EIAB Retreats and Courses
The EIAB offers Buddhist teachings in a relevant way that can help people in their daily lives. It combines practice with theory and intellectual study through concrete exercises with a lot of emphasis on cultivating mindfulness.This is achieved through the courses offered as well as living together in the practice community.
Please click here for a list of all upcoming courses in 2011 and 2012.
Most courses offered are accessible to everyone. There are a number of courses that are oriented towards specific groups. This variety allows the Institute to best fulfill their vision to serve both the individual and society. Some of the courses that offered to everyone are: Basic Mindfulness, Conflict Resolution, Working with Difficult Emotions, Practicing in Times of Bereavement and Grief, Inter-religious Dialogue, and Protecting our Environment. Any groups or individuals can make suggestions of courses that they wish to have offered.
Some of the courses offered for specialist groups are: Mindfulness for Students, for Teachers and School Administrators, for Couples, for Parents and children, for Artists, for Business people, and for Politicians, to name a few. Courses for a focus group allow the course curriculum to be uniquely adjusted to fit the needs of the participants. The courses will also reflect the many cultures of the EIAB Sangha as well as the cultures in Germany and Europe.
The healing power of mindfulness has been acknowledged and applied all over the world for many years in hospitals and in therapy. Mindfulness practices such as daily deep relaxation can have a healing effect when we are faced with a disease. Mindful movements and time in the beautiful, natural surrounding of the Institute also support healing. We offer longer courses as well as weekend and courses that concentrate on: recovery, stress-reduction, relaxation and health issues. Some of these courses are tailored to health care employees and social work professionals.
The Five Mindfulness Trainings are the foundation of our life together as a community and have been taught and transmitted to lay practitioners since the founding of Plum Village. At the EIAB we continue this tradition and offer courses exclusively on this topic, which provides the basis for an ethical orientation in today’s society. It is very important to us to introduce these practices to young people who often suffer from the decline of values in our society. The Five Mindfulness Trainings help young people to connect with themselves, to lead happy, healthy and fulfilled lives without being overwhelmed by our culture of over-consumption and dependence on continuous sensory input.
The Institute will offer the teachings of the Buddha in a non-denominational way as well as teaching courses on specific Sutras. Whoever is interested in continuing their studies in Buddhist teachings will be able to acquire a solid foundation. At the same time the academic study of these texts will be taught in a way that the students will be able to use them to help transform their own suffering and difficulties.
The EIAB offers a spiritual contribution to modern society by responding to the fundamental, existential questions of our being human. The Buddhist teachings–especially given their non-denominational character–are very deep and extensive. This openness facilitates inter-religious dialogue.
The monks and nuns are always delighted when someone would like to live and practice, for days, weeks or months, with the community of the EIAB outside the scheduled retreats and courses.
