On Kinnaras Love and Light
Name: On Kinnaras, Love and Light
Date: 1 - 6 April 2024
Number of Participants: Minimum 10 participants and up to 20
Duration: 5 days
Location: Namo Buddha, Nepal
Fee: $700*
Number of participants: 10 - 20
Teachers: Dr Meyrav Mor, Dr Frances Ulman, Ms Shani Lev, Ms Sonam Choden Thakuri, Ms Sarmila Rai, Mr Sudharshan Suwal,
* This fee does not include room and board.
Description:
In this retreat we explore relationships, self-transformation, love and compassion through biography work, storytelling, poetry, painting, meditation, contemplation, and being in nature.
The retreat interweaves painting a kinnara using Paubha art and exploring relationships in our own biography (life story). Meditation, contemplative practices, poetry and storytelling are interwoven throughout the retreat. We go out to nature to be nourished and present.
In Buddhism, kinnaras are one of the fairies who protect the Buddha's teachings. In some schools of Tibetan Buddhism the kinnara symbolises enlightened activity. There are four types of enlightened activities, peaceful, enriching, magnetising and subjugating. We will contemplate on how such activities can nurture and heal relationships together with awareness and mindfulness, and loving kindness and compassion meditation practices.
A kinnara is an archetype or a representation of ideal love. They have a human upper body and a swan lower body. They are the archetype of true love, “the lover and beloved ever-embracing.” Ultimately, it is about becoming whole again within ourselves.The Kinnaras also are divine artists who depend on the gods. They reside on the Ten-Jewel Mountain and sometimes in the heavens, where they play music, sing and recite poetry for the gods.
Paubha painting is an ancient Newari Buddhist painting style coming from the natives of the Buddhist Kathmandu community. It has its origin in Indian arts and has travelled to Nepal many centuries ago together with the spread of Buddhism.
The retreat is peppered with wonderful stories about Kinnaras from the Jataka tales and other stories about relationships, compassion, forgiveness and becoming whole again.
Daily Schedule
8.00am - 9.00am Paubha Painting practice (optional from day 2)
9.00am - 11.00am Biography and Contemplation
11.00am - 11.15am Tea Break
11.30am - 12.30am Meditation
12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch break
1.30pm - 4.00am Paubha Painting
4.00pm - 4.15pm Tea break
4:15pm - 6.00pm Nature Walk and Heart Awareness (optional)
6.00pm - 7.30pm. Dinner
7.30pm - 8.00pm Sound bath and meditation