How Our Heart Shapes the World

  • Wed 2nd Oct 2024, 1pm – Wed 6th Nov 2024, 3pm CDT (UTC -05:00)
  • Online
  • https://dandelion.events/e/e92bd
adventures in awareness course meditation
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[Photo by Jade on Unsplash]

 

“Metta functions … to transform our way of seeing, to transform something in the very way we feel and perceive the world and our existence.” - Rob Burbea


The practice of loving-kindness meditation (or ‘metta bhavana’ in the old language of the Buddha) is one of the ‘superfoods’ of the meditation world. The cultivation of a kind attitude, towards ourselves, towards others, and towards our experience, not only leads to happiness and wellbeing, but also allows our other meditations to further deepen and take root. Perhaps most strikingly, as Rob Burbea points out above, practising metta can even transform the way that the world appears to us, changing how we see and sense existence.

On this 6-week course we will explore some of the ways that metta can be developed. People are different, and this isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. We’ll be looking at various ways in, encouraging creativity and play, so that hopefully you can find a way of connecting to the practice that feels good and onward-leading, and personal to you.

Each weekly session will include a short talk, a guided meditation, and plenty of time for questions and discussion. The course is suitable both for beginners and for more experienced meditators, and pilgrims of any and all (spiritual/meditative/secular) paths are welcome.


Dana

Mark is part of a Buddhist tradition in which teachings are offered freely, within a culture of ‘dana’ or generosity. For that reason there is no fee for this course. If you would like to support Mark in his livelihood, and support the continued free sharing of these teachings, he will gratefully accept any donations, large or small. He will give details during the course of how donations can be made. Those not able to contribute financially are just as welcome onto this course as those who are.
 

Course Dates

All sessions will be held 7-9pm UK time:

Wednesday 2nd October
Wednesday 9th October
Wednesday 16th October
Wednesday 23rd October
Wednesday 30th October
Wednesday 6th November

Mark will also three drop-in support sessions after the course has finished:

Wednesday 13th November
Wednesday 20th November
Wednesday 27th November

 

Below is a clip of Mark speaking briefly about this upcoming course, taken from a fuller interview about his journey into teaching meditation:

 

Mark Ovland

Mark began practising meditation in 2008. Since then he has lived and worked in various monasteries and retreat centres around India and the UK, and spent a further two years on intensive silent retreat. He was a close student of meditation master Rob Burbea and was blessed to have lived with and assisted Rob during the last years of his life.

Aside from offering retreats and teachings in traditional Buddhist settings, Mark has also taught in schools, universities, prisons, and the workplace. In 2013 he co-founded Freely Given Retreats, a charity in the UK that runs weeklong silent meditation retreats on a donation basis. He believes that no one should be excluded from these opportunities and teachings due to a simple lack of money.

Mark's relationship to psychedelics
The path Mark teaches does not involve the use of psychedelics, and by leading courses for the Psychedelic Society he is not intending to make any link between psychedelics and Buddhism. He does however recognise that Buddhist philosophy and practice can potentially help to contextualise experiences that are brought about by psychedelics and is more than happy to speak with participants about this question should it be raised within the context of the course material. 


 

REFUNDS: Please note that we do not arrange refunds or exchanges. We welcome swapping or reselling your tickets with people you know.

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Feedback on Mark Ovland's events

4.9/5 from 21 ratings
Mark is praised for his clear, engaging, and well-paced teaching style that enables participants to deepen their meditation practice. He is described as sharing his "fountain of knowledge in such an unassuming manner" and presenting meditation concepts in a refreshingly clear-minded and useful way. Participants especially appreciate Mark's ability to provide practical methods and frameworks that they can incorporate into their ongoing practice. Overall, Mark is seen as a gifted teacher who goes above and beyond to support his students' growth and understanding of meditation.
4 months ago
My partner and I are so happy to have joined this course, it feels like we found a true gem. Mark was thorough in his explanations and showed proof and example of the impact of Metta practice. The course was deeply transformative for both of us and we feel integrating this practice into our lifes might really transform our path.
5 months ago
Mark is the most generous and loving person I have ever met!!! Not only that, he also thought the different ways to practice Metta in a very clear fashion and even explained how you can get a deeper understanding of the way our minds fabricate the world around us.
5 months ago
10 months ago
12 months ago
I was unfortunately unable to attend the course live, however I benefitted greatly from Mark sending out a recording on the next day. I am so grateful to Mark for sharing his fountain of knowledge in such an unassuming manner, he has enabled me to take my practice to new levels. I highly recommend Mark as a teacher should you want to learn meditation or take your current practice deeper. 🙏
about a year ago
Amazing course, well explained and practical. Mark goes above and beyond to help people in their meditation practice and provide great resources as follow up from the lessons. Definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to begin or deepen their meditation practice.
about a year ago
Unable to attend all sessions due to work, but the audio and recorded sessions have more than made up for that, great teacher, able to competently impart the intended wisdom.
about a year ago
2 years ago
This was the best and most interesting meditation course that I've taken part in. Mark presents a practice that is playful and invites us to question our perspective. I feel that I now have a model that I can constantly return to enliven my practice. I look forward to any other courses Mark will run to further explore the ideas that were presented :)
2 years ago
A truly engaging course that offered enjoyable meditation practice and an introduction to new concepts of reality. An excellent starting point for new or experienced meditators with a curious mind to expand on this framework over the years to come. I really looked forward to it each week.