Reclaim Your Mind
In this seven-day retreat, we will explore the Buddha’s Mahayana teachings on wisdom and compassion.
In a world that feels increasingly fragmented and fraught with challenges, we may feel there is no space left for the simplicity, peace, and the meaningful connection we so deeply long for.
Yet, as the teachings on bodhicitta show, we all carry within ourselves a limitless source of peace, space and clarity, pervaded by the warmth of love and compassion. This innate wakefulness lies at the heart of what it means to be human. When we connect with this ground of our essential nature—recognizing the potential of our human life to fully experience it and give expression to it in all our relationships—our lives become meaningful and precious, regardless of external circumstances.
We will draw on a variety of sources—from The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, to A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher and the Seven Points of Mind Training—to investigate and put into practice the teachings on bodhicitta as the very heart of our spiritual path.
Alongside our devotion to our precious lineage, these teachings on bodhicitta lie at the heart of who we are as a Buddhist community; a connection forged over decades of gathering each January to receive teachings and practice together. This retreat offers a beautiful opportunity to reconnect: with the precious legacy Sogyal Rinpoche left for us, with one another, and with the joyful spirit of our National Sangha retreats.
This retreat is open to newcomers and members of Rigpa’s sangha.
We strongly encourage you to join us in person to get the most out of your retreat time, but an online option is available if you cannot get to Sydney.
This retreat will be led by Senior Teacher, Jan van der Breggen, along with a team of Rigpa Australia teachers and instructors.
About Jan van der Breggen
Jan is a teacher in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and a scholar of Buddhist philosophy. His interactive and inclusive approach draws out the wisdom each one of us has at the core of our being.
He began the path of meditation at 17 years old, touched by the tenderness of the human experience and filled with questions about what reality was all about. He soon encountered the writings of great masters from various traditions such as J Krishnamurti, Suzuki Roshi, Thich Nhat Hang and Sogyal Rinpoche. Thirty years later, Jan continues to be moved by the vast profundity of the Buddhist path and its vision of the inherent wisdom, loving kindness and strength that lies in the minds of each and everyone of us.
Jan was honoured to be entrusted by Khenchen Namdrol Rinpoche and Mindroling Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche as one of the twenty-five worldwide Rigpa Senior teachers. In 2017, he was selected to be a participant in the Milinda program, a 10-year, international Buddhist teacher training program under the guidance of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.
Jan grew up in the Netherlands where he earned a Masters Degree in Historical Anthropology. He is fluent in English and Dutch. He lives in Brisbane where he works as a data analytics professional. Jan was instrumental in founding Rigpa Brisbane in 1999, where he has served as a Dharma instructor for over 20 years.
