The wealth of our innate wakefulness

A weekend teaching on buddha nature
With Jan van der Breggen

Out of all of Buddha’s teachings, those on buddha nature communicate most directly what lies at their heart: that we are fundamentally good, and our essential nature, our identity, is the same profound, peaceful, stainless, lucid, and unconditioned essence that Buddha himself discovered as a result of following the spiritual path.

Confidence in buddha nature is deeply transformative in terms of our outlook on life; the way we view ourselves, the world around us, our values and priorities in life, our relationship to our spiritual path: all this is touched by the teachings on buddha nature.

This weekend teaching will bring together classic Indian and Tibetan Buddhist teachings on buddha nature, and contemporary teachings by Sogyal Rinpoche, which will give us the opportunity to discover our own buddha nature, and give expression to it in our thoughts and actions.

We will work together on building confidence in our buddha nature through the practice of contemplation — which will enable us to see their relevance to our own lives and experience — and more experientially, through the practice of meditation: learning to let go and relax in the clarity and awareness of our mind which is available to us all the time.

Together we will reflect on questions like:

• What are we looking for in life? And why?
• Who are we really? If our thoughts, emotions, our body, and our world are alwayschanging, is there something in us that is really ‘us’, which is constant and unchanging?
• What is mind?
• How can I know I have buddha nature?
• If my mind’s nature is buddha nature, why am I suffering?
• How to overcome fear?
• How do we habitually relate to ourselves and others? And why?
• What is wisdom? And what is compassion?
• How can I come to fully actualise my buddha nature?

About Jan van der Breggen

Jan began his 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. 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 every one of us.

Jan completed Rigpa’s three-year retreat, is a Senior teacher, and, in 2017, he was selected to participate 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 and has lived in Brisbane, Australia, since 1998, where he obtained a postgraduate degree in information technology. He makes a living as a data and analytics professional for a large financial service provider. Jan was instrumental in founding Rigpa Brisbane in 1999, where he has served as a Dharma instructor for over 20 years.

This retreat is suitable for:  Beginners and experienced meditators alike

When:   Saturday 8 – Sunday 9 June 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM each day

Location:

Rigpa’s National Centre, 158 Australia St, Newtown, NSW and Online via Zoom