Dear friends,
First, I would like to bow to all of you in gratitude, and not in a transactional way: I do feel most deep appreciation for your help, which in many ways has kept me alive and active in my attempts at serving others.
It is due to my conviction that our communities—including my community of spiritual friends—have power that I would like to invite your support in two interrelated matters dear to my heart (and quite important in terms of my own survival).
Point 1: Retreat participants needed!
As many of you know, over the last two months I have been living and working in London, where my mission has been to support and help develop the CCN (Contemplative Consciousness Network): an international community of contemplatives, many of whom find inspiration in the teachings of Lama Alan Wallace and his spiritual masters.
Keeping a charity afloat is not an easy job, and part of CCN's annual income relies on its yearly retreat, usually held in August. This year, I was asked to lead that retreat, relying on my experience as a teacher of loving kindness (and retreats focused on this practice—some of which, when held in Russia, have previously attracted up to 200 people). The challenge now is to populate the retreat with participants, which has been surprisingly difficult: unlike Eastern Europe, where there is still a lot of passion for in-person gatherings, many Buddhist communities in the UK have been struggling with convincing people to physically show up.
I would quite prefer to not cancel the retreat (both to start the ball rolling and to attract some funds for the CCN—and, of course, to hold the space of actual practice and supercharge ourselves with the beautiful quality of love!), and therefore am inviting you to consider inviting your friends and spreading the information about the retreat as much as possible. All of the information is available here: https://contemplative-consciousness.net/events/ccn-annual-6-day-retreat/
(Some of you have very kindly asked whether it's possible to also participate online—we will open online registration very very soon, and, once again, every single online participant would be making a difference. If you cannot travel, please consider that option as well! Online participation will include lifetime access to all the recordings, opportunities to ask practice questions, and, of course, will still be a powerful way to support the CCN).
Point 2. Teaching in organisations
Another way for me to fundraise for the CCN is by teaching meditation, wellbeing skills, and emotional balance in organisations—which includes businesses, public sector orgs and NGOs.
Since I am based in London, I would be happy to offer course and sessions on Cultivating Emotional Balance, attentional training, conative intelligence, empathy/compassion, and basics of meditation to organisations in the UK—and, when appropriate, also abroad (online, in that case).
All of the income will go to the CCN (which also pays for my salary and keeps in a country that is safer me to be in) and keep its educational program alive. The pricing scale for these offerings is quite wide—from pro bono for the most humble NGOs to boutique events for luxury brands and large consulting companies (strangely enough, I have the experience of working in all those settings).
Once again, this is an invitation for the help of the Sangha: if you know any business-owners or decision-makers, consider voicing these ideas to them and have them reach out to me at [email protected]
While asking for these types of help—and thanking you for the incredible kindness you've already shown—I am thinking of our invisible connection and sending my humble wishes for prosperity, wellbeing, and peace to all of you.
Warmly,
Lobsang