Awaken in Toronto

Instructor: Lama Linda
Dates: October 14, 21, 28, November 4
New Link to Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87469872916?pwd=dW45sm68Mj6aOeNWT2TYvJk32Wo4OX.1
Meeting ID: 874 6987 2916 Password: 108108

Giving and Receiving explores the Buddhist practice of generosity as both an everyday way of living and a profound path of awakening. Across four classes, we will investigate dāna—the practice of giving freely—and Tonglen, the Vajrayana practice of giving and receiving. Tonglen invites us to breathe in suffering, difficulty, fear, and pain, and breathe out relief, compassion, spaciousness, and freedom. Rather than turning away from suffering or trying to protect ourselves from it, we learn to meet it with an open heart. Dāna extends this practice into our lives: What are we willing to give? What do we receive? What happens when giving is no longer based on getting something in return?
At the heart of the series is the simultaneous cultivation of compassion and emptiness. Through Tonglen, we discover that suffering is not something solid or separate that we must carry or fix; giver, receiver, suffering, and relief are all less fixed than they appear. We breathe in without grasping and breathe out without holding on. In this spaciousness, compassion becomes less about being a rescuer and more about participating in the natural flow of care.

Each class will include teaching, guided meditation, and practical exploration, moving from generosity toward ourselves, to giving and receiving with others, to opening compassion to difficult people and situations, and finally toward a practice of boundless giving and receiving without a fixed sense of self.

Slides

Classes are offered on the ancient basis of Dāna, 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. Dāna 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: October 14, 21, 28, November 4
New Link to Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87469872916?pwd=dW45sm68Mj6aOeNWT2TYvJk32Wo4OX.1
Meeting ID: 874 6987 2916 Password: 108108

Giving and Receiving explores the Buddhist practice of generosity as both an everyday way of living and a profound path of awakening. Across four classes, we will investigate dāna—the practice of giving freely—and Tonglen, the Vajrayana practice of giving and receiving. Tonglen invites us to breathe in suffering, difficulty, fear, and pain, and breathe out relief, compassion, spaciousness, and freedom. Rather than turning away from suffering or trying to protect ourselves from it, we learn to meet it with an open heart. Dāna extends this practice into our lives: What are we willing to give? What do we receive? What happens when giving is no longer based on getting something in return?
At the heart of the series is the simultaneous cultivation of compassion and emptiness. Through Tonglen, we discover that suffering is not something solid or separate that we must carry or fix; giver, receiver, suffering, and relief are all less fixed than they appear. We breathe in without grasping and breathe out without holding on. In this spaciousness, compassion becomes less about being a rescuer and more about participating in the natural flow of care.

Each class will include teaching, guided meditation, and practical exploration, moving from generosity toward ourselves, to giving and receiving with others, to opening compassion to difficult people and situations, and finally toward a practice of boundless giving and receiving without a fixed sense of self.

Slides

Classes are offered on the ancient basis of Dāna, 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. Dāna 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.

Teacher Bio:
Lama Linda (Linda Hochstetler) has explored consciousness and awakening for more than 30 years. She trained with Namgyal Rinpoche—the first Canadian-born Rinpoche—from 1995 until his passing in 2003, grounding herself in Theravada and Vajrayana Buddhist practices. She later continued her studies with Qapel (Doug Duncan), a successor in the Namgyal lineage, and received permission to teach under his guidance. She is the co-founder and leader of the Awaken in Toronto Sangha, where she teaches weekly online classes on consciousness and awakening principles, and leads retreats 4 times a year.
A registered social worker specializing in illness, dying, and death, Lama Linda also maintains a thriving private psychotherapy practice, has presented widely at conferences, and has been interviewed extensively on end-of-life topics. In 2021 she published her first book, 21 Days to Die: The Canadian Guide to End of Life. A mother, wife, and friend to many, she encourages her students to use their relationships as gateways to love more deeply and explore dharma more fully. She is devoted to weaving Buddhist teachings with Western psychotherapeutic approaches to support transformative change. www.lindahochstetler.com

An administration fee will be set to cover the entire weekend of classes and accommodation as well as delicious food. Participants are encouraged to offer Dana to the teacher who offers these teachings without any other payment. Dana is usually offered in cash at the beginning of the retreat. This will be a silent retreat and so you may want to bring a journal to write in.

Registration: Dharma Centre of Canada

Guest Instructor: Fiona Ponticelli
Dates: November 11
New Link to Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87469872916?pwd=dW45sm68Mj6aOeNWT2TYvJk32Wo4OX.1
Meeting ID: 874 6987 2916 Password: 108108

I will be exploring what practising Buddhism in every day life has been like as a new practitioner, a parent, working social worker, partner in marriage, only child of aging parents and friend. We will explore everyday, practical ways of keeping the spark of the practice alive, even when you can't manage to sit on the cushion!

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

Guest Instructor Bio: I have been studying Buddhism with Lama Linda for approximately 5 years now. Initially, I wasn't looking specifically towards Buddhism, but I just kept putting out into the universe that I wanted to learn how to meditate - "for real"!! I ended up connecting with Lama Linda because of my social work practice which then turned into studying Buddhism with her. Early on I started attending online classes as it was the Covid period and then eventually started attending retreats on a regular basis and building relationships within the Sangha. It was a slow evolution as I wanted to make sure (after many years of searching) that this was something that I could commit to and that it was the right fit for me. Retreats have definitely been a transformative time for this being on the path and I am constantly learning and growing everyday.