Awaken in Toronto

Instructor: Lama Linda
Dates: November 19, 26, December 3, 10
New Link to Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87469872916?pwd=dW45sm68Mj6aOeNWT2TYvJk32Wo4OX.1
Meeting ID: 874 6987 2916 Password: 108108

In Vajrayana, Completion Stage practices refine the mind’s realization by dissolving the visualized form and resting in the formless awareness from which it arose. Here, the practitioner moves beyond symbolic imagery into direct experience of the mind’s luminous emptiness. This series deepens the practitioner’s ability to release constructs and rest in direct, uncontrived awareness—where Vajrayana’s ultimate view becomes a living experience.

Slides.

Classes are offered on the ancient basis of Dana, also known as "give from the heart" or "pay what you choose." This allows you to pay according to your heart, and to what you value. Dana can be sent by e-transfer to dana@awakenintoronto.org or by PayPal to https://paypal.me/awakeningintoronto

Teacher Bio: Lama Linda (Linda Hochstetler) has studied both mindfulness meditation and Vajrayana Buddhism for more than a quarter century. She trained in mindfulness meditation with Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 90s and studied under Namgyal Rinpoche (the first Canadian-born Rinpoche) from 1995 until his death in 2003. She has received permission to teach in the Namgyal lineage and studied Vajrayana Buddhism with Qapel (Doug Duncan) who resided at Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Centre in Cranbrook, BC, before his death in 2024. Lama Linda is a registered social worker with a specialty in illness, dying and death. Along with a thriving private practice she has written and been interviewed on the subject of dying and death. In 2021 she authored her first book - 21 Days to Die: The Canadian Guide to End of Life. She is a mother, wife, and friend to many, and encourages students to use their relationships to love deeply and explore dharma fully. She enjoys weaving together her Buddhist practices with Western psychotherapeutic practices to help students make transformative changes in their lives. www.lindahochstetler.com.

Instructor: Lama Linda
Dates: November 19, 26, December 3, 10
New Link to Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87469872916?pwd=dW45sm68Mj6aOeNWT2TYvJk32Wo4OX.1
Meeting ID: 874 6987 2916 Password: 108108

In Vajrayana, Completion Stage practices refine the mind’s realization by dissolving the visualized form and resting in the formless awareness from which it arose. Here, the practitioner moves beyond symbolic imagery into direct experience of the mind’s luminous emptiness. This series deepens the practitioner’s ability to release constructs and rest in direct, uncontrived awareness—where Vajrayana’s ultimate view becomes a living experience.

Insert link to slides

Classes are offered on the ancient basis of Dana, also known as "give from the heart" or "pay what you choose." This allows you to pay according to your heart, and to what you value. Dana can be sent by e-transfer to dana@awakenintoronto.org or by PayPal to https://paypal.me/awakeningintoronto

Teacher Bio: Lama Linda (Linda Hochstetler) has studied both mindfulness meditation and Vajrayana Buddhism for more than a quarter century. She trained in mindfulness meditation with Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 90s and studied under Namgyal Rinpoche (the first Canadian-born Rinpoche) from 1995 until his death in 2003. She has received permission to teach in the Namgyal lineage and studied Vajrayana Buddhism with Qapel (Doug Duncan) who resided at Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Centre in Cranbrook, BC, before his death in 2024. Lama Linda is a registered social worker with a specialty in illness, dying and death. Along with a thriving private practice she has written and been interviewed on the subject of dying and death. In 2021 she authored her first book - 21 Days to Die: The Canadian Guide to End of Life. She is a mother, wife, and friend to many, and encourages students to use their relationships to love deeply and explore dharma fully. She enjoys weaving together her Buddhist practices with Western psychotherapeutic practices to help students make transformative changes in their lives. www.lindahochstetler.com.

Instructor: Bat Fung
Date: Dec 17
Zoom Link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87469872916?pwd=dW45sm68Mj6aOeNWT2TYvJk32Wo4OX.1
Meeting ID: 874 6987 2916 Password: 108108

One of the traditions of the Namgyal lineage is using exploration as part of the path to awakening. Traveling with the teacher becomes a living form of practice — a kind of “retreat on the road,” or guru yoga in action.

This summer, I had the privilege of joining Catherine Sensei on a Dharma trip through Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. In this Zoom session, I’ll share reflections from that journey, insights from the practice, and glimpses into the rich cultures and qualities of these two remarkable countries.

Come join us to explore how travel itself can become a spiritual path.

Classes are offered on the ancient basis of Dana, also known as "give from the heart" or "pay what you choose." This allows you to pay according to your heart, and to what you value. Dana can be sent by e-transfer to dana@awakenintoronto.org or by PayPal to https://paypal.me/awakeningintoronto

Instructor: Lama Linda
Location & Dates: Sian Ka’an Biosphere, Tulum, Mexico, January 31-February 7, 2026

What if your sense of self wasn’t something solitary or separate—but a living, breathing part of the whole? This weeklong meditation retreat invites you to discover the profound freedom and joy that comes from Interbeing: the awareness that we are not isolated individuals, but intimately connected to all life.
Drawing from the wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh, who coined the term Interbeing, we will explore the deep teachings of presence, non-self, and compassion. Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects will help us face our grief for the world, honor our longing for change, and step into our sacred role as participants in the healing of the Earth. Vajrayana Buddhist teachings bring in a spacious and luminous perspective—encouraging us to see the self as an evolving matrix of patterns, not a fixed identity, and to meet this realization with joy, creativity, and community.

This retreat takes place at the Xo Ko'in Retreat Centre in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere near Tulum, Mexico. See their website for more information about the Retreat Centre and registration and to book your stay: Interbeing Retreat Information

The teachings are offered on the ancient basis of Dana, also known as "give from the heart" or "pay what you choose." The teacher does not receive payment from the retreat centre. This allows you to pay according to your heart, and to pay what you value. Dana for Lama Linda can be sent by e-transfer to dana@awakenintoronto.org or by PayPal to https://paypal.me/awakeningintoronto

Bio: Lama Linda (Linda Hochstetler) has studied both mindfulness meditation and Vajrayana Buddhism for more than a quarter century. She trained in mindfulness meditation with Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 90s and studied under Namgyal Rinpoche (the first Canadian-born Rinpoche) from 1995 until his death in 2003. She has received permission to teach in the Namgyal lineage and currently studies Vajrayana Buddhism with Qapel (Doug Duncan) who resides at Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Centre in Cranbrook, BC. Lama Linda is a registered social worker with a specialty in illness, dying and death. Along with a thriving private practice she has written and been interviewed on the subject of dying and death. In 2021 she authored her first book - 21 Days to Die: The Canadian Guide to End of Life. She loves to weave together her Buddhist practices with Western psychotherapeutic practices to help students make transformative changes in their lives. www.lindahochstetler.com.