Note: Last July I was honored to attend a week-long silent retreat with Clear Mountain Wisdom, with teachers Dan Jorgensen and Claudia Hansson. They are both from the Shangpa Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism (like Ken McLeod), and they have a modern approach. Dan is a dharma sibling of Ken's (both did their retreats under Kalu Rinpoche) and Claudia is one of the first teachers that Ken authorized. They are planning a weekend retreat in April and I asked permission to pass it on to our participants. Here is the information:   

Walking on Broken Glass

Using Reactivity to Deepen Practice

A Clear Mountain Wisdom Retreat

Dan Jorgensen and Claudia Hansson

April 19th - 22nd, Mercy Center Auburn

Discussions about the spiritual path often assume that a spiritual practice should somehow remove all difficulty, both inner and outer, from your life. This is, of course, not realistic. Nevertheless, when this hoped-for result does not transpire, students are often left with a sense of failure and disappointment, both in themselves and the Path.

How one views and uses difficulty, particularly the difficulty of troublesome emotions, is a critical factor in long-term meditation practice. The failure to properly engage this inner material that all of us carry will keep meditation at a superficial level. On the other hand, knowing how to effectively work with reactive emotions can dramatically deepen ones practice.

The teachings and practice in this retreat will be aimed at learning how to use reactive emotions as a means to strengthen and develop depth in practice. Several levels of teaching will be presented including using emotions to develop stability in attention, as a means of insight in the workings of mind, and ultimately as an expression of Awakened Awareness.

The retreat will begin on Thursday evening, April 19th at 7:30 PM and conclude on Sunday, April 22nd after lunch. The retreat is at Mercy Center Auburn (www.mercycenter.org). The cost of the retreat is $435 which is all inclusive. We have a limited number of rooms so please register early. To register, send a check for the full amount to: Clear Mountain Wisdom, 1891 E. Roseville Parkway, Suite 140, Roseville, CA 95661. The registration deadline is Friday, March 16th.

We welcome newcomers to our retreats. However, if you are new to us, we request that you fill out a short application form prior to registering for the retreat. You can get application by emailing claudia@clearmountainwisdom.org or calling 916-797-5525.

If you have any questions, please contact either Dan Jorgensen or Claudia Hansson at 916-797-5525 or send an email to Claudia Hansson.