Lama Mark Webber in New Zealand 2010Wangapeka Program 2010Wangapeka Notices || Caretakers Wanted | Newsphere Archive Teachings in Aotearoa || Visiting Teachers in Auckland | Lama Mark Webber in NZ 2010 Tarchin's Teaching Schedule || Leander Kane's Schedule Page updated 12 March 2010 For a biography of Lama Mark Webber see here  We welcome Lama Mark Webber who will be teaching in New Zealand from January to May 2010. He will visit 3 main places. His teachings this year are on the theme of Meditation, the Experience of Freedom and the Neuroplasticity of the Brain, with evening classes, day workshops, weekend retreats and finally a 6 week deep retreat at the Wangapeka Retreat Centre.For details of the teachings in each location please follow these links. Auckland - January 30 to February 7 Queenstown - February 12 to March 9 Wangapeka Retreat Centre - March 20 to May 1 (He will also be teaching in the Nelson area during this time) Lama Mark Webber (Lama Yongdu)'s style of teaching is non-sectarian and universalist in nature, displaying for beings the wondrous unity, uniqueness and intrinsic freedom of all life. His teaching is classically founded, but well integrated with science, art and nature. Mr Webber's work with people demonstrates a profound commitment to freeing beings from innumerable suffering states, whether through meditation, study, art, travel or science. He has been studying and teaching Buddha Dharma (the Teachings of Liberation) and meditation for thirty-five years. He was born in 1956 in Toronto and he started practicing meditation at the age of 16. His root teacher was the late Venerable Namgyal Rinpoche, a Canadian, who was a great meditation master and superb Dharma teacher. For more information see www.markwebber.org Meditation, the Experience of Freedom and the Neuroplasticity of the Brain “Meditative traditions and modern research on the nervous system have clearly documented that the human nervous system is capable of enormous plasticity, transformation and experiences of freedom. Let’s practically explore the interconnections between meditation, mindfulness and recent findings from the field of neuroplasticity. To a great degree, we can build and shape what we want, as long as the interest and determined attention is sustained.” Lama Mark “Stimulating the brain, which also alters our bodies, makes the nervous system grow and reconnect in almost every possible way. I ask, in what ways are we stimulating our brains? Are we placing ‘groves’ or ‘ruts’ in the brain that build negativity, hurt and pain, or groves that support openness, clarity and compassion? Meditation is sustained interest and deep attention on uncovering a continuum of calm, lucid, aware and loving mind states. Almost all of us have experienced the beautiful natural states and feelings from time to time. Who told us that we can’t dwell in and naturally function in these beautifully lucid states? All of us recognize that if we put in many hours per day we can build muscles, play a musical instrument, ride a bike, swim or learn a new language. We are all essentially wondrous grand musical instruments; we can choose to play the instrument badly, day after day, building ruts and following scratches in a vinyl record, or we can build an instrument that speaks, walks, feels and thinks with creativity, aliveness and clarity. We must be interested and focused. And that takes some training and study. Just as a person who has been injured or suffered a stroke needs to regain body, mental or speech functions, so too we need to recognize that hurtful or delusional states are an accepted level of ‘illness’ in our society. Yet we do not have to accept this way of being! We also know that regions of the brain do not lay dormant or empty. If we do not use parts of the brain we quickly lose it to other competing functions. Why have negative, hurtful or dysfunctional states take over, especially since we know for certain that our brains are constantly evolving and designed to learn? It is time to let go of these outdated and false ideas that the brain and body are fixed somewhere in puberty or early adulthood. And that we are helpless to change the organization of nerve cells and “what we have is what we shall become.” Nonsense! We do not necessarily evolve or build structures that lead to genuine happiness and profound satisfaction - yet we can. All we need are enriched environments that support and develop mind maps of compassionate clarity. The maps are there in “seed” form; otherwise we could not even recognize them or have compassion or lucidity from time to time! We require deep confidence in this process and that requires patience and exploration, not quick fixes and hope for instant enlightenment. Plasticity of the brain is the normal condition. But we must unlearn deeply held beliefs which are actually brain maps - ‘ruts’ and ‘groves’ - and that can be uncomfortable. So our reward is genuine, natural happiness, often physical bliss, otherwise there will be no change. Let us grow brains of awareness and compassion for all of us and that includes our entire biosphere. The evidence has been around for centuries; present in meditative and spiritual traditions, East and West. And now results of research in neurophysiology and learning greatly support and enrich these long developed spiritual and meditative traditions.” Lama Yongdu (Mark Webber) . Click here for the printfriendly version of this page About Us / Program / Teachers / Treasury / Buddings / Images / Links / Books / Stay / Contact Us / Members
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