22nd and 29th October 2024 - 17.00-19.00 BST
We are offering these sessions on a donation basis (the suggested donation for both sessions is £45).
Sessions will be recorded and sent to all the delegates.
You do not have to sign up to all sessions in order to attend.
Supported by Paul, Choden will offer two evening sessions on zoom for connecting with the wisdom energy of Tibetan deity practices. He will share skills and practices for stimulating our inner energy to release qualities, such as compassion, joy, emotional resilience and vitality. He will focus on the compassion practice of Chenrezi and wisdom practice of Green Tara. These practices are complementary to imagination practices found in Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) such as the Compassionate Image and the Compassionate Self. Whereas the practices of CFT work through evolved brain systems for social connectedness, the Buddhist practices tap into a transpersonal nature of mind and release qualities that are inherent within it. When these approaches are practiced together, they are a powerful means of life transformation.
There are two different but complementary approaches to cultivating compassion. One is a biological approach that works with evolved brain systems and the understanding that the basis for compassion is mammalian caregiving allied with human social intelligence. This is the approach taken by Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). The other is a contemplative approach that is based on the understanding that compassion is inherent with awareness itself – like the sun that spontaneously shines in a clear blue sky. This is the approach taken by Buddhism. When we combine both approaches we have a powerful means for self-transformation.
Both these approaches work with the power of imagination. In the contemplative approach this takes place through a form of meditation called deity practice. Deities are like archetypal templates within us that we can access through the power of intention and imagination. They are like portals to a vast dimension of consciousness that is replete with life enhancing qualities.
The term ‘deity’ is a clumsy translation of the Tibetan term ‘yidam’ which literally means ‘mind link’. Through imagining ourself in a different way we create a link to something within ourselves that was previously obscured – namely our Buddha Nature or original nature. In practice, this feels like stepping back and discovering a vast dimension of consciousness that is right here and now, closer than our own skin, and which has always been whole, at peace and free despite the many ups and downs of our lives.
For most people this experience of consciousness is blocked by our everyday fixations and struggles that keep us feeling limited and small. This is completely understandable given the evolutionary and social forces keeping us chained to non-stop need to survive and get things done in everyday life.
Yet, the role of the deity is to help us find our way back to the vastness of who we are. It works in two stages: First, we imagine an embodiment of wisdom and compassion outside ourselves and we imagine receiving all those things we feel that we lack as well as qualities such as compassion, generosity, joy and equanimity. Second, we imagine that this embodiment of compassion dissolves into light and becomes part of us. We then become the embodiment of compassion ourselves. This is a powerful archetypal process for reconnecting to our source and owning our compassionate potential.
This process is mirrored in CFT where we imagine a compassionate image outside ourselves that embodies all the things we need and deeply yearn for. We imagine receiving these qualities and feeling nurtured by this process. This approach works through evolved brain systems and attachment theory and the idea that the brain uses the same brain systems for actual external stimuli as imagined ones.
In these two evenings Choden, supported by Paul, will guide some deity practices and will show how they can be understood and practiced in terms of both approaches to compassion – evolutionary and contemplative. They give us what we need at a deeply personal and emotional level and they also give us access to a deeper level of consciousness.
The first evening will introduce Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of compassion. Chenrezig means ‘the one who views all beings with the eyes of compassion’. Through the process of visualising Chenrezig we gradually access the qualities of compassion and they naturally flow through us. Chenrezig embodies the 4 Immeasurable Qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. According to the myth of Chenrezig when he looked out at the suffering of living beings in all directions he wept and from the tears that flowed from his right eye Green Tara emerged. She then became his ally in working for the benefit of others. This brings us to the next practice.
Choden will offer some practices for connecting to the compassionate energy of Chenrezig.
In the second evening Choden will introduce Green Tara, the female bodhisattva connected with overcoming fear and anxiety. Many of us are crippled by debilitating anxiety that is a curse of modern life. When we practice Tara we connect to a source of wisdom energy within ourselves that transforms fear and anxiety into tolerance of distress, the courage to face up to it, as well as assertiveness and proactivity. This wisdom energy contains within it an abundance of qualities that gradually emerge when we do the practice and these are symbolised by the 21 manifestations of Tara.
Symbolically, Green Tara is portrayed as a luminous green image with one leg in meditation and one leg outstretched to spring to our aid. She embodies within herself both the peacefulness and equipoise of meditation and the dynamism, proactivity and practical care of compassion in action. The passion and determination of Tara cuts through obstacles and blocks and transforms these into an energy of flow and abundance. She is a bold, vigorous aspect of compassion that can be compared to the principle of courageous compassion found in CFT. She has a determined quality that cuts through the fabrications and deceptions of the mind and helps us get to the heart of things in a way that is loving, strong and intelligent. Like a surgeon who works for many hours to remove a tumour so that the body might be released and healed, so too Tara embodies tireless wisdom and determination to remove the illusions that keep us chained to wheel of suffering that Buddhists call samsara.
Choden will offer some simple practices for connecting to the wisdom energy of Tara.
Online via Zoom
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All delegates signed up to the workshop will receive the joining links, instructions, handouts and any extra resources and information via email. We send these roughly a week before the workshop start date.
As this is for personal practice and not for continuing professional development, will we not be issuing certificates for this workshop.
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All places booked for our event, must be paid for prior to attending the event unless pre-agreed with management. Please note that we cannot confirm your place until we have received payment.
Should you be unable to attend the event, please contact our admin team as soon as possible via hello@compassionatemind.co.uk. Refunds, less the Eventbrite administration fee, will be made if cancellations are received in writing up to one month before the event. Any cancellations received after this time will not be eligible for a refund, although we will consider exceptional circumstances. While refunds for failure to attend cannot be made, you can transfer your event fee to a future event that will take place within 12 months of your booking without an additional penalty.
Please note that information about the event and venue are subject to change and cancellation. Occasionally, an event may have to be cancelled or postponed. We will endeavour to inform you of any changes and cancellations as soon as possible via email. We cannot take responsibility for any resulting costs you may incur for travel, accommodation, any other related goods or service or other compensation should an event cancellation occur.
For all face-to-face events, lunch provided at the event will be vegetarian and will include eggs, but no meat or fish (though vegan options will also be made available). However, please advise us of any dietary requirements in the notes section whilst booking online and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
Established as a charity in 2006, The Compassionate Mind Foundation (CMF) is the home of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Compassionate Mind Training (CMT), and the leading provider of trainings and research.
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