Discovering Buddhism: Transforming Problems

Learn the disadvantages of self-cherishing and the advantages of cherishing others. Learn to employ the special techniques of mind training (lojong) to transform problems into happiness. WHEN: 4 Thursdays, July 7–28, 6:30 - 9.00 pm (CET – Zurich) WHERE: Online LEVEL: Beginner to Advanced REGISTRATION: REGISTER HERE A radical approach to the achievement of bodhichitta is to learn to greet problems with a happy mind. For the brave practitioner, this is the quickest method to eliminatethe obstacles to our development: our delusions. The various practices known in Tibetan as lojong, mind transformation, are studied in this module. Schedule 6:30 pm Meditation 6:50 pm Break 7:00 pm Teaching by Ven. Robina 8:30 pm Discussions 8.50 pm Conclusion & Dedication 9.00 pm End Discovering Buddhism is an FPMT study program aimed at giving Buddhist and non-Buddhist students a solid footing in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. The program is not meant to be an academic study of Buddhism, it is meant to change our daily lives through experiential training in meditation and thought transformation. About the Teacher Ven. Robina Courtin, Australian-born, has a powerhouse personality and has been a Buddhist nun for nearly 40 years. Well known for her work with people in prisons, Ven. Robina’s life and work is the subject of the award-winning documentary ‘Chasing Buddha‘. She teaches full time around the world at the centers of her teachers’ organization, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Read more PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: You would make us very happy by supporting us with a donation. Suggested donation is 0 – 30 CHF. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate online (via Paypal, Twint or E-Banking). Language: English. Level: Beginner to Advanced. Registration: REGISTER HERE

Retreat Day (onsite only)

Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, Switzerland

Our monthly meditation retreat day at Lhagsam WHEN: Saturday August 13th, 10.30 - 16.00 WHERE: Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation LEVEL: All levels, beginners welcome If you would like to join, please send an email to info@lhagsam.ch "Meditation gives us breathing space in the mind; it gives us the space to experience. Normally our lives are so cluttered that we don't even have breathing space. But meditation gives us the breathing spaceso that things can arise, so that understanding anc experience can come up. Normally we are so busythat they can't surace, because there is no room...meditation is about coming back to our silent inner spaciuousness" Tenzin Palmo How about giving yourself the gift of withdrawing from this busy world for a day?  Turn off your phone, be in silence, settle your mind and look inwardly instead of following your senses to the external world. We will come together for a day of meditation. For anyone not being able to commit for the whole day, you can join half a day.  It is okay to leave or join during lunch break between 13:00 - 14:00, but please do so quietly, as we will be in silence. Beginners are encouraged to join the morning session at 10:30 AM as there would be more guidance in the morning and we will reduce interactions as we move deeper into the retreat. Schedule - 10:30 - 13:00 Setting Motivation, Shamatha Meditation - 13:00 - 14:00 lunch break - 14:00 - 16:00  Meditation, Dedication PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: Suggested donation is 30-50 CHF for the full day.  No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate upon arrival or online (via Paypal, Twint or E-Banking). Language: English Level: No prior knowledge required Registration: We will meet at our location in Zurich. If you...

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Secular Mindfulness: An Experiential Intro

Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, Switzerland

Get to know some fundamental principles of secular mindfulness meditation when our center is visited onsite by Lea Boesch and Manuel Oswald, who are both MMTCP students of acclaimed meditation teachers Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. WHEN: Saturday August 21, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm CET WHERE: Onsite and online LEVEL: Open for everyone.  This introduction is suitable for anyone interested in a secular approach to meditation and mindfulness. Join the Zoom meeting here. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82874557044?pwd=bXpoeFNXUDFpVHR2NFY0d0VjOHE0QT09 Meeting ID: 828 7455 7044 Passcode: 081188 Learn how to cultivate an embodied and compassionate presence and a relaxed attention in your meditation practice. The guided meditations will be accompanied by informative explanations and time for questions, including for those attending with Zoom. PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: Suggested donation is 0 - 20 CHF. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate online (via Paypal, Twint or E-Banking). Language: English Level: Open for everyone. This is meant as a basic introduction.

Retreat Day (onsite only)

Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, Switzerland

Our monthly meditation retreat day at Lhagsam WHEN: Sunday September 11th, 10.30 - 16.00 WHERE: Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation LEVEL: All levels, beginners welcome If you would like to join, please send an email to info@lhagsam.ch "Meditation gives us breathing space in the mind; it gives us the space to experience. Normally our lives are so cluttered that we don't even have breathing space. But meditation gives us the breathing spaceso that things can arise, so that understanding anc experience can come up. Normally we are so busythat they can't surace, because there is no room...meditation is about coming back to our silent inner spaciuousness" Tenzin Palmo How about giving yourself the gift of withdrawing from this busy world for a day?  Turn off your phone, be in silence, settle your mind and look inwardly instead of following your senses to the external world. We will come together for a day of meditation. For anyone not being able to commit for the whole day, you can join half a day.  It is okay to leave or join during lunch break between 13:00 - 14:00, but please do so quietly, as we will be in silence. Beginners are encouraged to join the morning session at 10:30 AM as there would be more guidance in the morning and we will reduce interactions as we move deeper into the retreat. Schedule - 10:30 - 13:00 Setting Motivation, Shamatha Meditation - 13:00 - 14:00 lunch break - 14:00 - 16:00  Meditation, Dedication PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: Suggested donation is 30-50 CHF for the full day.  No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate upon arrival or online (via Paypal, Twint or E-Banking). Language: English Level: No prior knowledge required Registration: We will meet at our location in Zurich. If you...

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Shamatha Guided Meditation (Online)

Today's Shamatha practice will be a self-practice session. There will be no facilitator! But you are welcome to log in and and practice with the group. WHEN: Mondays, 7 - 8 pm CET WHERE: Online LEVEL: All levels, beginners welcome The practice is always offered online via zoom without registration. Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/910346209?pwd=ajRQQlk5NTM1aHJlZ2Z0UGtnUy9BQT09 Meeting ID: 910 346 209Password: 068950 When you achieve shamatha one result is incredible mental pliancy. Your mind follows your wishes and focuses wherever you like for as long as you like. - Geshe Lhundup Sopa Shamatha means ‘to abide in peace’. It is the practice of tranquillity or stabilizing meditation. Shamatha meditation helps us cultivate the skills needed to develop a focused calm mind. With shamatha as foundation, one then proceeds to analytical meditation to gain profound insight into emptiness. Please join us on Monday evenings for an hour of shamatha meditation. The sessions are suitable for everyone – beginners and advanced practitioners. We will use different objects to cultivate our attention skills, such as mindfulness of breathing, mindfulness of the body, shamatha without an object. We will also practice the skills to cultivate awareness of our own awareness. We warmly invite everyone to join. Meditating in a group gives support to each other as a sangha, and keeps this practice alive. If you are entirely new to this practice, please feel free to contact us. PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: Suggested donation is 0 - 20 CHF. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate online (via Paypal, Twint or E-Banking). Language: English Level: No prior knowledge required.  

Discovering Buddhism: Introduction to Tantra

Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, Switzerland

Join us for the last teaching of our Discovering Buddhism program! WHEN: 4 Thursdays, September 1–22, 6:30 - 9.00 pm (CET – Zurich) WHERE: Online and onsite LEVEL: Beginner to Advanced REGISTRATION: REGISTER HERE The most advanced level of practice is taught in the Vajrayana system of Mahayana Buddhism, the expertise of all great Tibetan masters. These techniques are said to hasten immeasurably the goal of buddhahood. What drives the bodhisattva to enter into the practice of tantra is their immense compassion for the suffering of all beings. Students get a broad overview of the four classes of tantra and learn to practice simple Kriya tantric methods. They learn to integrate tantra with lam-rim meditation for optimal results. Schedule 6:30 pm Meditation 6:50 pm Break 7:00 pm Teaching by Ven. Robina 8:30 pm Discussions 8.50 pm Conclusion & Dedication 9.00 pm End Discovering Buddhism is an FPMT study program aimed at giving Buddhist and non-Buddhist students a solid footing in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. The program is not meant to be an academic study of Buddhism, it is meant to change our daily lives through experiential training in meditation and thought transformation. About the Teacher Ven. Robina Courtin, Australian-born, has a powerhouse personality and has been a Buddhist nun for nearly 40 years. Well known for her work with people in prisons, Ven. Robina’s life and work is the subject of the award-winning documentary ‘Chasing Buddha‘. She teaches full time around the world at the centers of her teachers’ organization, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Read more PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: You would make us very happy by supporting us with a donation. Suggested donation is 0 – 30 CHF. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate online (via...

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The Heart Sutra Explained – Geshe Sherab (Online)

Get a deeper understanding of “The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra” when Geshe Sherab explains this fundamental Mahayana sutra in details. WHEN: Wednesdays, October 5, 12, 19, 7.00 - 9.00 pm CET WHERE: Online LEVEL: Intermediate. Some basic understanding of Mahayana Buddhism is of benefit. Beginners are welcome as well! Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82561889757?pwd=eHBGcWFsWHRSc1lGVDVjZDNwekNSdz09 Meeting ID: 825 6188 9757 Passcode: 314389 During the first three Wednesdays in October, Geshe-la will give us a detailed introduction to the Heart Sutra and help us understand how to implement the text into our daily practice. Please notice that the event starts at 7 pm CET with preliminaries, led by a Lhagsam facilitator, and Geshe-la ticks in at 7.30. We’ll chant the Heart Sutra in English and meditate on emptiness, so we can be prepared for Geshe-la to arrive. The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (the Heart Sutra) is perhaps the most widely known sutra of the Mahayana tradition and is often recited daily by practitioners all over the world, particularly before receiving Dharma teachings. Part of the Prajnaparamita Sutras, the Heart Sutra is a condensed presentation of the wisdom of emptiness as revealed by Avalokiteshvara (known as Chenrezig in Tibetan) on Vulture’s Peak in Rajgir, India, to Shariputra, one of the Buddha’s main disciples, based on the Buddha’s own power. Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained that the only thing that can directly cut ignorance, which is the root of suffering and samsara, is wisdom realizing emptiness. There are many teachings on emptiness, but all these teachings are found condensed in the Heart Sutra. Download the Heart Sutra here Just hearing the Heart Sutra, or reading it, leaves a positive imprint to be free of samsara and to actualize the path, achieving enlightenment to free numberless sentient beings from oceans...

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The Heart Sutra Explained – Geshe Sherab (Online)

Get a deeper understanding of “The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra” when Geshe Sherab explains this fundamental Mahayana sutra in details. WHEN: Wednesdays, October 5, 12, 19, 7.00 - 9.00 pm CET WHERE: Online LEVEL: Intermediate. Some basic understanding of Mahayana Buddhism is of benefit. Beginners are welcome as well! Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82561889757?pwd=eHBGcWFsWHRSc1lGVDVjZDNwekNSdz09 Meeting ID: 825 6188 9757 Passcode: 314389 During the first three Wednesdays in October, Geshe-la will give us a detailed introduction to the Heart Sutra and help us understand how to implement the text into our daily practice. Please notice that the event starts at 7 pm CET with preliminaries, led by a Lhagsam facilitator, and Geshe-la ticks in at 7.30. We’ll chant the Heart Sutra in English and meditate on emptiness, so we can be prepared for Geshe-la to arrive. The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (the Heart Sutra) is perhaps the most widely known sutra of the Mahayana tradition and is often recited daily by practitioners all over the world, particularly before receiving Dharma teachings. Part of the Prajnaparamita Sutras, the Heart Sutra is a condensed presentation of the wisdom of emptiness as revealed by Avalokiteshvara (known as Chenrezig in Tibetan) on Vulture’s Peak in Rajgir, India, to Shariputra, one of the Buddha’s main disciples, based on the Buddha’s own power. Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained that the only thing that can directly cut ignorance, which is the root of suffering and samsara, is wisdom realizing emptiness. There are many teachings on emptiness, but all these teachings are found condensed in the Heart Sutra. Download the Heart Sutra here Just hearing the Heart Sutra, or reading it, leaves a positive imprint to be free of samsara and to actualize the path, achieving enlightenment to free numberless sentient beings from oceans...

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Retreat Day (onsite only)

Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, Switzerland

Our monthly meditation retreat day at Lhagsam WHEN: Saturday October 15th, 13.30 - 16.30 WHERE: Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation LEVEL: All levels, beginners welcome If you would like to join, please send an email to info@lhagsam.ch (until Friday night) "Meditation gives us breathing space in the mind; it gives us the space to experience. Normally our lives are so cluttered that we don't even have breathing space. But meditation gives us the breathing spaceso that things can arise, so that understanding anc experience can come up. Normally we are so busythat they can't surace, because there is no room...meditation is about coming back to our silent inner spaciuousness" Tenzin Palmo How about giving yourself the gift of withdrawing from this busy world for a day?  Turn off your phone, be in silence, settle your mind and look inwardly instead of following your senses to the external world. We will come together for an afternoon of meditation. Please note: For once the retreat day is only in the afternoon, a full day will be offered again in November. Schedule - 13:30 - 15:00 Setting Motivation, Shamatha Meditation (with guidance) - 15:00 - 15:15 tea break - 15:15 - 16:00  Silent Meditation, Dedication PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: Suggested donation is 20-30 CHF .  No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate upon arrival or online (via Paypal, Twint or E-Banking). Language: English Level: No prior knowledge required Registration: We will meet at our location in Zurich. If you would like to join, please send an email to info@lhagsam.ch