Meditating With Longchenpa
1st Cycle: Nov 2023 thru Mar 2025
2nd Cycle: Beginning April 1, 2025 on Tuesdays
Two sessions to choose from: 10:30-11:30 a.m. ~OR~ 5:00-6:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Based on a very slow reading of Longchenpa’s Choying Dzod, interspersed with meditation, this weekly Zoom series was so well received, participants requested a second cycle. To avoid a discursive framework, we do not discuss the text or our meditation experiences. To join the 2nd series, get in touch with Diane to apply. Prerequisite: Dzogchen or Mahamudra meditation experience and having received relevant teachings from a qualified lama.
The Precious Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena, Padma Publishing.
Read comments from some of the participants:
· I have been attending the Choying Dzod sessions for over a year and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to deepen their connection to Dzogchen practice and to Longchenpa’s beautiful, profound text. —BN
· I’ve really enjoyed and benefited from practicing with Diane and how she presents Longchenpa’s teachings. The gaps between the stanzas allow the space to relax in a nonconceptual way. —WB
· Diane’s reading of Longchenpa’s stanzas brings his ancient wisdom immediately into the present. She has such presence that the stanzas come alive. Each week for me the process is like falling through space. The words leave the mind with no resting place—not the breath, not what you see across the Zoom screen, not the thoughts that wander in and out. You let go, let go and let go. With nothing to hold onto, the words leave you parachuting through space. The good news is not just that there is no crash landing, but also you discover that you are the space itself. —CS
· Often, when I read a Buddhist text, my Western mind gets tied into intellectual knots trying to make sense of it. In this group, where the words are read to us with love and great care, I can relax, close my eyes, and let the words wash over and fill me without the obstacles of my own mind. For that moment, it all seems just simple and true. Such a relief. —TD
· I look forward to these weekly periods of relaxing deeply and peering into the mystery of “enlightenment.” —BD
· This “class” has been a marvelous extended meditative/contemplative experience, with the text as the occasion for the meditation. It is not about analysis or interpretation; rather, about being with the words in an intentional way. Diane’s voice is just right for inducing the mental state required; her cadence, pace, intonation and emphasis promote the entry into meditation. I recommend this course. It’s worth your while. —PH
· I’ve experienced a magical mystery tour through Longchenpa’s book. Listening to a clear voice reading, then meditating, has been a very rich experience. —RY
· I have enjoyed and benefited from Diane’s organizing and guidance by reading to us the Choying Dzod, while simultaneously, quietly practicing Longchen Rabjam’s pith instructions—a very expansive and freeing place to be. Also, this has been a friendly, welcoming group of experienced Vajrayana practitioners. —GR
· Listening to this offering of Longchenpa’s Choying Dzod for the past year has been a heart-opening experience. Realizing the wisdom and power of this extraordinary book is precious. —CN
PAST EVENTS:
How To Do a Solo Retreat
PAST EVENT
Denmark, Weekend Retreat, May 12-15, 2023
A Year To Live
PAST EVENT
One-year program, September 2021 – August 2022
Based on Stephen Levine’s book
Readying for one’s own death on spiritual and psyche levels,
with Levine’s book and Buddhism as the platform.
Including practical preparations.
Weekly, via Zoom
Class full
37 Meditations of a Bodhisattva
PAST EVENT
September 10, 2020 – June 2021
The Relaxed Mind
7 Meditations • 7 Months
PAST EVENT
Thursday Evenings
January 2 thru July 30, 2020
Via ZOOM
The Relaxed Mind:
A Four-Month Course in
Seven Buddhist Meditations
PAST EVENT
September 5 through December 19, 2019
University Friends Center Library, Seattle
Buddhism: Selected Topics
October 3, 10, 17:
The Relaxed Mind Meditation 2018-2019
PAST EVENT
Wednesday Evenings, Last class September 28, 2019
7 – 8 PM
University Heights
5031 University Way NE, Room 207, Seattle
37 Practices of a Bodhisattva
7 – 8:30 pm
and will be ongoing for a period of months
Ken McLeod’s translations of and commentaries are on the classic 37 verses of advice on expanding one’s compassionate core. His reflections on this centuries-old Tibetan text bring it to life for western hearts and minds.
The Relaxed Mind Meditation
PAST EVENT
Monday Evenings
7 – 8:30 PM
This group meditation in the Maple Leaf neighborhood is practicing with Heart-Mind Meditation, the 5th meditation in the series, begun November 2018, continuing for a several months. Please inquire if you are interested in joining us.
1. Tibetan Buddhism in the Scheme of Things
October 23 @7 PM
PAST EVENT
~ Tibetan Buddhism, or Vajrayana, in the world and in history
~ The Four Schools of Tibetan Buddhism
~ Overview of the Three Vehicles according to Tibetan Buddhism
2. The Meaning of Taking Refuge
October 30 @7 PM
When one becomes a Buddhist one steps through a door, entering the same path as Shakyamuni, the Bodhisattvas, and the enlightened teachers of the last 2500 years. We will explore and discuss levels of understanding of Refuge, in the context of Tibetan Buddhism.
3. Deities in Non-theistic Vajrayana
November 6 @7 PM
Buddhists don’t believe in God, or a god, or gods. So what are all these deities doing hanging around? Find out the purpose of the rich and mystical iconography of Tibetan Buddhism, and how it fits into the “path of skillful means.”
Location: Central Area of Seattle
Suggested donation: $15/class or $30 for a series of three (no one turned away)
Tonglen PAST EVENT
the Compassion Practice of Giving and Receiving
Prompted by the pervasive expressions of suffering at this time, and the wish to alleviate that pain, comes this offering of a class in Tonglen, taught by Buddhist teacher Diane Berger.
Imagine it as a tool in your back pocket–there it is when the need arises around you, or in the world, or for yourself–this powerful Tibetan form of prayer and healing is transformation & compassion at its core.
Suggested donation: $35 for the course, or $10/session
Teachings in Copenhagen
April 21, 2018 Saturday PAST EVENT
A Day of 7 Meditations with Diane Berger
Join us for the refreshment of meditation as put forth in The Relaxed Mind by Tibetan lama Kilung Rinpoche. Diane will present this progressive series of seven meditations, including guided sessions throughout the day.
April 22, 2018 Sunday
After Long Retreat, A Talk
What is it like to withdraw from society for years? Why make this rather extreme journey? What is required? What does one find? Diane Berger will give a talk about her two solo retreats, iconic in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. But she found that some creativity was required to make it work in the Western context. Under the guidance of her teacher, Kilung Rinpoche, Diane completed her second retreat in 2016, and is now enjoying sharing this story, and the Buddhadharma with others.
How to Create a Personal Retreat
Diane Berger will seed ideas about how to set up a personal retreat. This session is not aimed at the long, traditional Tibetan Buddhist three-year variety, but for short-term retreats with which to enhance your Buddhist practice. Perhaps it’s to carve away some quiet meditation time in a busy life; or to accomplish a specific practice; or to create a cycle of retreat as a life-changing element—we will explore a variety of ways to open the door to your own retreat.
Intro to Meditation: Tibetan Shamatha Class PAST EVENT
February 15, 2018, Thursday
7 – 9 PM
East West Bookshop, 6407 12th Ave NE, Roosevelt Square, SEATTLE
$15
We’ll cover the first two meditations from Kilung Rinpoche’s book, The Relaxed Mind. The first is introducing the body to meditation, practicing an awareness of our physicality as a foundation for what’s to come. The second is the classic Shamatha, Calm Abiding Meditation, where we train the mind for tranquility by using the breath or an inspiring object.
An essential meditation in Tibetan Buddhism and many other traditions, this two-hour class will get you going.
Intro to Meditation, Tibetan Shamatha Class PAST EVENT
November 25, Saturday 2017
10 AM – 12:30 PM
VASHON ISLAND, walking distance from the ferry dock
Suggested Donation: $15 (sliding scale)
We’ll cover the first two meditations from Kilung Rinpoche’s book, The Relaxed Mind. The first is introducing the body to meditation, practicing an awareness of our physicality as a foundation for what’s to come. The second is the classic Shamatha, Calm Abiding Meditation, where we train the mind for tranquility by using the breath or an inspiring object.
Space is very limited, so please send me a message via this website to pre-register. At that point I’ll send the address, a private residence on the beach. We’ll have a potluck after for those who would like to stay a bit.
Intro to Meditation, Tibetan Shamatha Class PAST EVENT
November 6, Monday 2017
7 – 9 PM
Maple Leaf Neighborhood, SEATTLE
Suggested Donation: $15 (sliding scale)
We’ll cover the first two meditations from Kilung Rinpoche’s book, The Relaxed Mind. The first is introducing the body to meditation, practicing an awareness of our physicality as a foundation for what’s to come. The second is the classic Shamatha, Calm Abiding Meditation, where we train the mind for tranquility by using the breath or an inspiring object.
The Relaxed Mind Meditation SERIES — East West Bookshop PAST EVENT
6 Tuesdays in Fall 2017
7 – 8:30 PM
September 5 – October 10, 2017
East West Bookshop
6407 12th Ave NE, Seattle
The Relaxed Mind Meditation SERIES PAST EVENT
7 Summer Thursdays 2017
7 – 8:30 PM
June 29 – August 10, 2017
East West Bookshop
6407 12th Ave NE, Seattle
Awaken in the Present Moment 