Awakening the Five Wisdom Energies: The Practice of Maitri: Registration for $75 Per Night Rate

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.

Register below if you wish to pay $75/night for best available housing (up to single Lodge room with shared bathroom facilities) to attend the program. To register and pay either full price or $45/night for seasonal dorm housing return to the main program page. Your actual accommodations will be determined a few days prior to program arrival.

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.