Light and Awareness — The Five Wisdoms

Tenzin Wangyal RinpocheA retreat with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, 31 May – 2 June 2019

The term “wisdom” has a particular meaning within the Dzogchen tradition: It refers to recognizing the natural state, our true nature. It does not refer to something we come by gradually, with time or experience. Rather, it describes the recognition of the complete perfection in any given moment.

When we realize the unbounded openness and pure awareness of our natural mind, this recognition manifests in the form of five wisdom qualities: 

  • wisdom of emptiness
  • mirror-like wisdom
  • wisdom of equanimity
  • discriminating wisdom
  • all-accomplishing wisdom

These five wisdoms are the five pure lights, the five aspects of primordial pure wisdom.

As long as we are caught in illusion and ignorance, they become the five negative emotions. But they become the five wisdoms or five Buddha families when we realize their pure essence. 

With his clearly expressed wisdom and his direct, to-the-point style, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will share these ancient and profound teachings in a practical way that makes them applicable in our daily lives, so we can learn to live more consciously. Practicing these teachings will allow us to develop a deeper awareness of each moment and, ultimately, to recognize the nature of our mind and reach liberation. 

Along with explanations of the teachings, Rinpoche will guide meditation practice sessions.

This retreat is open to all. Teachings will be given in English, with French translation.

Costs

The cost for the whole three-day retreat is CHF 210. If you only wish to register for one or two days of the seminar, each day will cost CHF 80. (Please note that priority is given to those registering for all three days.)

Location

Salle polyvalente, Route la Muellera 1, 1649 Pont-la-VillePont-la-Ville map

Salle Polyvalente Pont-la-Ville

By car: From the highway, take the ”Rossens” exit (number 5), and then continue in the direction of “Pont-la-Ville” for about 5km. There is a parking lot next to the hall.

By public transportation: There will be no public transportation all the way to the village of Pont-la-Ville from May 31 through June 2 (public holiday). You could take a bus from Bulle to La Roche (arriving at 7:52 or 8:52) or from Fribourg to La Roche (arriving at 8:02 or 9:02), and then walk (or taxi) from La Roche to the event venue (2.5km walk with a gently ascending slope).

By car sharing: We will make car sharing available from Bulle to La Roche, but make sure you register for that through the Doodle link below by May 15 latest. If you do not register for car sharing before May 15, you will need to make it to the venue by your own means.The exact time and place of departure for car sharing from Bulle will be communicated to you at an appropriate time and you will need to contribute to the costs of transport. Please register only one person per entry (not multiple people per entry) and do indicate your email address in the Doodle here (as illustrated in the photo below).

Doodle

Schedule

The teachings are tentatively scheduled from 9:30 to 12:30 am, and from 2:30 to 5:00 pm, but subject to change. Any advance schedule changes will be posted on this website, and any impromptu changes will be communicated during the seminar itself.

Doors will open on Friday 31 May at 8:30am. The venue will not be accessible before that time to reserve a seat, nor the previous day. Thank you for your understanding.

Seating and comfort

We will provide chairs and cushions, but if you want to make sure you’re comfortable, we suggest you consider bringing your own cushion, blanket, etc.

Lunch options

There are three options for lunch: catered meals (by advance reservation only), local restaurants, or self-catered picnic.

CATERED BUFFET MEALS (NB: only by advanced reservation)

A buffet will be organized by a caterer every day during the lunch break (vegetarian Asian cuisine). 

YOU WILL NEED TO REGISTER FOR EACH MEAL THROUGH THE DOODLE BELOW BY MAY 15 AT THE LATEST. If you do not register by May 15, you will not be able to partake in the meals on site and will have to organize your own meals (see other options below). 

The cost is 20 CHF per meal. Please PAY ONLY ON SITE DIRECTLY TO THE CATERER (do NOT pay for meals in advance through bank transfer).

Registering for meals:

Please register one person per entry only, with your full name in the Doodle form here.

Meal Doodle

For all questions regarding the catered meals, please contact the caterer directly (contact details below).We will not respond to any questions regarding meals.

E-mail: Sasimaster@hotmail.com

Telephone: +41 (0)79 904 91 24

Menus:

May 31 June 1 June 2
Vegetable rice Noodle Spicy lemon rice 
Chana masala Srilankan pineapple curry Vegetable coconut kurma
Thai green coconut curry Coconut beans Thai red tofu mushroom
Barota  Dal tadka Aubergine white curry
Pappadam Chapati Coconut  roti

 

RESTAURANTS

You will find different options to eat in the vicinity of the seminar venue.

Pont-la-Ville:

  • Café-Restaurant l’Enfant de Bon Coeur (adjacent to the venue, serving snacks): 026 413 08 48 (NB: Here there is a limited number of seats so it is important to make reservations in advance, and also to specify if you would like the vegetarian dish of the day, so that they can be prepared.)
  • Restaurant La Terrasse Golf Resort: www.golfgruyere.ch/site/restaurant-la-terrasse/

La Roche (3 km):

Rossens (4 km):

Picnic:

In case of good weather, it is possible to eat outside next to the venue. Please note it is not permitted to eat inside the teachings hall.

Accommodation options

Hotels:

Other options (Bed & Breakfast, camping, apartment, etc.):

Important notice

The seminar will take place during the weekend of Ascension, which is a public holiday. Some shops might be closed and the very touristic areas might be full. Accordingly, we recommend you make your meal and accommodation arrangements as far in advance as possible.

Cancellation policy

Payments are non-refundable. (In case of a major and unavoidable problem, on a case-by-case basis, we may consider reimbursing the amount of your payment less 25%, as a gesture of goodwill.)

Contact

Please register using the registration form at the bottom of the page. (This is the only way to register for this retreat.)

Please do read all the information related to the retreat on this page before you contact us. It is likely that all of your questions will find their answers on this web page.

For all questions regarding the catered meal option, please contact the caterer directly. We will not respond to any questions regarding meals. E-mail: Sasimaster@hotmail.com  Telephone: +41 (0)79 904 91 24

For all questions/requests related to lodging and organization of your stay, i.e. questions/requests that are not directly related to the retreat itself, please contact the Gruyères tourist office directly: www.la-gruyere.ch or telephone +41 (0)848 424 424.

After reading all the information carefully and following the registration process, should you have any remaining questions related to the retreat itself, you can contact us at boenbulle@bluewin.ch.

Registration and payment

Please note that your registration will be confirmed only after receipt of payment.

Please note as well that priority is given to those registering for the whole three days. Those who register for one or two days only will be put on a waitlist and confirmed only after the 15th of April 2019, subject to availability of space.

If you also would like to register for car sharing between Bulle and the venue, please register through the Doodle link in the “Location” section under “By car sharing,” and make sure you follow all appropriate instructions properly.

Reference for payment:

IMPORTANT:

  • Please mention “COTISATION RETRAITE” in the line for notes/comments in your payment.
  • For people paying through bank transfer from outside Switzerland, please be sure to request to your bank that any BANK CHARGES FOR THE TRANSFER SHOULD BE DEBITED FROM YOUR OWN ACCOUNT, NOT SUBTRACTED FROM THE AMOUNT YOU ARE SENDING. Otherwise, the amount actually sent to us might be less than the correct amount. Thank you for your diligence.
  • If you pay from a bank account for which the account name is different from the name that you gave on the registration form, please indicate in the transfer the name of the person for whom the payment is to be credited.

Bank:

Banque Raiffeisen du Gibloux
Agence Avry devant Pont
Rte de l’Eglise 12, 1644 Avry devant Pont

Beneficiary:

Association Culture-Santé SPICA
Rue des Planchettes 17
1644 Avry-devant-Pont

Account numbers:

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE BANK DETAILS HAVE CHANGED.

IBAN : CH89 8080 8004 6354 0637 2
Clearing 80808
CCP 10-22418-4
Swift-BIC code: RAIFCH22