A TARA MANDALA VIRTUAL RETREAT - REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
In this course, Erik Jampa Andersson (author of the forthcoming book Unseen Beings, to be released by Hay House in Spring 2023) will guide participants through the vast and fascinating web of the more-than-human world. Throughout history, our perceptions and relationships with non-humans both seen and unseen have profoundly impacted what it means to be human. In the Buddhist tradition, these beings are identified not as supernatural forces of ultimate good and evil, but as other natural sentient beings seeking emancipation from suffering.
In this retreat, we will begin to break down our myopic human-centeredness to embrace a far more complex, vibrant, and enchanting universe, recognizing that it is only through cultivating right relationship with the beings around us that we can begin to turn towards authentic balance. At this important seasonal juncture, we will take the opportunity to not only turn inward but also outward, towards the many forms of life with whom we share this remarkable planet.
Guided by the teachings of acclaimed masters like Machig Labdrön (1055-1154) and Yuthok Yönten Gönpo (1126-1202), we will explore how Tibetan visionaries applied Buddhist ethics and philosophy to ancient paradigms of ecology, health, and spirit relations in the Himalayas. We’ll see how unseen beings, rather than being established as ‘gods’ or ‘demons’, are simply presented as other sentient beings with whom we need to maintain healthy and balanced relationships. Failure to do so, according to Tibetan Medicine, can lead to a wide range of medical and ecological consequences including outbreaks of infectious disease and compromised communal and mental health. These ancient insights are perhaps more relevant today than ever before, as humanity grapples with the power and consequences of widespread industry and environmental exploitation.
While many of the so-called ‘unseen beings’ to be discussed are conventionally ‘invisible’, many others are unseen only as a result of our biases and perceptual limitations. Responding to ground-breaking scientific research on non-animal intelligence, we will critically explore the apparent absence of plant and fungal sentience in Buddhist cosmology, and discuss the historical factors that may have influenced this omission. We’ll also see how animistic paradigms persisted against a backdrop of doctrinal silence in many Buddhist societies, including Tibet, and how these positions are bolstered by modern scientific research.
It’s only when we perceive the vast array of life around us as meaningfully alive that we can begin to move towards a more comprehensive, personal, and relational understanding of interdependence. To foster a deeper sense of relationship, we will explore the many available practices and rituals for establishing and maintaining benevolent relationships with the non-human world. These rituals, while often overlooked in the wake of ‘secular’ Buddhism, offer invaluable tools for contextualizing and responding to the ecological crises that face our planet.
This retreat is a highly special opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.
VIRTUAL RETREAT SCHEDULE
Listed times are the online portions of the retreat. All times are listed in US Mountain Time (with GMT in parenthesis). Please use this link to see how this daily schedule translates into your timezone.
Friday, December 16:
7:00am-8:00am MT: Opening Teachings (2-3pm GMT)
10:00am – 12:00pm MT: Teachings (5-7pm GMT)
1:00pm – 3:00pm MT: Teachings (8-10pm GMT)
4:00pm – 5:00pm MT: Practice/Activity (11pm-Midnight GMT)
Saturday, December 17
7:00am-8:00am MT: Teachings (2-3pm GMT)
10:00am – 12:00pm MT: Teachings (5-7pm GMT)
1:00pm – 3:00pm MT: Teachings (8-10pm GMT)
4:00pm – 5:00pm MT: Practice/Activity (11pm-Midnight GMT)
Sunday, December 18:
7:00am-8:00am MT: Teachings (2-3pm GMT)
10:00am – 12:00pm MT: Teachings (5-7pm GMT)
1:00pm – 3:00pm MT: Closing Session (8-10pm GMT)