~ About Open Dharma
Open Dharma offers teachings
and retreats
to encourage people from around the world to live a liberated life.
Silence, nature,
and
deep rest are some of the basic human tools we offer to help each person deepen in her or his
unique way. Since 1999,
teachers have specialized in adapting
meditation instructions to individual needs and in creating an atmosphere of
gentleness and self-motivated exploration.
Guided meditation; investigation of
texts from diverse spiritual traditions;
Jin Shin Jyutsu; and
connected movement also enrich our retreats. However, we emphasize that the instructions we
give are secondary to the instructions of one’s own heart.
While each person lights up in a unique way, generosity, patience and courage are symptoms of liberation.
To bring about a culture of awakening, we offer teachings on a donation basis and rely on
volunteer staff. Breaking the mold of meditation as a competitive sitting practice,
we encourage people to try
lying down for meditation and to play with meditative singing
while in silence. Rather than promoting short-lived spiritual fireworks,
we cultivate long-term friendships. We also continually experiment with different formats for
teachings and retreats with the aim of bringing love and wisdom into “real” life.
Participants on Open Dharma
retreats are diverse: from 6 weeks to 80 years in age, from over 30 countries, from all religions
and no religion. We encourage each person to notice what brings joy and to approach
spiritual practice with creativity—to
consider family life, work, healing, communication, or the arts as an integral part of their path.
From two different continents, the
teachers both began to dive into spiritual practice in 1986. Teachings primarily draw on
our experience in diverse wisdom traditions—Buddhism, non-dual Advaita, Christian mysticism,
yoga, connection with nature—and our own human experience.
We have offered retreats from
Mexico to Australia, and from the Pyrenees to the Himalayas, but most events happen in
India.
If you are interested in inviting us to your area, please email:
To see a list of past retreats, click here.
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~ Reflections on the name Open Dharma
Open
receptive
available to mystery
hearts open to all hearts
Dharma
that without which nothing can exist
"as it is, so it is"
the law
that which supports us in the same way that a tree
"supports" its leaves
open-minded, not relying only on what has already been read, heard,
experienced, understood
retreats as a
platform where each person can experiment and improvise her or his own unique path
teachings open to people of many different backgrounds, to people with or without religious practice
emptiness, spaciousness, room for everything open state–observing
without observer
living for the benefit of all, not only for one's personal needs and preferences
allowing human potential to flower
