Vajrapani Institute
P.O. Box 2130
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
(831) 338-6654 

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Shine Deity Yoga
with Ven. Rene
November 21-28

Please join us for a tranquil week of Shine, or calm abiding meditation. All levels of practitioners are welcome. Venerable Rene will start with meditations 15 minutes long. The meditation time will increase gradually. As tools of practice for calm abiding, different objects of concentration (such as the breath, nature of the mind, love and emptiness) will be used to make the mind tranquil and peaceful. “They are a good antidote for the stress”, says Venerable Rene.   This retreat will be an excellent foundation for the Heruka Body Mandala retreat to follow.

All attendees must arrive on the first day. People are allowed to leave earlier, but they cannot come back to the retreat.  This serves as a way to keep the energy of calm abiding for the rest of the retreaters.
Venerable Rene will provide instructions on how to meditate in calm abiding at the beginning of each session.  Silence will be observed throughout the retreat, starting from lunch on the first day and ending on lunch on the last day.


Venerable René was born in Switzerland in 1959. He first encountered Buddhism at the age of 20, when he attended the annual November course at Kopan Monastery in Nepal. When he was 26 he took getsul (novice) ordination in Dharamsala, India and took (gelong) full ordination the following year.

Venerable René Feusi, has been trained in the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism in the experiential lineage of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

He has been sharing this experiential approach for the past 23 years. He helps students get an intuition of their own inner potential and inspires them to become meditators themselves.

Venerable René’s fascination for how the mind works and how it can be positively transformed is infectious:  

“Life is exciting. The spiritual journey is about becoming a better human being and give our lives far reaching meaning. The whole spiritual work is challenging, it’s creative and it’s fun.”

Some comments from his students:

"Venerable René has been the source of profound happiness and contentment in my life. He has deeply changed it for the better. May he live long."

"What goes on is phenomenal. He takes me by the hand and gently shows me how to get a sense, a feeling, a glimpse of how things really are. Then alone I know how to find that place again and cultivate it."

"Venerable Rene has helped me to advance my meditation practice to places I've never gone before."

More information about Ven. Rene


From his experience in past retreats, Venerable Rene says that people realize how difficult it is to focus on just one object: “Watching your breath is so simple but so complicated at the same time. Everybody gets more mindful of being in the present moment. It is a break for your mind. You have space to change directions in your life, to bring wisdom and spirituality to your life. You go to a deeper place in yourself”.

People that practice any Buddhist deity can also benefit because the retreat will explain how to develop stability in their visualization.

YOU ARE WELCOME TO BRING:
- Favorite meditation cushion (we provide cushions as well)
-A favorite object to focus on (could be a deity image)    


SCHEDULE:
November 21: 
3:00pm-5:00pm                Registration
6:00pm                             Dinner
7:30pm                             Introduction session

November 22 to 27:                                       
7:00am-8:00am                 First session
8:00am-9:30am                Breakfast break               
9:30am-12:00pm              Second session (walking and seating meditation with a tea break in the middle)
12:00pm-3:00pm              Lunch break
3:00pm-6:00pm                Third session (walking and seating meditation with a tea break in the middle)                       
6:00pm-7:30pm                Dinner break     
7:30pm-9:30pm                Forth session (Questions-answer, meditation and short dedication prayers)              

The retreat will end on November 28th with lunch.

Fees for Shine Deity Yoga (includes accomodation, meals, & retreat fees)
   
 
Non-Member
Member
   
10% off
Camping n/a n/a
Main Dormitory $770.00 $693.00
Semi Private Dormitory $805.00 $724.50
   
Private Room (single) $1,050.00 $945.00
Privat Room (double) $945.00 $850.50
Cabin (single) $1,190.00 $1,071.00
Cabin (double) $1,015.00 $913.50


No one will be turned away for lack of funds

Click here for details regarding financial aid

Click Here for Course and Registration General Info

Cancellation Policy 

A position for Course Manager Scholarship might still be available for this course. Click here for more information.