Please Note Change in Location and Date
The location of this program, along with the original dates, have changed since this was first announced.
Touching Enlightenment: The Somatic Path
Our body is the most direct and perfect path to profound spiritual transformation. Through our body, we connect with the inherent, self-existing wakefulness that is already present within it. To discover the body is to discover awareness.
Designed for beginning and experienced meditators alike, this in-depth training focuses on a series of powerful somatic meditation practices drawn from Tibetan and East Asian Buddhism and spiritual Taoism.
Dr. Reggie Ray, Buddhist scholar, teacher of meditation, and creator of the Meditating with the Body program, will be leading this comprehensive five-month program along with co-lineage holder Caroline Pfohl. This is Reggie’s first time teaching in Europe.
Training begins with five-day residential retreat, where participants are introduced to the Meditating with the Body practices. It ends with a second five-day residential retreat in November, to integrate the previous five months of practice and teaching.
Between retreats, practice deepens through an extensive at-home curriculum of readings, recorded teachings, and guided practices, enriched by personalized guidance from a meditation instructor and a study group led by your meditation instructor.
- In-depth instruction in mindfulness-awareness meditation practice and Tibetan Yoga practices of prana breathing, earth breathing, diagnostic breathing, and many more breath awareness exercises
- Establishing strong inner and outer sitting posture based on the principles of alignment, relaxation, and resilience
- Uncovering the genesis and nature of the “self,” including how and why it is created and maintained
- Working directly with physical discomfort, illness, and disease
- Experiencing the body as the expression of our personal karmic history
- Understanding how karma is created, stored, and released in the body
- Relating to the body as the manifestation of enlightenment itself
- Teachings on the Four Noble Truths, the Five Skandhas, Spiritual Materialism, Buddha Nature, and more
During each retreat, you will strengthen your practice with:
- Extensive daily instruction from senior teachers in Dharma Ocean
- A daily question and answer period
- A private meeting with a personal meditation instructor
- A meeting with your meditation study group to share your experiences within a small group context
- A structured practice schedule to apply your learning and to further develop your practice
In between the retreats, your practice will deepen with:
- A substantial at-home curriculum created by Reggie Ray exclusively for Meditating with the Body, including recorded lectures, readings, and guided practices lead by Reggie to further your conceptual and experiential understanding of how the body is the gateway to enlightenment
- A monthly private phone call with your personal meditation instructor
- A monthly telephone meeting with your meditation study group
- Recordings of talks and guided practices from the two residential retreats
Location
Buckfast Abbey
Buckfastleigh, Devon
TQ11 0EE
United Kingdom
Coordinator
info@dharmaocean.org
Buckfast Abbey
This retreat will be held within the grounds of the stunning Buckfast Abbey, a site that has been a place of worship for almost 1,000 years and is located just inside Dartmoor National Park amidst the rolling and green hills of South Devon. This remarkably sacred space offers surprisingly modern facilities, with a beautiful and spacious retreat center, conference rooms, practice spaces, and modern amenities. It brings together centuries of devotional practice into a container that is ideal for Buddhist contemplation and training.
Registration
To register for this program follow the “Register Now” link at the top of this page. We ask that participants register early, space is limited. Registration will close May 23, 2016.
We have sold most housing options at this time. If you do not see a housing option that works for you, please choose the housing waitlist option. This will put you on a waitlist for a spot in the program. If a housing option does not open before we close registration on May 23 we will notify you and cancel your registration.
The total price of the retreat ranges from $1940 to $3,150 USD, depending on your choice of housing. This includes food, tuition, lodging, and tax. For more information about lodging, click here.
Retreat Details
For meditators of all levels, this in-depth training program includes two residential retreats and a comprehensive at-home curriculum designed for optimum integration into your daily life.
Opening Retreat:
June 6 – 11, 2016, with Reggie and Caroline
Closing Retreat:
November 8 – 13, 2016, with Caroline and David
Arrival times: Please arrive on the noted arrival date (June 6 and November 8) between 4-6 p.m. to check-in.
Departure time: Please plan to depart on departure day (June 11th and November 13) after 12 p.m. Lunch will be provided that day.
Free Audio Meditations from Reggie
About the Teachers
Dr. Reginald “Reggie” Ray draws on four decades of study and intensive meditation practice within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to address the unique problems, inspirations, and spiritual imperatives of modern people. He is the founder and Spiritual Director of the Dharma Ocean Foundation, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the practice, study, and preservation of the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the practice lineage he embodied. Read full biography.
Caroline Pfohl is co-lineage holder of the Dharma Ocean lineage. She chairs the Dharma Ocean Foundation board of directors, and holds the health and well-being role of Desung (Protector of Joy) for the community. Her spiritual journey has included three decades of study and practice in Chan, Taoism, and Tibetan Buddhism. Within Dharma Ocean, drawing on lifelong work with healing and the arts, she takes the lead in bringing somatic meditation into the arenas of mentoring, relationships, healing, design, and the arts. Read full biography.
David Iozzi has been practicing for over 15-years and training with Reggie since 2004. David holds the study and practice of meditation as his primary life commitment. In 2006 he developed a meditation program based on "Meditating with the Body" at a large, non-profit research institute where he worked as a research scientist and engineer. David’s teaching draws on his love of science and a background in Japanese martial arts and explores how the depth of being uncovered in practice manifests in everyday experience. In 2013 David moved to Boulder to serve as Dharma Ocean’s Executive Director.
Scholarship & Workstudy
There will be scholarship and work-study available for this program. If you are interested in this option please register for the program and fill out an application by April 19, 2016. Click here for more information, and to find the online financial aid application. You are welcome to apply at any time. Applications will be reviewed shortly after the scholarship deadline.
Transportation
By Air: From London Heathrow airport, take the Heathrow Express (from any terminal) direct to Paddington mainline train station (20 mins). Within the same terminal at Paddington station take the Penzance train direct to Totnes (2.5-3 hours approx.) then take a taxi from Totnes station to Buckfast Abbey (approx £8), or the local bus service, Number 88, operates between Paignton and Totnes stopping at Buckfast. The bus leaves Totnes from a location approx. 0.75 miles from the railway station. Disembark at Mill End Lane in Buckfast for Buckfast Abbey.
The nearest local airports are Exeter (30 mins) and Bristol (1.5 hours).
By Ferry: The nearest ports are Plymouth and Portsmouth.
For more information on local transportation by car or train, please visit the Buckfast Abbey Website.