THE DALAI LAMA ON THE PURPOSE OF VISUALIZING YOURSELF AS A DEITY
"When, by stopping ordinary appearances for the mental consciousness and developing clear appearance of yourself as a deity, such clear appearance becomes steady, the appearance of ordinary mental and physical aggregates, ordinary constituents, and ordinary senses and sense fields ceases. Instead, divine mental and physical aggregates, divine constituents, and divine senses and sense fields appear. At this point, an awareness thinking of oneself, "I", as designated in dependence on such pure mental and physical aggregates, pure constituents, and pure senses and sense fields dawns. In this way, these Mantra practices, in addition to the practice of method and wisdom in the Perfection Vehicle, bring together many techniques for quick development. "
—His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from Kalachakra Tantra: Rite of Initiation
Retreat Theme and Prerequisites
In this remarkable weekend retreat, Lama Pemba Jungney will guide participants on the development stage practice which is the method of imagining ourselves as a buddha, connecting with our inner enlightened qualities through the symbolism in Buddhist imagery and the direct experience of recognizing our own buddha nature.
During this retreat, Lama Pemba will offer a clear guide to the most important points of deity yoga, a powerful form of meditation to transform the way we see ourselves and our world.
This weekend retreat is open to all and will be interspersed by teaching, guided meditation and instructions for solo practice.
Retreat Schedule
The retreat daily schedule had several teaching sessions interspersed with short meditation sessions, and breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner breaks.
The retreat is being offered online through zoom from October 27th - 29th 2023.
Benefits and Inclusions
This weekend retreat will be interspersed with meditation practices and much time will be reserved for questions and answers.
About The Teacher
Lama Pemba spent the earlier part of his life in various communities around Colorado's Rocky Mountains. Lama Pemba developed a practice in the tradition of Zen Buddhism in 1999 while studying at the University of Art and Design in Kyoto Japan. During this period of his life, he co-founded a very successful garden design business in the Roaring Fork Valley. He continued his studies and was introduced to Tibetan Buddhism in 2001 thru Summit Dharma Center.
He finds the practice of mindfully centered awareness to be an amazing counter point to his former mode of being. As a gentle giant, Phillip glows with love and kindness and enjoys bringing joy to others as he is able. He recognizes the blessings of his life and his primary concern is to be of assistance to others.
His dedication has led him to do pilgrimages to the holy sites of Tibet, Bhutan, India and Thailand. He also completed several 10 day Vipasanna retreats and 30 day silent retreats before spending some 3 years primarily focused on deep retreat in Thailand and the Himalaya region. He owns Escape Garden Design Company in Aspen, Colorado.
Lama Pemba enjoys finding ways to apply the Buddha's teachings to everyday life. He has been married to his wife, Jill for over 40 years and has children and grandchildren; lovingly integrating his spiritual life with a householder's responsibilities. Phillip is known and well-received for his heartfelt presence and clear Dharma teaching, as well as a profound dedication to his practice.