Online retreat: 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd of November 2020
Co-hosted event by Middle Way Initiative and Paz & Mente
Schedule: * from 10 am to 1 pm / 3 pm to 6 pm (Brasília time- (UTC -3)
* There may be minor time adjustments. If so, we will inform you via email.
THE ART SUTRA: exploring the nature of creativity through the Heart Sutra.
This image is Prajnaparamita painted by Tara DiGesu
The way we see and move about the world requires creativity, and what we call “life” is a creative expression of the nature of things itself. Once, while talking on the subject of art and the nature of creative expression, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche said: “We usually think of creativity belonging to the artist. But in a larger sense, creativity is innate and spontaneously present, not fabricated by hammer and nail.” These words are striking. So true! The world of appearances and possibilities we encounter each moment, arise without our efforts. We are not in total command! We are part of an infinite system of interdependent relationships. Navigating the nature of relationship with humility, respect, and insight is the job of the artist…and the art of being human. The Heart Sutra, one of the most widely recited Buddhist texts in the Buddhist tradition, tells a story. In it, the bodhisattva, Chenrezig, in the presence of the Buddha, describes to a gathering of disciples the nature of the world we encounter, and we begin to see how stunning life really is.
THE ART SUTRA: exploring the nature of creativity through the Heart Sutra
In this program, Buddhist teacher and author, Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, will guide us through a deep exploration of the sutra, Chime Mattis, composer and musician will introduce his haunting musical composition of the Heart Sutra, which we will chant in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and artist Tatjana Krizmanic will introduce us to the magical world of visual dharma expression.
“In essence, the fundamental purpose of Buddhism, is to recognize the natural creative expression of life, and to learn to navigate it with respect, insight, and compassion. Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel (EMN)”
The retreat will be guided by:
Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel
Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel has studied and practiced the Buddhadharma for 35 years under the guidance of her teacher and husband Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. She is the retreat master of Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado and has spent over six years in retreat. She holds a degree in anthropology and an M.A. in Buddhist Studies. She teaches throughout the U.S., Australia, and Europe. She is the author of The Power of an Open Question: The Buddha’s Path to Freedom and The Logic of Faith: the Buddhist Path to Finding Certainty Beyond Belief and Doubt. Elizabeth is known for her use of inquiry as a means to reach a place of genuine practice and awakening. She asks audiences to engage in the practice of open questioning with her while she takes a fresh look at all the assumptions and beliefs we have about spirituality. In particular, Elizabeth is fascinated with the Buddha’s essential teachings on the natural principle of pratityasamutpada, dependent arising. Audiences repeatedly comment on how her approach has reinvigorated their meditation practice and the way they relate to their lives as a whole.
Tatjana Krizmanic
Tatjana Krizmanic is known for her brilliant pastel drawings and oil paintings, which depict ordinary life with a distinctly European sensibility. Born in Zagreb, Croatia Tatjana started painting at age fourteen. She studied at University of Zagreb and completed her studies at Georgetown University. Her paintings reside in numerous private collections, museums and galleries around the world. There are many book that include Tatjana’s art and among her favorites, a book of poems, Big Sky, she collaborated on with Anam Thubten. Tatjana regularly teaches contemplative art workshops in person and online. Tatjana has had a life-long conviction that art can be a means of opening what she describes as “a different door” within a person, and that this opening can translate to other areas of his or her life. She has been a practicing Buddhist since her 20s and has studied the principles of Dharma art for 30 years. Her meditation practice has helped her recognize how the natural creative flow and playfulness of human mind can influence one’s artistic practice and freedom of expression. During this program, Tatjana will do several demonstrations and guide us in awareness exercises in graphite and watercolor studies. These sessions will teach us how unfiltered contact with the world around us provokes a deeper appreciation and creative response, and how the practice of meditation and art can help us cultivate presence and openness. Working in the context of contemplative artistic expression will provide us with a powerful opportunity to shed our self consciousness and begin to open up and apply the wisdom of the Heart Sutra in our own experience.
Chime Mattis
Chimé Mattis will guide our sessions of chanting of the Heart Sutra in all three languages - English, Portuguese and Spanish. Chimé is a songwriter, vocalist and musician who has been studying and playing music since he was a child. He received his B.F.A. at CalArts in World Music and Percussion and did post graduate studies in composition at the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil. He lived in Latin America for 20 years and was further exposed and influenced by a number of the musical traditions there. In 2003 he released his first solo CD “Map Home”. A large portion of his recent body of recordings were written, arranged and performed by Chimé in a small off-the-grid cabin high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Southern Colorado while on a long-term retreat. His lifelong passion is the merging of art and creativity with spirituality. In addition to using traditional instruments in his recordings, his inventive use of unconventional sounds and “instruments” enhances the sonic palette and texture of his musical voice. He particularly owes this recent musical output and vision to his long-term spiritual retreat and practice which has taught him how to begin and continue to get out of his own way and relate to his music, writing and life with newfound boldness and openness.
Contribution to the retreat
Price per person / ticket of the retreat: $ 108 and $65 dollars and it can be paid by credit card)
Few days before the retreat, the link will be sent.
Cancellation policy
The retreat ticket is non-transferable. If you give up or are unable to attend the retreat this amount will remain as an offering to teachers. We appreciate your understanding, so if you proceed with your registration, we understand that you have read the cancellation policy and are in compliance with these terms.
Photos of Elizabeth's last retreat in Brazil in 2019 at Paz & Mente
Middle Way Initiative (MWI)
It is a non-profit Buddhist organization, committed to honoring and preserving the spirit, vision and research methods that characterize the teachings of the Buddha's middle path. MWI educates through meditation retreats, dialogue and creative expression, under the guidance of Professor Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel.
Recordings of the Retreat
The retreat will be recorded by our team. The recordings will be made available after the event for participants.