Dzogchen Beara offers a year-round programme of both in-person and online retreats, courses and guided practices led by Rigpa’s teachers and other teachers primarily from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
The following is intended to support you in choosing a retreat that is most closely aligned with your personal aspirations.
Meditation
The first & basic practice of meditation is to allow the mind to settle into a state of ‘calm abiding’ (shamatha), where it will find peace & stability. It is a practice through which we rest the mind naturally in a state of relaxed awareness, in order to allow the nature of mind to reveal itself.
By training in mindfulness and calm abiding (shamatha) meditation, we pacify our scattered minds, defuse our powerful emotions and overcome distraction.
The ancient method of meditation has come to be seen as a powerful support for modern life—something that can be practised anywhere, by anyone, of any age or background. Moreover, there is growing scientific evidence that meditation has a positive effect on our health and wellbeing.
The Dzogchen Beara programme offers various in-person and online introductory retreats & courses. For those who have an established meditation practice and wish to enter more deeply into retreat with extended periods of practice and silence, you may be interested in Moving into Meditation (early Summer) or the annual Natural Great Peace retreat (November)
Compassion
The practice of compassion has for centuries been a guiding principle in the world’s major religious and ethical traditions, but it has never been more urgently needed than it is today.
Compassion is not simply a sense of sympathy or caring for someone who is suffering, not simply a warmth of heart toward the person before you, or a sharp clarity of recognition of their needs and pain. It is also a sustained and practical determination to do whatever is possible and necessary to help alleviate their suffering. The particular strength of Buddhist teaching is that it shows the ‘logic’ of compassion, as well as the harm that a lack of compassion can cause.
The sources of our love and compassion are sometimes hidden from us. Fortunately, there are several special techniques that the Buddhist “training of the mind” in compassion has developed to help us evoke our own hidden love. Beginning with training in loving kindness as a way to let the heart open, which will naturally inspire the birth of compassion.
We offer introductory retreats on Loving Kindness each year. For those who have an established loving kindness practice and wish to enter more deeply into retreat with extended periods of practice and silence you may be interested in the annual week-long Loving Kindness retreat (spring). We also offer teaching and practice events that support a deepening understanding of the training in compassion, for example, retreats on Tonglen or the Six Paramitas.
Spiritual Care: Living & Dying
We offer a number of Spiritual Care events each year offering non-denominational, contemplative support for those facing illness, or bereavement, or in caring roles rooted in Buddhist teachings but open to all faiths or none,
This include residential training retreats such as Deep Listening and Authentic Presence which train health/social care professionals and volunteers in compassionate care, focusing on integrating mindfulness and resilience for caregivers.
Additionally, we offer workshops & retreats open to all which are focused on bereavement (Facing Loss, Healing Grief) and deepening one’s understanding of impermanence (Embracing Change), and death & dying (Making Friends with Death).
Inviting teachers of all Buddhist traditions
A unique feature of Dzogchen Beara’s event programme is that it regularly hosts teachers (Lama in tibetan) of all Tibetan Buddhist traditions, who are known for their authenticity, wealth of experience and knowledge. It is a wonderful opportunity to enter into retreat, guided by those who have devoted their lives to the in-depth study and practice of this wisdom tradition.
Depending on the teacher, the teachings may be given in English or occasionally in Tibetan with English translation. These events may sometimes have study & practice prerequisites for those wishing to join.
Buddhism and following a Spiritual Path
Throughout the year we offer retreats that delve more specifically into the Buddhist understanding of mind and the nature of reality as well as the philosophical framework of the Buddhist teachings. For those who wish to go deeper into studying and practising Buddhism, Rigpa also offers study and practice programs including courses in the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition of Tibet, a traditional study college (shedra) and short and long practice retreats.
If you are interested in connecting more regularly with a spiritual community of like-minded people to support you on your spiritual path then the Rigpa community might be for you.
Dzogchen Beara is a member of the One Rigpa Network – an international network of 117 centres and groups in 24 countries that aims to present the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in a way that is both authentic and best adapted to be beneficial for people in the modern world.
If you already have a well established meditation practice and would like to know more about the Buddhist path as followed within Rigpa, we offer a retreat called Steps to Freedom that offers an outline and guidance on the different stages of the path.
Rigpa
Here in Ireland, Rigpa has an established presence for over 30 years with groups meeting in person and online in various locations throughout Ireland. Rigpa Ireland is a non-profit voluntary organisation. Rigpa groups offer a place where everyone is welcome to come and explore the methods and techniques that come from the Buddhist tradition as well as engage with a consistent and regular study programme. You can find out more here
You can find out more about what is on offer at our international network of centres as well the history of Rigpa here
Prajna: Online Library
We all need Prajna (wisdom) – wisdom to navigate this life, wisdom to come to understand our mind, wisdom to cultivate compassion and love for others and ourselves, and wisdom to guide us beyond this life – all the way to enlightenment. Prajna offers a treasure trove of wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition – with a vast collection of teachings from masters who lived and taught in Tibet, through to today’s young Western and Tibetan teachers.