The journey starts by coming face to face with the unruly and unsettled nature of our mind that jumps from one experience to another causing us all manner of stress and confusion. We all know what it is like to be tossed and turned by the ups and downs of life, feeling agitated and reactive, whilst lacking a firm anchor of stability within – like a rudderless vessel adrift in the wild and windy sea.

In the Level One: Being Present module of the mindfulness training we teach you how gradually to gain mastery over your attention whilst also learning to accept your changing states of mind and body. It is very empowering when you realise that you can choose the emotions, thought patterns and beliefs you want to nurture within you, and you can craft the life you want to live. There is also a balance between sitting meditation practice and learning how to consciously bring mindfulness into daily life.

The Level Two: Responding with Compassion training builds on the practice of acceptance by offering important skills for learning to face and befriend our inner tormentor, the self-critic, whilst also learning to take care of the vulnerable feelings within that it is trying so hard to protect. This is the birth of self-compassion – learning to become our own best friend – that is so important for so many people. This matures into a genuine, lasting compassion for other people, animals and the environment using the Buddhist model of the 4 Limitless Qualities: loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. This includes the practice of tonglen – taking and sending – which is a powerful method for transforming difficult feelings into the healing energy of compassion.

The Level Three Insight module (Seeing Deeply) builds on the compassion training and goes deeper by uncovering and transforming the powerful habit patterns that rule our lives. Many of these habits operate unseen within us at a subliminal level of mind. A key principle of this module is ‘the seeing is the doing’. When we recognise unhelpful patterns within us, the simple act of seeing them clearly is itself the beginning of becoming free of them. We also learn to tame our strong negative emotions, like anger, craving and jealousy, and uncover the wisdom energy that lies within them. For example, when we face anger instead of being seduced into its destructive stories and projections, we uncover a source of vitality, energy and clarity that cuts to the root of confusion and is a strong ally in navigating life’s ups and downs.

The Level Four wisdom module is the crown jewel of the 4 year training. Here we discover the part of us that was always completely undamaged, free and at peace no matter what traumas or difficulties befell us in our lives. Sometimes this goes by the name of ‘Buddha Nature’ – an inner source of joy and perfection that lies waiting to be discovered within us. When we touch this part of ourselves everything changes. We go about our lives with more lightness and joy and we navigate the difficulties that life throws up with grace and ease. In the wisdom module we work both with imagination practices and deepening insight practices. This stage of the training can bring deep and lasting change but it is very important to do the preliminary modules of mindfulness, compassion and insight. They create the conditions for the flowering of wisdom in our hearts and minds.

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Join us for free relaxed guided meditation sessions each day at 10.30am and 7pm (Monday – Friday) UK GMT. No need to sign up, see you there? Follow this link > DAILY GUIDED MEDITATION

It involves two six day annual online or in person at Samye Ling retreats with eleven monthly evening sessions, weekly peer support group meet-ups in groups of five and a daily one hour formal practice commitment. The dates for the first retreat are the 22-27 November 2024 and the second retreat will take place on the 25-30 November 2025. The first retreat will start at 9.30am on Friday 22nd November and end at 15.00pm on Wednesday 27th November 2024.

The dates for the monthly online Monday sessions (7 – 9pm) are the 16th December 2024, then the 13th January, 10th February, 10th March, 14th April, 19th May, 16th June, 14th July, 11th August, 15th September and 13th October 2025.

We cultivate wisdom by embarking on an experiential journey.  Intellectual understanding is not enough. This journey requires that we first train in Mindfulness, Compassion and Insight. They provide the necessary conditions for Wisdom to take birth in our heart and mind.

Wisdom refers to an innate state of being or awareness that is whole and complete but seldom recognised. This awareness is so simple, immediate and close to us that we mostly fail to see it. Yet when we do recognise it and learn to abide in it, this is the true homecoming of our life. We touch that place in us that is undamaged and pure despite the many ups and downs of our life.

YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THE WISDOM MODULE HERE

This course can be paid for in ten monthly instalments of £107.25.

To book your place please contact info@mindfulnessassociation.net

Please book your accommodation and meals for the weekend directly with Samye Ling by emailing bookings@samyeling.org. They will need to know the dates that you would like to stay, what room you would like (please click here to see the room types and prices), your name, and the name of the second person if you are booking a twin room, your address, phone number and preferred email address for the booking. No room bookings can currently be made via the Samye Ling website.