Meditation
What is Meditation?
Meditation is a simple, direct practice of moment-to-moment awareness of the body-mind process.
Vipassana (mindfulness) teaches us how to live more fully in the present moment, how to open gracefully to the ups and downs of life, and how to meet ourselves and others with more acceptance and love.
Courses will include complete instructions in sitting, walking, lying, and standing meditation, as well as talks, questions and answers, and support in developing a home practice.
Please see the calendar for meditation for information on our current class schedule.
Calgary Vipassana Sangha
See Buddhist Studies
The word sangha means the community of meditators who join together to meditate and study the teachings of the Buddha. This is for experienced meditators.
For further information call: Judy 241-2219 or contact us
Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta)
Text for course: "The Revolutionary Act of Loving-Kindness", by Sharon Salzberg.
Metta is a traditional practice of loving kindness or friendship. It is cultivated as a meditation and a way of life along with compassion, appreciative joy or rejoicing in the happiness of others, and equanimity. These practices lead to the development of concentration, fearlessness, happinesss and a greater ability to love. They help us to be able to recognize our connectedness with all life and to self heal.
Vipassana Meditation (Mindfulness)
Text for course: "Mindfulness in Plain English", by Bhante Gunaratana.
Each class includes the fundamentals of Vipassana meditation,including working with physical sensations,emotions and thoughts. Questions and answer period, Dharma talk, and homework assignments.
Instructions in walking, sitting, lying and standing meditation and support in developing a home practice.
Buddhist Studies: Four Noble Truths
Pre-requisite: Intro to Mindfulness
The Four Noble Truths are central to the teaching of the Buddha.
They form the foundation of all Buddhist teachings.
This study group will explore the Four Noble Truths as they relate to our everyday life.
As the depth of the study is up to each individual, this class is suitable for experienced meditators as well as those beginning their exploration of the Buddha's teachings.
Text: "Dancing with Life", by Phillip Moffitt (available at the Centre)
"Finding meaning and joy in the face of suffering".
The path to happiness and a sense of well being in your life lies not in avoiding suffering but in using the direct experience of it as a vehicle to gain deep insight into the true nature of life and your own existence.
Principles of Buddhism: Eight Mindfulness Steps to Happiness
Pre-requisite: Intro to Mindfulness
This course is broken down into three semesters, spring, fall and winter. One can join in at any semester.
This spring the course will cover the first part of the eightfold path. The Four Noble Truths which form the foundation of all Buddhist teachings. This study group will explore the Four Noble Truths as they lead to the realization of that which what has to be understood, a pointer to open our eyes to impermance – unsatisfactoryness and no-self. This is the core of the Buddha’s teaching and leads to the development of wisdom.
In addition, the meditation practice of Samatha (mindfulness of breath, body and feelings) to develop concentration will be taught. Unlike Vipassana (mindfulness) which focus’s on the development of moment to moment awareness.
Weekly readings and home work assignments will be part of the course.
As the depth of the study is up to each individual, this class is suitable for experienced mediators as well as those beginning their exploration of the Buddha's teachings.
Text: "Eight Mindfulness Steps to Happiness", by Bhante Gunaratana (available at the Centre)
Leading onwards:
Fall 2010 The first four steps of the eight fold path will be explored in depth and Vipassana (mindfulness) will be practiced.
Winter 2011 The last four steps of the eight fold path will be explored and how these teachings relate to everyday life.
Meditation for Self-healing
Appropriate for cancer patients
This course is given by our senior meditation teacher Barbara Ross, who is a cancer survivor
The focus is working with the body and mind to heal difficult and painful emotional states.
It consists of Loving-Kindness or Mindfulness meditation, a restorative yoga practice, walking meditation and a discussion group.
The course is open to all with experience in either meditation practice.
Barbara Ross (Buddhapali)
Barbara has been practicing meditation since 1981 and teaching for 15 years. During this time she has practiced with many different Theravadian teachers. She is a disciple of Venerable Bhante Gunaratana and is in his advanced teachers' training program at Bhavana Monastery, West Virginia. Her lay teachers are Joseph Goldstein and Guy Armstrong. She is the guiding teacher at the Yoga center.
Classes taught by Barbara
Judy Pequegna (Kusala)
Judy has been practicing meditation since 1996 and teaching since 2000. Her teachers have been Mechele Calvert, Barbara Ross, Shirley Johannesen. She is a student of Venerable Bhante Gunaratana and is in his advanced teachers training program.
Classes taught by Judy
Lyne Rivest
Lyne's journey with yoga started as teenager in Montreal and gained momentum in the 90s while taking classes at the Yoga Center and The Yoga studio where she obtained her Certification as a Yoga Teacher in 2000. It took her to India in 2001 where she studied restorative yoga at Dr. Karandkar Institute . Through yoga she has learned about meditation and started practicing Vipassana meditation in 1999 with Shirley Johannesen and is committed to sitting retreats each year. “I am very thankful for the many teachers who have encouraged me along the way, and who are helping me to share the benefits of these discipline with others.
Classes taught by Lyne
Anne Mahoney
Anne has been a student of Theravadan Buddhism since 1986. She has had the honour to study under both lay and monastic meditation teachers and Buddhist scholars including: Shirley June Johannesen, Ayya Khema, Sayadaw U Pandita and Bhante Henepole Gunaratana.
She began teaching meditation in the early 1990’s under the direction of Shirley June Johanessen. Currently Anne is the principle teacher of the Calgary Theravadan Meditation Society and a founding member of Bringing Awareness to Life.
Anne is dedicated to helping people live life with awareness, harmony, joy and compassion.
Classes taught by Anne
Kay Wong
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear aptly describes Kay’s journey on the Buddhist path. In the late 70s, when Kay was attracted to Buddhist teachings on “mind training”, she meet Dr. Leslie Kawamura at a workshop at Yasodhara Ashram. He was initiating a program for Tibetan and Buddhist studies at the University of Calgary and invited her to join his Tibetan language class. Not having a clue why she should study Tibetan, Kay enrolled in the class. This began seven years of attending teachings given by compassionate, erudite Tibetan lamas including Zong Rimpoche, Geshe Rabten, Geshe Sopha, Geshe Dargye and the Dalai Lama.
Also, in the early 1980s, Kay met Anagarika Dhamadina who inspired and supported Kay to establish a regular mindfulness practice. She was instrumental in introducing Kay to other teachers such as Achan Soban with whom Kay did a number of vipassana retreats and Ayya Khema, renowed for her mastery of the jhanas. Kay had the good fortune to attend retreats with Ayya Khema until she passed away in November, 1997. Spiritual friends from Birken Forest Monastery are a continuing source of support for Kay.
Classes taught by Kay
Carmen Wyatt
The amazing power of mindfulness to bring sanity, peace, and wonder to each day keeps Carmen committed to the practise and eager to share it with anyone who wants to listen.
Carmen has been studying mindfulness meditation since 1999, entering the Vipassana tradition several years later, guided by teachers Judy Pequegnat and Barbara Ross.
The profound and practical teachings of the dhamma and Vipassana gained through annual residential retreats, Buddhist study classes, and a recent pilgrimage to India are core to Carmen's joyful and gentle approach to life and teaching.
Classes taught by Carmen