This online retreat presents a full set of teachings for Mahamudra meditation integrated with the STAGES model. 

The practice of Mahamudra meditation, or Royal Seal, originated in Northern India with the great mahasiddha Saraha. From Saraha, the practice expanded into several lineages that grew to include 84 wandering masters. These masters of Mahamudra were said to sing their students into enlightenment. From India, the Mahamudra teachings were transmitted into Tibet and from Tibet into the rest of the world.

Using the body as a gateway, in this retreat, students will first learn the stages of tranquility through deep concentration practice. Students will then use this foundation of concentration to develop deeper insight into the nature of experience through emptiness practice. The retreat will culminate in the practice of extraordinary insight, where students will be given instructions to recognize the true nature of awareness as vast, non-dual, and unconditionally loving.

This course is built upon the stages of learning theory. For each meditation, students will receive guided instructions, put the instructions into practice, and will then share their experience and receive feedback. This method ensures the student’s practice stays on track. Teaching in this style allows for a quick progression through the sequential stages of the meditative path in a highly condensed manner.

Over the course of this 6-day program students will:

◦ Receive detailed instructions about the stages of the meditation path, including a detailed map of the four yogas of Mahamudra.

◦ Learn how various stages of emptiness practice correspond to developmental requirements for stages of structural development.

◦ Learn the basic tools of concentration, which can be applied to everyday tasks as well as formal meditation practice.

◦ Gain insight into how to work with difficult thoughts and emotions through seeing their true nature.

◦ Learn how to access a wide-open awareness where everyone and everything is deeply interconnected.

◦ Discover tools to integrate your learnings/meditation into everyday life for both your own benefit and the benefit of others.

COURSE SCHEDULE

This six-day course begins on Tuesday, October 10, and ends on Sunday, October 15. 

MORNING SESSION: 10-12 MT (9-11 am PT

AFTERNOON SESSION: 1-3 MT (12-2 pm PT)

EVENING SESSION: 4-6 MT (3-5 pm PT)

Attendance at every session is required, as each session builds upon the previous one.

Advanced Teachings:

This retreat is the introductory level of a series of teachings on Mahamudra and Dzogchen. 

Mahamudra describes enlightenment as it progresses through three phases: ground, path, and fruition. These three phases of spiritual development encapsulate the entire spiritual path beginning with ordinary awareness and ending in full enlightenment.

Ground Mahamudra is recognizing your true nature. Your true nature is clear, open, center-less, edgeless self-illuminating awareness. A wide open, empty sky of loving awareness.  Like a crystal clear autumn sky full of sunlight and warmth. This stage of practice is often referred to as awakening and is the focus of this introductory retreat.

Path Mahamudra is the continual uninterrupted remembrance of that true nature. This stage of practice stabilizes the awakening so that it never goes away. 

Fruition Mahamudra is the full purification of all confusion and the flourishing of everything good. This manifests directly in experience as Enlightened activity as a buddha. This stage of practice results in full Enlightenment.

Developmental Teachings: The trajectory of state practice aligns with the trajectory of development. Exploration and alignment of the developmental perspectives can show how the relative aspect of the path changes with the trajectory of developmental perspectives. This connection will be described along the way during the retreat.