Meditation in Chaotic Times A Weekend of Authentic Meditation
with Richard John
a Hybrid program — in-person with our teacher at the Berkeley Shambhala center • online via zoom • in-person gathering at the Sonoma center
Presented by northern california shambhala
“Simplify your life as much as you can”
— Chögyam Trungpa
Meditation is not something to do only when you have the luxury of time and space, nor is it just a strategy to be more calm or focused in your work. Indeed, the meditation taught by the Buddha has those results, but it is far more profound. If you undertake meditation as a path, it can transform your life and your reality altogether. It has been called “waking up.”
This process is not adding one more complication to your life, but the opposite. Meditation is learning how to gradually shed struggle and complexity, allowing your natural wisdom, kindness and skill to emerge. This brings peace and sanity not only to your life, but to the people and world you engage with.
This program is open to all serious practitioners, whether you are new to meditation or an experienced tantrika. The weekend will include talks and instruction, practice, and time for open discussion.
Attendance options
Richard John will teach at Berkeley Shambhala. The program will be recorded and a link sent out to registrants post-program.
- Attend in-person at Berkeley Shambhala.
- Attend in-person with a group at Sonoma Shambhala, where a viewing screen will be set up.
- Attend live via Zoom from anywhere.
Richard John
Richard John has been a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche since 1975. He served as acharya to Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche for 20 years, and completed the first three-year group retreat at Gampo Abbey. Richard has led Buddhist and Shambhala retreats in North America, Chile and New Zealand for 40 years. Richard and his wife Liz reside in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Heart Gifts
It is customary to offer a monetary Heart Gift to the teacher, whose livelihood is entirely from teaching programs. The gift is completely voluntary according to your inspiration, and there is no suggested amount — any amount is appreciated! We will let you know how you can do that during the program.
Meditation in Chaotic Times: A Weekend of Authentic Meditation
Saturday to Sunday, November 9-10 • 9:00 am to 5:30 pm (Pacific Time)
No prerequisites Open program; everyone is welcome.
Tantrikas coming to Monday’s Veteran’s Day Vajrayana Retreat, The Radical Dzogchen of Khenpo Gangshar, are strongly encouraged to prepare by attending this weekend of deep meditation.
- $150 Program Price
- $190 Patron Price — this amount allows us to offer a “Limited Income” option for those who are not in a position to pay the full program price at this time
- $100 Limited Income Price
- Generosity policy (type-in an amount)
When you register, you will indicate your attendance option: attending in-person at the Berkeley Center, attending in-person at Sonoma Shambhala where a viewing screen will be set-up, or online via Zoom from anywhere. If that changes, please get in touch with the coordinator. If you feel unwell the day of the program, for the sake of others please attend from home.
If you have questions, please contact coordinator Jesse Miller at shambhalaberkeley [at] gmail [dot] com
After completing your registration, you will receive an email acknowledgement. Closer to the program date, we will send out the ‘welcome’ email containing all pertinent information, including the Zoom link, to the email you provide.
image credit: adapted from photo by Daiga Ellaby, Unsplash
For online programs Shambhala uses Zoom for online programs which is available for computers, smart phones, and tablets. You need to download the free app on your device before joining the session. Once it’s loaded, click the link and follow the prompts to join the session. Please join at least 5-10 minutes in advance so that you’re ready when the program begins, and make certain that your mic is muted when you join to avoid background noises which are multiplied with many participants. Note that the Zoom experience seems to be most predictable when you are signed into your Zoom account and have the most current version installed on your computer. Learn more about Zoom • read Zoom FAQs.
