Natural Bridge, VA 24578
Summer of Mindfulness
At Bodhi Path Natural Bridge
Led by Dharma Teachers Tsony and Kunkyab
June 15 to 25, 2013
Cultivating Mindfulness: On the path to awakening, awareness is a key factor. Through meditation one sharpens the capacity to remain one-pointedly in stillness. With this skill, the discovery of the innermost essence of mind is possible. There are many ways to cultivate mindfulness: sitting on the cushion, mindful walking, holding a calligraphy brush. In this retreat we will explore different methods in pursuit of the same goal: A calm, attentive mind capable of contemplating itself.
By means of calm abiding meditation and contemplative walking we begin to uncover the basic nature of mind. In doing so, our natural pure intelligence, or Buddha Nature, is revealed. Gradually awakening begins to dawn.
Through calligraphy we can see how the creative gesture is linked to one’s state of mind at the moment of creation. Using the Chinese brush and the Calam, or bamboo pen, we will study how breath gives life to art. No prior art training is necessary. All art supplies will be provided.
This 10-day retreat is an opportunity to experience the world more directly, and to connect more fully with the wondrous, creative nature of our mind. Join us for the simple, but profound exploration of mindfulness.
Limited to 30 participants, accepted on a first come, first served basis.
The Teachers: Dharma Teacher Tsony was a Buddhist monk for over 25 years, completing two traditional 3-year retreats under the guidance of the great meditation master Gendun Rinpoche. For 15 years he was the Abbot of Kundreul Ling Monastery in France where hundreds of Westerners have completed traditional 3-year retreats.
He has been teaching Buddhism and meditation practice at Bodhi Path centers under the spiritual guidance of Shamar Rinpoche since 1999. In 2007, after choosing to adopt the lifestyle of a lay Dharma teacher, he left the monastic community to concentrate on nurturing Bodhi Path activities in Europe and the US. Following Shamar Rinpoche's advice, he became the resident teacher at Bodhi Path Natural Bridge in 2009.
Dharma Teacher Kunkyab is an artist and Buddhist teacher of the Kagyu Lineage. A painter by training, Kunkyab holds a degree in fine arts, and taught art in secondary school. He became a disciple of Gendun Rinpoche and completed two traditional 3-year retreats under Rinpoche’s guidance. He has been teaching the Dharma in Europe since 1999.
Shamar Rinpoche has expressed repeatedly his wish that Dharma art be established in the West and sourced directly from the Karma Gadri School (the tradition of the Karma Kagyu). Dharma Teacher Kunkyab has been studying Tibetan art since 1987 while assisting the master painter Denzhong Norbu during the 12 years it took to complete the intricate tangkas, frescoes and mandalas of Kundreul Ling temple in France. He currently co-directs the sacred Buddhist art workshops of the Gadri project.
Schedule: Retreat begins Saturday, June 15, with an introductory talk from 5 to 6:30 pm. It continues daily from 9 am to 5 pm through Tuesday, June 25, concluding with a mid day picnic celebration.
Lunch is provided throughout.
Location: Bodhi Path Natural Bridge, located eight miles south of Lexington, Virginia, at the south end of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Address: 12 Bodhi Path, Natural Bridge, VA, 24578.
Accommodations: For out of town participants, there are limited on-site, shared housing options filled on a first come, first served basis. Cost for on-site housing: Two week stay, $35 per night shared room. One week stay, $40 per night shared room. For details about these and other accommodation options please write to Wendelin at: housingva@bodhipath.org.
Hotel/motels: South River Highlands, 540-463-2593. innkeepers@southriverhighlands.com. Lovely rustic cabins, dorm spaces and private rooms (approximately $45 and $85 per night, respectively; please call for quote). 15 miles from center, car necessary. Mention Bodhi Path.
Budget Inn Natural Bridge, 540-291-2896. A modest motel, 1+ mile from the center. Ranging from $59.95-$69.99 for the “nothing fancy” crowd. Mention Bodhi Path.
Natural Bridge of Virginia Hotel, 800-533-1410. 5 miles from center.
For other accommodations 10+ miles from the center, please visit the Lexington Visitors Center’s website at www.lexingtonvirginia.com.
Camping: Natural Bridge KOA. 540-291-2770. RV hook-ups, small cabins, tents. 2 miles from the center.
Transportation: The closest airport is in Roanoke, VA, 45 miles from the center. Car rental available at airport.
Limo Service available from: Roanoke Airport Transportation Service, 540-345-7710, and Prestige Limousine, Inc., 540-342-8049. Price depends on number of people traveling together. Call for pricing. Make arrangements early to insure availability.
Lynchburg, Virginia, is a regional airport about one and a half hours from the center. This airport is often cheapest for those flying from the west. You will need a rental car from this airport.
Washington DC airports, Dulles International or Reagan International, about 200 and 210 miles respectively. You will need a rental car if you fly into either of these airports.
Baltimore International Airport, about 240 miles from the center. You will need a rental car if you fly into this airport.
*Suggested Donation:
$450 (Housing additional)
$400 if registration and payment received by May 1, 2013 (Housing additional) $
**$50 per day (Housing additional)
*Events at Bodhi Path are open to everyone. Lack of means to make a contribution is never a reason to stay away.
**Please note: If you are only able to attend part of the program, please attend the first few days so as not to interrupt the cohesiveness of the program mid way.
Reservation and payment deadline: Advanced registration must be made, along with full payment, by June 1. You may register on line with a credit card at http://www.bodhipath.org/naturalbridge/, or mail a check payable to Bodhi Path along with Registration Form (see below) to: Bodhi Path Buddhist Center, 12 Bodhi Path, Natural Bridge, VA 24578.
Please reserve early to help our planning.
Prior to June 1, your total program fee, minus a $40 per person registration fee, will be refunded upon cancellation. After June 10, no refunds will be made.
Please note: Your registration will not be complete until you receive our confirmation that we have received your payment.
Bodhi Path is an international organization founded by the 14th Shamar Rinpoche. Teachers provide meditation and philosophy instruction and guidance to learn and practice Buddhism.
Summer of Mindfulness
At Bodhi Path Natural Bridge
Led by Dharma Teachers Tsony and Kunkyab
June 15 to 25, 2013
Cultivating Mindfulness: On the path to awakening, awareness is a key factor. Through meditation one sharpens the capacity to remain one-pointedly in stillness. With this skill, the discovery of the innermost essence of mind is possible. There are many ways to cultivate mindfulness: sitting on the cushion, mindful walking, holding a calligraphy brush. In this retreat we will explore different methods in pursuit of the same goal: A calm, attentive mind capable of contemplating itself.
By means of calm abiding meditation and contemplative walking we begin to uncover the basic nature of mind. In doing so, our natural pure intelligence, or Buddha Nature, is revealed. Gradually awakening begins to dawn.
Through calligraphy we can see how the creative gesture is linked to one’s state of mind at the moment of creation. Using the Chinese brush and the Calam, or bamboo pen, we will study how breath gives life to art. No prior art training is necessary. All art supplies will be provided.
This 10-day retreat is an opportunity to experience the world more directly, and to connect more fully with the wondrous, creative nature of our mind. Join us for the simple, but profound exploration of mindfulness.
Limited to 30 participants, accepted on a first come, first served basis.
The Teachers: Dharma Teacher Tsony was a Buddhist monk for over 25 years, completing two traditional 3-year retreats under the guidance of the great meditation master Gendun Rinpoche. For 15 years he was the Abbot of Kundreul Ling Monastery in France where hundreds of Westerners have completed traditional 3-year retreats.
He has been teaching Buddhism and meditation practice at Bodhi Path centers under the spiritual guidance of Shamar Rinpoche since 1999. In 2007, after choosing to adopt the lifestyle of a lay Dharma teacher, he left the monastic community to concentrate on nurturing Bodhi Path activities in Europe and the US. Following Shamar Rinpoche's advice, he became the resident teacher at Bodhi Path Natural Bridge in 2009.
Dharma Teacher Kunkyab is an artist and Buddhist teacher of the Kagyu Lineage. A painter by training, Kunkyab holds a degree in fine arts, and taught art in secondary school. He became a disciple of Gendun Rinpoche and completed two traditional 3-year retreats under Rinpoche’s guidance. He has been teaching the Dharma in Europe since 1999.
Shamar Rinpoche has expressed repeatedly his wish that Dharma art be established in the West and sourced directly from the Karma Gadri School (the tradition of the Karma Kagyu). Dharma Teacher Kunkyab has been studying Tibetan art since 1987 while assisting the master painter Denzhong Norbu during the 12 years it took to complete the intricate tangkas, frescoes and mandalas of Kundreul Ling temple in France. He currently co-directs the sacred Buddhist art workshops of the Gadri project.
Schedule: Retreat begins Saturday, June 15, with an introductory talk from 5 to 6:30 pm. It continues daily from 9 am to 5 pm through Tuesday, June 25, concluding with a mid day picnic celebration.
Lunch is provided throughout.
Location: Bodhi Path Natural Bridge, located eight miles south of Lexington, Virginia, at the south end of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Address: 12 Bodhi Path, Natural Bridge, VA, 24578.
Accommodations: For out of town participants, there are limited on-site, shared housing options filled on a first come, first served basis. Cost for on-site housing: Two week stay, $35 per night shared room. One week stay, $40 per night shared room. For details about these and other accommodation options please write to Wendelin at: housingva@bodhipath.org.
Hotel/motels: South River Highlands, 540-463-2593. innkeepers@southriverhighlands.com. Lovely rustic cabins, dorm spaces and private rooms (approximately $45 and $85 per night, respectively; please call for quote). 15 miles from center, car necessary. Mention Bodhi Path.
Budget Inn Natural Bridge, 540-291-2896. A modest motel, 1+ mile from the center. Ranging from $59.95-$69.99 for the “nothing fancy” crowd. Mention Bodhi Path.
Natural Bridge of Virginia Hotel, 800-533-1410. 5 miles from center.
For other accommodations 10+ miles from the center, please visit the Lexington Visitors Center’s website at www.lexingtonvirginia.com.
Camping: Natural Bridge KOA. 540-291-2770. RV hook-ups, small cabins, tents. 2 miles from the center.
Transportation: The closest airport is in Roanoke, VA, 45 miles from the center. Car rental available at airport.
Limo Service available from: Roanoke Airport Transportation Service, 540-345-7710, and Prestige Limousine, Inc., 540-342-8049. Price depends on number of people traveling together. Call for pricing. Make arrangements early to insure availability.
Lynchburg, Virginia, is a regional airport about one and a half hours from the center. This airport is often cheapest for those flying from the west. You will need a rental car from this airport.
Washington DC airports, Dulles International or Reagan International, about 200 and 210 miles respectively. You will need a rental car if you fly into either of these airports.
Baltimore International Airport, about 240 miles from the center. You will need a rental car if you fly into this airport.
*Suggested Donation:
$450 (Housing additional)
$400 if registration and payment received by May 1, 2013 (Housing additional) $
**$50 per day (Housing additional)
*Events at Bodhi Path are open to everyone. Lack of means to make a contribution is never a reason to stay away.
**Please note: If you are only able to attend part of the program, please attend the first few days so as not to interrupt the cohesiveness of the program mid way.
Reservation and payment deadline: Advanced registration must be made, along with full payment, by June 1. You may register on line with a credit card at http://www.bodhipath.org/naturalbridge/, or mail a check payable to Bodhi Path along with Registration Form (see below) to: Bodhi Path Buddhist Center, 12 Bodhi Path, Natural Bridge, VA 24578.
Please reserve early to help our planning.
Prior to June 1, your total program fee, minus a $40 per person registration fee, will be refunded upon cancellation. After June 10, no refunds will be made.
Please note: Your registration will not be complete until you receive our confirmation that we have received your payment.