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Medicine and Compassion
June 1 - 16:00 - June 4 - 15:00
Do you desire the ability to be completely open with people and have them really feel your full presence and best intention for their health and well-being? Most of us measure our compassion by how much we cling to the feelings that are generated by others. This clinging can be painful and tiring—even traumatic. Can we care, and also let go of the feelings afterward? This is possible and requires training in the ability to let go of the emotions that are experienced.
Training in compassion is training in how to maintain a relaxed, aware mind while being motivated by the desire to help others. Training in compassion does NOT mean trying harder; it means removing the obstacles to your innate capacity for compassion. By removing the thoughts and emotions that cause compassion to feel limited, we make our compassion more:
· Stable (from morning to night and day to day)
· Vast (Inclusive of all people)
· Effortless (More readily available at a moment’s notice)
Whatever limits our compassion is within our own minds, and we have the potential to understand that compassion is our natural state and tap into its innate abundance.
What is covered in the Retreat?
The retreat will combine lectures, discussion, problem-solving, and meditation practice.
Topics to be covered include:
1. Definition and basis of compassion
2. Understanding impermanence
3. Six ways to train directly to improve compassion
4. The relationship between a relaxed mind and a compassionate attitude
5. Meditation training
6. Helping ourselves and other people with the end of life
The Medicine and Compassion retreat is for you if:
· You are a doctor, nurse, or healthcare worker who wants to provide care for your patients with more authentic compassion
· You are a caregiver who wants to connect more deeply with your ailing loved one or client
· You are interested in Buddhism and training in compassion specifically
· You are a human being who cares deeply about others and sometimes feels overwhelmed
Who can attend the retreat?
Anyone with a genuine interest in cultivating more compassion is welcome to attend.
Compassion is a great entry point for the study of Tibetan Buddhism, which is based on compassion. Attendees will learn how to practice in a way that results in more calm and kindness in their lives, and a way to better handle the normal ups and downs of life.
The instructors
Dr. David Shlim and Lama Öser
Dr. David R. Shlim has spent the last twenty-three years lecturing and teaching about how it is possible to train in compassion, including in-person retreats, online study programs, and medical school courses. Dr Shlim ran the world’s first destination travel medicine clinic in Kathmandu for fifteen years. Early in his tenure, he began to offer free medical care at a nearby Tibetan Buddhist monastery, befriending the head lama, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, and gradually discovering the benefits of Tibetan Buddhism, both personally, and in his medical practice.
Lama Öser is one of the senior monks at Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche’s monastery and has been a regular teacher at Gomde for many years.
Dr. Shlim and Lama Öser have combined to teach Medicine and Compassion Retreats in the U.S. for the last three years, and now they are bringing this type of learning experience to Europe for the first time.
Costs, Schedule, Course Language
YOUR CONTRIBUTION
Gomde wants to make the precious Dharma available to all who want to practice and learn it.
You can support us with a donation. You can orientate yourself on the following value:
With a donation of …
350 Euros for the seminar + Donation for lunch
350 Euros for a single room and food
250 Euros for a double room and food
200 Euro for dormitory and food
… you help to cover the fixed costs for board and lodging. In addition, you can give the teachers a small personal gift for their teaching.
We have not increased this amount, although the costs have increased. If you can give more, you help the center deal with the increased maintenance costs.
Also, if you can give less, you are welcome! Please let us know when you sign up.
SCHEDULE
The retreat will begin on Thursday 1st June at 2 pm and concludes on Sunday 4th after lunch.
COURSE LANGUAGE
Dr. Shlim and Lama Öser will teach in English, but translation into German will also be offered.
