Meditation and Buddhist Philosophy Courses

Future classes are being planned for 2025. Please register your interest using the contact under BOOKINGS below.

For those who have not done meditation on Zoom, or are uncomfortable with Zoom sessions, we have been teaching meditation classes on Zoom since 2020, and these have been working out well because we employ detailed, clear guidance and welcome feedback and discussion.

Basic Meditation

This 5 - 6 week course provides meditation tools and techniques to allow participants to establish a meditation practice.  Each class will explore relaxation, posture, sitting styles and simple meditation techniques through short sitting, lying or walking periods (10 – 15 minutes) interspersed with questions and discussion.  At the end of the class we will have tea and refreshments and time for general discussion.  

Embodied Meditation

Meditation is carried with the body and not the thinking mind.  It is a whole body experience and is not a mental ‘thought’ exercise.  Many modern people struggle to learn meditation because they are thinking that they are meditating, rather than “being” meditation.  This course explores importance of “embodiment” through guided meditation over 5 - 6 weeks, with discussion around ancient wisdom and modern theory.

The Heart of the Buddha

Finding Joy in the Uncertain Times

Loving kindness lies in the heart of Buddhism. This emphasis is particularly important for modern western people, where our cultural conditioning has created obstacles for developing a healthy meditation practice. Heart-centered meditation practices are taught in this course to establish a calm, stable, relaxed and more awake mind, as well as developing loving kindness to ourselves, to others, and to the planet.

Courses are held in the temple at the Monastery.   Typical costs for a 6 week course are $100 waged, $50 unwaged; for each class $20 waged, $10 unwaged, gold coin donation for 12-18 year olds. In keeping with Monastery policy, you are most welcome to come even if you have a scarcity of funds.

Bookings

Please contact the monastery to book your place on any of the meditation or philosophy courses. Text 021 227 3881 or email office@kagyu.org.nz.

Please wear comfortable clothing. It is a part of Karma Choeling’s policy not to penalize anyone from attending from lack of funds. If you are in this situation, please discuss with Bruce.

All donations are used for the maintenance and upkeep of Karma Choeling Monastery. Donations and course fees are a significant portion of the total revenue needed to maintain this beautiful property.

Instructor

Dr Bruce Williamson has been a Buddhist practitioner for over 30 years, and has completed the preliminary practices in the Karma Kagyu Tibetan Buddhist tradition guided by Venerable Lama Karma Samten. He has also received the transmissions on Mahamudra from His Eminence Tai Situ Rinpoche during a six-year course at Sherab Ling Monastery in India, and completed all the practices. He has undertaken many other meditation courses with Western teachers because he is particularly interested in understanding the challenges and advantages for modern people when learning to meditate.