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Buddhanalysis: What if Buddha was your psychoanalyst?
Teacher: Jason RossCost: 3 days accommodation + R350 surchargeDates:
Through a merging of concepts from Existential Psychoanalysis and Secular Buddhism, this retreat explores Buddhism as a form of therapeutic living. The retreat will take us from the concept of inherent “lack” (sunyata), through “longing” (“tanha”), to “love” (metta). Along this journey, we will consider the implications of the Buddhist notion of “non-self” (anatta) for the practice of psychotherapy and its practical application to our everyday lives.This retreat involves philosophical discussion, therapeutic engagement, a variety of sitting practices, walking meditation, basic yoga (no experience needed), written reflection and group discussion. It is an ideal retreat for those interested in a practical, therapeutic and atheist (non-soteriological) approach to Buddhism.
View teacher detailsDr Jason Ross is a practicing psychologist with a PhD in Philosophy and Psychoanalysis from the Global Centre for Advanced Studies. He takes a critical stance towards conventional psychology and its ideas of what it means to be supposedly normal. He proposes a move away from its impoverished language of diagnosing individual experience and a return to a more embodied, socially embedded, poetic, and philosophical engagement with our struggles. He campaigns for a psychology that is more interested in providing a therapeutic experience than attempting to explain our problems away. He is particularly sceptical of Psychology’s more recent incorporation of “mindfulness” into its methodology, viewing this as a contradiction of the Buddhist philosophy from which “mindfulness” originally emerged. His work, therefore, attempts to do justice to the existential philosophical thread that runs through most Buddhist teachings, merging this with an existential psychoanalytic method. Jason was first introduced to Buddhism through the teachings of Rob Nairn and Louis Van Loon in the 90’s, and his hope is to pay tribute to the legacy of these teachings. He is currently most influenced by the work of Stephen Batchelor and David Loy. -
Self Retreating Mid Week
Teacher: Krishia Schilz and William (Shogan)Cost: Number of days' accommodation
15% discount offered on March mid-week bookingsDates:
Find meaningful solitude on a Self-Retreat. One can do as much (or as little) reading, walking, meditation or resting as one chooses. Enjoy walks and bird watching in 300 acres of beautiful rolling hills and indigenous forests. Savour our delicious vegetarian food prepared with love by our wonderful cooks; or browse our well-stocked library. Visit the stupa and the raked Zen sand gardens and walk the labyrinth. Massage treatments, guided walks, qigong and meditation are offered by resident staff, Krishia and William mid week. Self-Retreats are an ideal opportunity to be in a gentle, sympathetic space where one can be still and get in touch with oneself.View teacher detailsKrishia Schilz is a qualified Bereavement Counsellor specialising in Grief and Loss, as well as Trauma Containment. Her spiritual path led her to Yoga in which she is certified in various styles. Krishia completed her training in the beautiful Bali, before locating to Thailand in order to teach. Her practice includes: yoga , pranayama (breath work), meditation, Yoga Philosophy and healing massage treatments.William (Shogan) has been practising meditation for nearly 20 years, cultivating stillness and inquiry. He took precepts with Dae Chong, Osho at Poplar Grove and now leads morning and evening zazen at the BRC, weaving verses from the Dhammapada into meditation for reflection and insight. With a keen interest in how the Dharma might evolve in an AI-driven, multiplanetary future, William embraces both tradition and possibility. He also guides qigong in the mornings and offers tai chi in the afternoons, integrating movement into mindfulness. His practice is an invitation - to sit, to move, and to explore the ever-expanding nature of awareness.