Awakening the Five Wisdom Energies: The Practice of Maitri with Alexandra Shenpen

Maitri is a powerful practice for accessing the brilliance and sanity inherent in our everyday experience.

The five wisdom energies, also known as the five Buddha families, are traditional Vajrayana Buddhist teachings on how we can transform neurosis into wisdom.

Created by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche as a meditation practice for his Western students, Maitri Space Awareness practice involves practicing five postures in five rooms of different shapes and colors to evoke these energies. Manifesting as different personality types, in their wisdom aspect they are experienced as spaciousness, clarity, richness, passion, or skillful action, and in their confused aspects as dullness, anger, pride, grasping, or envy.

Working in the spacious and accommodating environment of Maitri, or loving kindness, one can begin to access the wisdom found at the heart of one’s most confused and difficult states of mind. We will practice meditation both individually and in groups. The weekend will include talks, discussions, and meditation instruction. Because it has 10 permanent rooms designed and constructed specifically for Maitri practice, Shambhala Mountain is uniquely positioned to offer this powerful retreat.

Besides bringing insight to one’s own psychology, this practice has been taught to psychologists and educators as a means of understanding how to work effectively with others. This program is open to meditation practitioners of all levels of experience.

Note to sadhakas: Many sadhakas find that integrating sadhana and Maitri practices enhances the potency of both. If you are interested in including your sadhana practice during the program there will be an opportunity for you to do your sadhana practice once each day on the second floor of the Great Stupa. Shambhala Mountain Center is blessed with unparalleled facilities for both sadhana and Maitri practitioners.

Alexandra MacKay Shenpen, Ph.D., Buddhist practitioner since 1978, has taught at Naropa University since 1987. She began maitri space awareness practice in 1981, and after completing 5 10-week retreats as a meditation instructor, led many month-long retreats for Naropa, and shorter intensives in North America and Austria. A Shambhala/dharma art teacher, immersed in the contemplative arts of brush and flowers, she has been an ikebana/kado instructor for 15 years. A mindfulness-based psychotherapist in private practice since 1985, she is devoted to the transformation of confusion into wisdom through understanding, befriending and developing ourselves.

---

Pricing and Registration

This program is being offered under Shambhala Mountain's generosity policy. The policy provides the opportunity for participants to pay what they can afford by selecting one of three pricing options. The first option is Shambhala Mountain's regular room and board rates plus the program tuition of $150.

For those who can not afford to pay our regular room and board rates, our second option is tuition plus a flat room and board rate of $75 per night. Your accommodations will be the best we have available (up to single Lodge room with shared bathroom facilities) after accommodating all participants paying our regular rates. Priority for best-available housing will be on a first-come first-served basis. We will not be able to confirm which housing you will be assigned until one week prior to the program start date.

For those requiring substantial financial assistance, our third option is tuition plus $45 per night for seasonal dorm accommodations. Please understand that we are not able to provide student or senior discounts at this rate.

Click below to be directed to the appropriate registration page for your situation:
Full Pay Option
$75/night Option
$45/night Option

Please arrive between 2 and 5pm on Friday, October 22. Program ends with lunch at 12:30pm on Friday, October 29. View Detailed Program Information.