Date(s) - May 30, 2020 - June 4, 2020
All Day
Awareness, Compassion, and Wisdom
Essential Teachings on the Joy of Living
With Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
St. Thomas University
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
This event has been postponed due to COVID-19 virus concerns. Communication will be sent to current registrants with instructions on refunds. We will soon be announcing a webpage on Tergar.org for ongoing updates and support for practitioners at this challenging time. Stay tuned!
Teachings are in English. Mandarin Chinese translation will be offered for Level 3 Teaching Track.
This retreat offers an opportunity to practice the Joy of Living teachings under Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s direct guidance. Rinpoche will share practical advice on using meditation to cultivate awareness, compassion, and wisdom, sharing insights from his own experience and illuminating key points on meditation practice.
There are two simultaneous Joy of Living teaching tracks offered this year. You will select the appropriate track when you register.
- Joy of Living Levels 1 and 2 teaching track is open to all meditators. It offers beginning meditators an opportunity to receive in-depth teachings on meditation practice. Experienced meditators can deepen their practice and understanding.
- Joy of Living Level 3 teaching track is for those who have already completed the teachings and practice requirements of the first two levels of the Joy of Living training. This track will be translated into Mandarin Chinese.
Meditation enables us to discover a lasting contentment that is not subject to the fluctuating conditions of our lives and to nurture the qualities of wisdom and compassion that naturally manifest from awareness itself. The Joy of Living is a secular path of meditation practice that was created by Mingyur Rinpoche. Though rooted in the ancient Buddhist teachings of Tibet, these practices are not religious in nature. They deal with basic functions of the mind, such as mindful awareness and the impulse to move toward happiness and away from suffering. In working with these qualities of mind, we gradually transform our relationship to present-moment experience, learning to approach our thoughts, feelings, and sensory experiences with unconditional warmth and acceptance.
In the basic track, Rinpoche will focus on the awareness and compassion teachings of the first two levels of Joy of Living training, Calming the Mind, and Opening the Heart. This track is open to all meditators, regardless of experience level or past training. In the added track, Rinpoche will go into more depth on the insight teachings of the third level of the Joy of Living, Awakening Wisdom. Anyone who has already completed the training and practice requirements for Joy of Living levels 1 and 2 may attend this teaching track.
Retreat Program
The daily schedule will include teaching sessions with Mingyur Rinpoche and Tergar instructors, as well as six to eight hours of meditation per day (practiced in twenty- to thirty- minute sessions). The retreat will also include periods of silence, group discussions, and opportunities to have individual interviews with Tergar lamas, instructors, and facilitators. We will also review Awareness Yoga, a series of simple physical exercises where we bring mind and body together.
About Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur Rinpoche is a much-loved and accomplished Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher with a rare ability to present the ancient wisdom of Tibet in a fresh, engaging manner. His New York Times bestselling book, The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness, has been translated into over twenty languages. Read more…
RETREAT DETAILS
Location:
The University of St. Thomas
2115 Summit Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55105
The University of St. Thomas is situated in Saint Paul about halfway between downtown Minneapolis and downtown Saint Paul, just a few blocks from the Mississippi River. The closest major airport is Minneapolis/Saint Paul International (MSP) – seven miles or a 20-minute taxi drive away.
Note on the retreat venue: Several community members have told us that holding the Tergar annual retreat at the University of St. Thomas creates a significant burden for many who identify as LGBTQ. This is due to opposition to same-sex marriages and other institutional practices of the Catholic Church, which oversees the University. Tergar is committed to creating a welcoming community for all. Tergar leadership is interested in pursuing ways to create a retreat container at the University of St. Thomas that actively supports our LGBTQ community members and others impacted. If you have any ideas that you would like to share, please email [email protected].
Schedule:
Check-in for retreat begins at 3:00 p.m. on May 30. Dinner is at 6:00 p.m., and the first teaching is at 7:30 p.m. The retreat will conclude by noon on June 4, with an optional lunch at noon. In order to attend the retreat, you will need to arrive no later than the opening day. It will not be possible to start your retreat later in the program.
Food:
Three vegetarian meals will be served each day in a cafeteria that also offers non-vegetarian food. While the kitchen at the University of St. Thomas is not able to cater to special dietary needs, vegan protein and gluten-free options will be available.
Precepts and Silence:
While attending the retreat, all participants are expected to abide by the Five Precepts for lay practitioners, which are to abstain from the following: killing, taking that which is not given, engaging in sexual activity, telling lies, and taking recreational intoxicants. We will maintain periods of silence throughout this retreat, the length of which will vary, so there will be less silence in the beginning and end of the retreat and a period of complete silence in the middle.
Program Fee for Commuters: $670 per person. We are not able to offer a rate without meals.
Program Fee with Accommodations: There are four different room options. All options include five (5) nights of accommodations. No accommodations are available pre- and post-event dates.
1. Program Fee $670 plus Single Room in Apartment @$340 = $1010 per person; Apartment with four single rooms with shared kitchen, living area and two shared bathrooms. Includes air-conditioning.
2. Program Fee $670 plus Single Dormitory Room @$210 = $880 per person; Traditional style dormitory rooms. Shared common rooms and bathrooms are located in each corridor. Does not include air conditioning.
3. Program Fee $670 plus Double Shared Room in Apartment @$265= $935 per person; Large room shared by two residents with private bathroom, microwave, and refrigerator. Many rooms include air conditioning.
4. Program Fee $670 plus Double Shared Dormitory Room @$160 = $830 per person; Traditional style dormitory rooms. Shared common rooms and bathrooms are located in each corridor. Does not include air conditioning. All shared dormitory rooms are single-gender only.
Payment Notes:
- Donations: We strive to offer programs like this one as broadly as we can, regardless of ability to pay. Please consider adding an additional donation during registration or at the event to help share these teachings with as many people as possible.
- Partial Payment: You will have the opportunity to choose to make a 50% deposit while registering with the remaining balance due by May 9. The deposit option will only be available up to 21 days prior to the program.
- Discount for those on a limited income: Tergar offers a 20% discount (less $134) off the program price for those on a limited income, such as seniors and students. Please use the discount code: FAJ2020 when registering.
- Requests for Financial Assistance of more than 20% off the program price: If your ability to pay makes it difficult to attend this program, we will make every effort to help. Please complete the financial aid form at this link. We will contact you within five business days to confirm and give you further registration instructions.
- Tergar Community Leadership Discount: If you would like to request a discount for leadership enrichment, please complete the request form here. A list of those eligible for the discount is included in the form. We will contact you within five business days to confirm and give you further registration instructions.
Cancellation Policy:
All cancellations up to April 18 will be charged a fee of $50. For any cancellations between April 18 and May 16 the fee is $250. After May 16, cancellations are subject to full penalty.
Please Note: If you meet the pre-requisites and are interested in attending Exploring the Nature of Mind programs that take place June 4-10 following the Awareness, Compassion, and Wisdom retreat, you must register separately here.
Contact:
If you have any questions about the retreat or registration, please contact us at:
[email protected].
This retreat has been cancelled.
Location
University of St. Thomas, St Paul MN, United States