4
July 7, 14, 21, & 28 ~ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
This is an opportunity to clarify the Buddha’s teachings and discuss our individual practice.
Special Theme Discussion ~ Friday, July 23 ~ 7:00 pm, – 8:30 pm
Special Theme: “Why Do We Practice?”

Sangha Pot-luck ~ Saturday, July 24 ~ 6:00 pm
at Lissa Reidel’s, 628 Camino Rancheros, 995-1146

Half-hour Interviews ~ July 7 – August 3
Tuesdays: 11:30 am – 2:00 pm,
Wednesdays: 4:30 pm– 5:30 pm,
Thursdays: 9:00 am – Noon & other times available
Sign-up with Courtney Best-Trujillo, 466-1104 or BestTrujillo@comcast.net.
To cancel an interview on day of appt: 995-1993.

DaeJa Napier teaches Insight Meditation (Vipassana) with an emphasis on the cultivation of loving kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. She responds to students with intuitive precision and insight, mirroring the awakening process that occurs naturally in the light of mindful awareness. Practicing under the guidance of prominent Asian and western teachers, DaeJa has dedicated her life to exploring the traditional pathways to awakening and their applications in daily life. Her conveyance of the Buddhist teachings reflect the wisdom and compassion cultivated while maintaining a formal practice over 40 years of raising five children. She has come to teach in Santa Fe twice a year since 1995.

FOR MORE INFO contact Mikaela Barnes, 986-6080 or Mikaleab355@aol.com

SFVS welcomes Brian LeSage for a residency from October 5-26, 2010. The residency will include Dharma Talks, Personal Interviews, a Day-long Retreat and other opportunities to share the Buddha’s teachings.
More information will be coming soon.

This year, our Summer Retreat at the Sangre de Cristo Center is with teacher Santikaro.

The dates are: June 11-20, 2010

For Information and printable Registration: 2010 Santikaro Retreat Registration Brochure

For More: contact Linda Grace at:  lindaagrace@gmail.com, 505-466-8033

Santikaro was ordained as a Theravada monk in Thailand in 1985, and subsequently trained at Suan Mokkh with Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, a leading Thai teacher, scholar, and reformer. He became Ajahn Buddhadasa’s primary English translator and was abbot of nearby Suan Atammayatarama. He is a founding member of Think Sangha, a community of socially engaged Buddhist thinker-activists. He led meditation retreats at Suan Mokkh for many years before returning to the USA in 2001, and retiring from formal monastic life in 2004. He continues to teach in the Buddhist tradition with an emphasis on the early Pali sources. He is the founder of Liberation Park, a modern American expression of Buddhist practice, study, and social responsibility.

Santikaro was ordained as a Theravada monk in Thailand in 1985, and subsequently trained at Suan Mokkh with Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, a leading Thai teacher, scholar, and reformer. He became Ajahn Buddhadasa’s primary English translator and was abbot of nearby Suan Atammayatarama. He is a founding member of Think Sangha, a community of socially engaged Buddhist thinker-activists. He led meditation retreats at Suan Mokkh for many years before returning to the USA in 2001, and retiring from formal monastic life in 2004. He continues to teach in the Buddhist tradition with an emphasis on the early Pali sources. He is the founder of Liberation Park, a modern American expression of Buddhist practice, study, and social responsibility. 

DaeJa Napier

DaeJa teaches Vipassana with a particular emphasis on the Brahma-Viharas. She has studied and practiced Zen and Vipassana since 1972 and has been teaching since 1986. Her teaching is committed to a balance of formal practice with the study of the classical teachings. Her heartfelt understanding of the dharma combines with an intuitive precision that mirrors the awakening process of each student. DaeJa is the mother of five. To learn more visit cultivatingwisdomandcompassion.org.

Eric Kolvig

Eric has been teaching Vipassana since 1985. He served as the resident teacher of Vipassana communities in Santa Fe and Albuquerque and leads meditation retreats around the U.S. Eric studied and practiced for years with prominent teachers at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and he has also trained in the Zen tradition. He earned a Ph.D. from Yale University and has edited a number of books in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Holding an inclusive understanding of liberation, Eric also works for wholesome change in our community through compassionate action.

Brian Lesage has practiced Buddhist meditation for twenty years. He has studied Zen, Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism. He was ordained in the Rinzai Zen tradition in 1996. His training in Vipassana Meditation includes doing extended meditation retreats in Myanmar, Nepal and India as well as numerous retreats in the U.S. He leads retreats and teaches meditation courses nationwide. Brian also has a private practice in Somatic Experiencing, a naturalistic approach to healing trauma.

OUR PRACTICE: THE WHOLE PATH
A Five Day Residential Retreat
August 11 through August 15, 2010

At The Mountain Cloud Zen Center

Taught By Eric Kolvig

Click Here for More on Eric’s Retreat>

People tend to think of meditation when they think of Buddhism, and well they should.  But in our tradition we actually practice something far more comprehensive:  ethical conduct, meditation, and wisdom.  These three great pillars of practice encompass every imaginable aspect of life.  In this retreat we will explore in depth how our meditation relates to the rest of our noble path.

Grove Burnett

Grove is co-director of the Vallecitos Mountain Refuge. He has practiced environmental law since 1972 and is co-founder of the Western Environmental Law Center, a public interest firm dedicated to protecting the natural resources and environment of the West. Grove has devoted the last 20 years to intensive training and practice in the Buddhist meditation tradition, training with Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein.

May 4 to May 19, 2010
Print the Residency Flyer >>

Contact Person: Paul Zisman, tiopablo@gmail.com or 505-471-0564

Richard Shankman is the author of “The Experience of Samadhi: An In-Depth Investigation of Buddhist Meditation.” Richard Shankman teaches at dharma centers in the San Francisco Bay Area and nationally, including the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He is a co-founder of the Sati Center for  Buddhist Studies, and of Mindful Schools, a program bringing mindfulness training into low income schools. He has been active in bringing meditation practice into prisons and drug rehabilitation programs in California. For more information about Richard and his teaching schedule: http://www.richardshankman.org/

SFVS is fortunate to have DaeJa Napier join us for a teaching residency from January 26-February 23, 2010.

Print Residency Flyer

Dharma Talks
Tuesday Evenings
Jan. 26, Feb. 2 – 23
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Mountain Cloud Zen Center

Half-hour Interviews – Jan. 26 – Feb. 23
Tuesdays: 11:30 am -2:00 pm
Wednesdays: 3:30 – 4:30 pm
Thursdays: 9 am to noon
Other times available on request.
Sign up on Tuesday evenings or contact Courtney Best-Trujillo, 466-1104 or
BestTrujillo@comcast.net

Wednesday Evenings
January 27, February 3 – 17
6 – 7:30 pm
An opportunity to clarify the Buddha’s teachings & discuss our individual practice.

All Day Retreat
Sunday, February 7
9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Mountain Cloud Zen Center
Bring a lunch.
$20, plus teacher dana
To register, contact
Mikaela Barnes,
986-6080 or Mikaelab355@aol.com

Thursday Evening
February 11
6 – 7:30 pm
The Power of Presence: Working with Fear

We are fortunate to welcome Martine & Stephen Batchelor to the Santa Fe Vipassana Sangha for 4 events from October 17-22.

For more information, contact Jim Dunn at jmdunn1@gmail.com or 614-325-9501.

Non-Residential Weekend Retreat
Saturday 10/17, 9:00-5:00 & Sunday 10/18, 9:00-4:00
$50 for the weekend – Teacher Dana is appreciated.
Mountain Cloud Zen Center
For registration , contact Jim – jmdunn1@gmail.com or 614-325-9501.

Stephen will lead a non-residential retreat at Mountain Cloud Zen Center on the “Four Truths/Four Tasks.” This retreat will focus on the practice of the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths. Rather than treating these Four Truths as a foundational Buddhist doctrine, we will consider them as a set of interrelated tasks to be performed in every circumstance of one’s life. The weekend will consist of talks, meditation, and discussion. Please bring a sack lunch both days.

Monday 10/19     Martine will guide Sutta Study from 12:00-2:00 – call Joan at 983-2475 for directions.

Tuesday 10/20     Stephen will give a Dharma Talk after the 6:30 meditation.

Thursday 10/22     Martine will give a Dharma Talk on “Spirit of the Buddha” after the 6:30 meditation.

Stephen Batchelor is a contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer, best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism.  Stephen considers Buddhism to be a constantly evolving culture of awakening rather than a religious system based on immutable dogmas and beliefs.  In particular, he regards the doctrines of karma and rebirth to be features of ancient Indian civilization and not intrinsic to what the Buddha taught.  Buddhism has survived for the past 2,500 years because of its capacity to reinvent itself in accord with the needs of the different Asian societies with which it has creatively interacted throughout its history.  As Buddhism encounters modernity, it enters a vital new phase of its development.  Through his writings, translations and teaching, Stephen engages in a critical exploration of Buddhism’s role in the modern world, which has earned him both condemnation as a heretic and praise as a reformer. Stephen’s Confession of a Buddhist Atheist will be published in March 2010.

Martine Batchelor lived in Korea as a Zen nun under the guidance of Master Kusan for ten years. She is the author of Meditation for Life, The Path of Compassion, Women in Korean Zen and Let Go: A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits. She is a member of the Gaia House Teacher Council. She teaches meditation retreats worldwide and lives in France.  Her latest work is the forthcoming The Spirit of the Buddha.

Please Join Us – Everyone Is Welcome

Intention is the second factor in the Noble Eightfold Path. The influence of our intentions is central in every part of our lives. Being aware of our intentions and consciously forming them can have a transforming influence. Please join us for readings, reflections and discussion on how we can learn to use the power of intention in ever more skillful ways in our daily lives.

Tuesday, Sept. 22
6:30-7:15 — Silent Meditation
7:15-8:15 — Wholesome Intention and the Neurology of Intention
Facilitated by Joanne Smogor and Jim Dunn

Reading for Sept. 22 – Click Here to Print
Wholesome Intention and the Neurology of Intention

Tuesday, Sept. 29
6:30-7:15 — Silent Meditation
7:15-8:15 — The Three Wise Intentions and 21 Ways to Turn Ill Will to Good Will
Facilitated by Jon Weaver and Mikaela Barnes

Reading for Sept. 29 – Click Here to Print
The Three Wise Intentions and 21 Ways to Turn Ill Will to Good Will

Tuesday, Oct. 6
6:30-7:15 — Silent Meditation
7:15-8:15 — Is Intention a Goal or Already Realized?
Facilitated by Dave Simonson and Elaine Giovando

Reading for Oct. 6 – Click Here to Print
Is Intention a Goal or Already Realized?

September 9-13, 2009 With Grove Burnett and Mary Powell

Vallecitos Mountain Ranch, Carson National Forest

Click Here to Print Flyer (pdf) >>

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately,
to front only the essential facts of life.”
–Henry David Thoreau

Fall in the mountains of northern New Mexico is spectacular. Learn mindfulness meditation in the morning and hike in the mountain wilderness in the afternoon.

The Retreat
The retreat will offer a practical training in mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness is the simple art of being aware. It is the basis for insight, wisdom, and seeing things clearly. It is a radical training, extraordinary in its simplicity, its lack of dogma and, above all, its results.

The morning schedule: Training in Mindfulness meditation. Our mornings will provide an introduction to the practice of mindfulness meditation, with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, daily interviews with the teacher, and a short discourse from the teachings of the Buddha.

The afternoon schedule: Hiking the La Manga wilderness. Our afternoons will be spent going to the woods. We will take guided, mindful hikes– suitable for all levels of walking–into the magical La Manga wilderness, the largest old growth forest in the Carson National Forest and one of the most beautiful alpine regions of the Rocky Mountains.

The retreat is suitable for beginners and seasoned practitioners.

Registration & Cost: The cost of this retreat, which includes meals and accommodation, is on a sliding scale: $250-$375. A 50% deposit is required to reserve your place. Visit www.vallecitos.org to register online or contact Leigh Lauck at refuge@vallecitos.org or (575) 751-9613 to reserve your space. (more…)

Our Winter Retreat with Marcia Rose is from January 8-17, 2010 at the Sangre de Cristo Center

This retreat is for practitioners who have attended previous retreats. For more info, call Sarah Grant at 505-992-1963.

Click here to print the registration form.

Marcia Rose is the founding and guiding teacher of The Mountain Hermitage and founding teacher of Taos Mountain Sangha. She has been studying and practicing Buddhist teachings and meditation with Asian and Western teachers since 1970, primarily in the Theravada-Vipassana (Path of the Elders) tradition. Her own teaching reflects a clear influence from the Burmese Mahasi Vipassana and the Pa-Auk Forest Monastery lineages. She has also studied and practiced in the Dzogchen Tibetan Buddhist tradition with Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, and Tsoknyi Rinpoche. Marcia was resident teacher for staff at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, MA from 1991-1995. She has been one of the teachers for the annual three-month retreat at IMS, and is currently a visiting teacher at The Forest Refuge in Barre, MA. Marcia also teaches Vipassana and Metta retreats in other U.S. and international venues, and is dedicated to offering these ancient and timeless teachings in ways that make them accessible and authentic for contemporary culture.

Beginning June 23rd Daeja Napier will be our teacher in residence. She will be offering Tuesday and Wednesday evening dharma talks, half-hour interviews, as well as a non-residential retreat on Saturday, July 11th. The theme for her residency is “Wisdom and Compassion.”  Everyone is welcome. For complete details please click on PDF FLYER to print.

For more information contact Mikeala Barnes at Mikaelab355@aol.com or 986-6080.

Marcia Rose

Marcia Rose is the founding and guiding teacher of The Mountain Hermitage and founding teacher of Taos Mountain Sangha. She has been studying and practicing Buddhist teachings and meditation with Asian and Western teachers since 1970, primarily in the Theravada-Vipassana (Path of the Elders) tradition. Her own teaching reflects a clear influence from the Burmese Mahasi Vipassana and the Pa-Auk Forest Monastery lineages. She has also studied and practiced in the Dzogchen Tibetan Buddhist tradition with Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, and Tsoknyi Rinpoche. Marcia was resident teacher for staff at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, MA from 1991-1995. Marcia also teaches Vipassana and Metta retreats in other U.S. and international venues, and is dedicated to offering these ancient and timeless teachings in ways that make them accessible and authentic for contemporary culture.

Ginny Morgan, guiding teacher for Show Me Dharma Center in Columbia, Missouri, and former President of the Board of Mid America Dharma Center will be coming to Santa Fe Vipassana Sangha as resident teacher beginning May 5. Ginny has studied with Ram Dass, Munindre-ji, Matthew Flickstein, and teachers from Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Mediation Center.

Print the Residency Flyer Here – Ginny Morgan Residency (pdf)

Print the Committed Practice Flyer Here (for Wednesday classes) – Committed Practice Evenings (pdf)

On June 12-21, SFVS is hosting a residential retreat with DaeJa Napier. The retreat will be at the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Center, north of Santa Fe.

Click Here for Info & Registration Form

Embracing This Life
This retreat will focus on the ways the Buddha taught to awaken the natural strength and beauty of the human heart. Along with patience and mindfulness – the qualities of noble kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity
represent the most hopeful aspects of our nature. When practiced they lead to a deep acceptance of life as it manifests in each moment. As a result it becomes possible to embrace all parts of ourselves and others with affection, wise understanding and forgiveness that transforms the turbulent heart into a refuge of calm focused awareness.

The daily schedule will be held in Noble Silence and include instructions, sitting and walking meditation, individual meetings with the teacher and evening dharma talks. This retreat is suitable for both beginning and experienced students. Registration is between 3PM and 5PM on Friday, June 12. The retreat runs from Friday
evening through Sunday noon, June 12-21. Meals begin with dinner June 12 and end with breakfast on June 21.

Grove Burnett will return to SFVS for a residency from April 7-28, 2009.

>> Print Residency Schedule Here >>

For questions contact Fred Unterseher: 505 216 9765 or fred.unterseher@gmail.com

“Never try to teach a pig how to sing.
It wastes your time and annoys the pig.” Anonymous

April 07th 6:30pm MCZC – Sit and Dharma Talk – followed by Q & A with Tea
Topic: Impermanence.
“The trouble is you think you have time.” The Buddha
“I wish that I knew then /what I know now/ when I was younger.” Rod Stewart

April 14th 6:30pm MCZC – Sit and Dharma Talk, Q & A
Topic: The 8 Vicissitudes of Life.
“Your fortunes can change with the swish of a horse’s tail.” The Buddha
“It’s just the way it changes/ like the shoreline and the sea.” Leonard Cohen

April 21st 6:30pm MCZC – Sit and Dharma Talk, Q & A
Topic: The 4 Categories of Clinging.
“Meditation is not about pulling back, it’s about not holding on.” Joseph Goldstein
“I generally avoid temptation, unless I can’t resist it.” Mae West

April 25th 9:00-4:00 Mindful Hike. We will take a moderate hike in silence in the foothills of Santa Fe, with breaks for dharma discussion and lunch. Sign up for hike at MCZC or contact Residency Coordinator: Fred Unterseher: 505 216 9765 or fred.unterseher@gmail.com

April 28th 6:30pm MCZC – Sit and Dharma Talk, Q & A
Topic: How We Choose to Be Happy.
“Mindfulness is beginning to encourage yourself not to be a walking battleground.” Pema Chodron
“Happiness depends on ourselves.” Aristotle