Art + Life Retreat: Shambhala Arts Training Parts 1 – 5 / Retiro “Arte + Vida”: Aprendizaje de Artes Shambhala Partes 1 – 5
con Sandra Ladley and Artist to the Kalapa Court Marcia Wang Shibata
November 18 - 26, 2017
*** Vamos a ofrecer en inglés con interpretación al español. Español abajo. ***
“Art refers to all the activities of our life, including any artistic disciplines that we practice. It refers not only to the formal practice of art, but to the artistry of life itself—our whole being.”
—Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
This Art + Life Retreat will include all 5 parts of the Shambhala Art training program. It will provide an opportunity for artists and non-artists alike to experience creativity and its genuine expression in all aspects of our lives. The retreat includes teachings, meditation, awareness exercises, plus creative and group processes that help unlock a non-conceptual sense of expression that is available to us all. In many traditions, artists train not only in their disciplines; they also train in awareness, confidence, and compassion. The program draws from the teachings on the creative process developed by Tibetan meditation teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who said to artists, “You could play a tremendous role in developing peace throughout the world.” In our work together, we’ll build our capacity to do so and to share our inspiration with others. We’ll close the retreat with a celebratory reception, “graduation,” and presentation of pins.
Part One: Coming to Your Senses
Clear perception is the basis of genuine art. Through a series of exercises, Part One explores the process of perception, highlighting both clarity and obscurations.
Part Two: Seeing Things As They Are
Art making can be an inquiry into what is true. Trungpa Rinpoche taught dharma art as a way of investigating relative truth and absolute truth, which he called “sign” and “symbol.” The exercises in Part Two point us in the direction of non-conceptual knowing.
Part Three: The Creative Process
Facing a blank piece of paper, an empty stage, an idle instrument, or an unplanted garden, we welcome the open space of not knowing: the Heaven principle. Out of that space, inspiration arises and we take the leap, make the mark, and begin to create, joining Heaven and Earth. Bringing awareness and heart to the process is the Human principle. Part Three explores these ancient Chinese universal principles through calligraphies and object arrangements.
Part Four: The Power of Display
Things as they are appear in many shapes, patterns, colors, seasons, emotions, and wisdoms. In Part Four we focus on one of the most universal and comprehensive systems, the five elements: earth, water, fire, air (wind), and space, and how they form a Gestalt, mandala, or complete display. In learning the nature of these elements, we learn about ourselves and our unique means of expression. Diversity and totality work together to create works of art that communicate far more than the sum of their parts.
Part Five: Art in Everyday Life
The gap between inspiration and manifestation can be huge and filled with obstacles, negativity, and self-consciousness. These challenges can be worked with through four actions: Pacifying, which is achieved by clarifying; Enriching, which is attained through imbuing presence; Magnetizing, by way of assigning importance; and Destroying, through the process of editing. The Four Actions are used as the vehicles for true compassionate action and pure expression.
Materials fee: TBD
Fees do not include the text, True Perception: The Path of Dharma Art (Boston, Shambhala, 2008), which must be purchased individually.
Resources and links:
- How can I get a feel for what we’ll be doing on this course? What exactly is Dharma Art? See videos from previous Dharma Art courses.
- Read an interview with leading Dharma Art Teacher Steven Saitzyk.
- Watch a YouTube clip with one of our other Shambhala Arts Teachers, Dr. Lance Brunner, describing an alternative to “Thinking out of the box,” and how Stravinsky created and played on the edge of “the box.”
Preparatory reading:
- Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s book on “directness and unself-consciousness in one’s creative work”: True Perception: The Path of Dharma Art (Boston, Shambhala, 2008).
Pay-It-Forward program tuition not including accommodations: $553 usd We invite all who are able to do so to consider paying the Pay-It-Forward tuition rate. By doing so, you make it possible for us to offer scholarships to others, particularly our Mexico sangha, while also covering the direct cost of your stay here and contributing to our year-round operations.
Please select “Pay-It-Forward Tuition Add-On” in Registration.
Full program tuition not including accommodations: $445 usd We invite all who are able to do so to pay the full tuition rate. By doing so, you cover the direct cost of your stay here and contribute to our year-round operating expenses.
Subsidized program tuition not including accommodations: 30% off Full Tuition If the full tuition is unworkable for you, please pay the subsidized rate if you can. By doing so you contribute towards the cost of your being here and everything it takes to keep Casa Werma operating year-round.
Please type “SUBSIDIZED” in Discount Code in Registration.
Travel arrangements:
We recommend flights into Morelia airport (90 minutes away by car). We can help with travel arrangements, please inquire about options.
“Por arte nos referimos a todas las actividades de nuestra vida, incluyendo cualquier disciplina artística que practiquemos. Se refiere no sólo a la práctica formal del arte, sino a lo que tiene de arte la vida en sí —a todo nuestro ser.”
—Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoché
Este retiro de Arte y Vida incluirá las 5 partes del programa de aprendizaje de Arte Shambhala. Brindará una oportunidad a artistas y no artistas por igual de experimentar la creatividad y su expresión genuina en todos los aspectos de nuestra vida. El retiro incluye enseñanzas, meditación y ejercicios de conciencia plena, además de procesos creativos y grupales que ayudan a desbloquear un sentido no conceptual de la expresión que está disponible para todos nosotros. En muchas tradiciones, los artistas realizan un aprendizaje no sólo en sus respectivas disciplinas; también se entrenan en la conciencia plena, la confianza y la compasión. El programa se deriva de las enseñanzas sobre los procesos creativos desarrolladas por el maestro tibetano de meditación, Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoché, quien dijo a los artistas: “Ustedes podrían desempeñar un papel importantísimo para el desarrollo de la paz en el mundo.” En nuestro trabajo juntos, desarrollaremos nuestra capacidad de hacerlo y de compartir nuestra inspiración con los demás. Cerraremos el retiro con una recepción para celebrar, una ”graduación” y una presentación de distintivos.
Parte Uno: Entrar en tus sentidos
La percepción clara es la base del arte genuino. A través de una serie de ejercicios, en esta Primera Parte exploraremos los procesos de la percepción, resaltando la claridad, así como las obscuraciones.
Parte Dos: Ver las cosas como son
El hacer arte puede ser una indagación de qué es lo verdadero. Trungpa Rinpoché enseñaba el arte de dharma como una manea de investigar la verdad relativa y la verdad absoluta, que él llamaba “signo” y “símbolo”. Los ejercicios de esta Segunda Parte señalan al conocimiento no conceptual.
Parte Tres: El proceso creativo
Al enfrentarnos a una hoja de papel en blanco, a un escenario vacío, a un instrumento ocioso, o a un jardín sin cultivar, damos la bienvenida al espacio abierto de no saber, que es el principio del Cielo. De ese espacio surge la inspiración, y damos el salto, trazamos la marca, y comenzamos a crear, uniendo Cielo y Tierra. El traer la conciencia y el corazón a este proceso es el principio Humano. La tercera parte explora estos tres antiguos principios universales chinos a través de caligrafías y de arreglos de objetos.
Parte Cuatro: El poder del despliegue
Las cosas como son aparecen en muy diversas formas, patrones, colores, sazones, emociones y sabidurías. En esta cuarta parte nos centraremos en uno de los sistemas más universales e inclusivos: el de los cinco elementos –tierra, agua, fuego, aire (viento) y espacio– y en cómo constituyen una Gestalt, un mándala o un despliegue completo. Al aprender sobre la naturaleza de estos elementos, aprendemos acerca de nosotros mismos y de nuestros singulares medios de expresión. La diversidad y la totalidad trabajan juntas para crear obras de arte que comunican mucho más que la suma de sus partes.
Parte Cinco: El arte en la vida cotidiana
La brecha entre la inspiración y la manifestación puede ser enorme y estar llena de obstáculos, negatividades e inseguridades. Es posible trabajar con estos retos mediante cuatro acciones: la de pacificar, que se logra clarificando; la de enriquecer, que se logra infundiendo presencia; la de magnetizar, atribuyendo importancia, y la de destruir, mediante el proceso de editar. Estas Cuatro Acciones se utilizan como vehículos para una verdadera acción compasiva y una pura expresión.
Teachers / Maestr@s
Sandra Ladley is a long-time Buddhist practitioner and teacher, an interdisciplinary artist and activist, and a life-long student. Sandra teaches Buddhist, Contemplative Psychology and Creative Arts programs internationally. She is a core faculty for the Karuna Training program in Contemplative Psychology. Sandra draws on a breadth of experience as a teacher, counselor, and manager in business, mental health and creative arts settings to bring vibrancy and engagement to her teaching. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Learn more about Sandra Ladley
Artist to the Kalapa Court Marcia Wang Shibata is the senior teacher of Kado within the Shambhala Buddhist community, and co- founder of the Shambhala Kado School, recognized and blessed by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche in 2003. In 2011, she was given the title of Master Instructor of Shambhala Kado, in 2013 she was given the title of Artist to the Kalapa Court. She is a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, having started her path in Buddhist study and meditation and Kado in 1974. From 1980 to 1985 Ms Shibata studied Ikebana in Japan in the major schools both…
Learn more about Artist to the Kalapa Court Marcia Wang Shibata