Wisdom of a Broken Heart

With Susan Piver

May 15 - 17, 2009

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In the Shambhala tradition, a broken heart, rather than a problem to be solved, is considered a remarkable opportunity to discover your innate spiritual warriorship. Only by plunging into the depths of your heart can you achieve the self-knowledge and genuine presence that are associated with wisdom and personal power. And when your heart is broken, you really have no choice. Your insides have been turned upside down and your deepest fears and concerns are no longer manageable. You can't run and you can't hide and so it is time to meet them.

This weekend program will gently introduce you to the skills needed to work with a broken heart - not to drive it away or tie it up with a bow, but to find the message of wisdom contained in this most difficult situation.

You will learn meditation, the practice of loving kindness, and several on-the-spot techniques to use throughout the day. In addition, we will:

• Discuss the wisdom aspect of painful emotions
• Contemplate one's history with such emotions
• Shift the emphasis from finding love to offering it as a way to reclaim power
• Learn to stabilize your heart in a state of openness

Whether your heart was broken yesterday or years ago, the elements needed to tread this path are present. As we progress, you will discover that gentleness, fearlessness, and intelligence are marks of spiritual warriorship and that the dark power of heartbreak can introduce you to them. If you stay with your broken heart, it will surely lead you down the path to wisdom.

"The ideal of warriorship is that the warrior should be sad and tender, and because of that, the warrior can be very brave as well. Without that heartfelt sadness, bravery is brittle, like a china cup. If you drop it, it will break or chip. But the bravery of the warrior is like a lacquer cup, which has a wooden base covered with layers of lacquer. If the cup drops, it will bounce rather than break. It is soft and hard at the same time."

-The Dorje Dradul of Mukpo, from Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior

Tuition: $275 Program fees include 3 meals per day served by the Karme Choling kitchen.

About Susan Piver

Susan Piver is an authorized meditation instructor in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, the New York Times bestselling author of The Hard Questions series, and the creative director of Padma Media. She has practiced meditation for over 10 years. The title of her most recent book is How Not to Be Afraid of Your Own Life (St. Martin's Press 2007).

This program is being held at Karmê Chöling Shambhala Meditation Center in Barnet, Vermont.  To register please email registration@tailofthetiger.org with your name, address, phone number, email address, name of the program and choice of accommodations. You will be contacted for deposit information and confirmation of registration.

In an effort to make our programs accessible to all, we offer an interest free payment plan. This plan allows you to pay 50% of the total prior to or at the time of registration and give post-dated check or credit card authorization for the remainder of the balance for up to six month post program. If you are interested in this payment option, please let the registration department know when you confirm your registration.