【全新暑期課程 UGED2297】體驗禪修 「學以致禪:從靜觀到正念」【Experiential learning summer course UGED2297】Understanding in Practice: From Meditation to Mindfulness

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此身非我有,何時忘卻營營?

禪修蔚為潮流,佛系成為網語!

禪修本是佛家修行方式,但「多得」香港排山倒海的工作壓力和趨向極端的社會結構,不少人即使不信佛,面對躁動的營役和絕望的困境,消極者以「佛系」式淡泊無為為對策,頹廢被動地等待「緣份到」;較積極者則嘗試透過靜修、冥想,為情緒和壓力找個出口。即使未入職場,大學生處理學習問題、他人期望、自我定位、親密關係,又或者懷抱理想、追求社會公義,內心一樣會充斥各種未得之欲、未竟之求,因而感到失望挫敗。

禪修有助我們看穿旋生旋滅的欲望, 聆聽自己內、外的聲音,放下「我執」;也有助我們體察他人的需要,看清事物間複雜的因緣,以助我們更好地策劃未來的生活和行動。一行禪師在越戰前後動盪的時局開拓「入世佛教」,他傳承自佛家並應對當代需要而設計的禪修方法,一年四季,在他創立的禪修中心開放給來自世界各地的同修者一起修習。

學以致禪:從靜觀到正念

大學通識教育部2019年暑假舉辦的新科目──《學以致禪:從靜觀到正念》,是《與人文對話》中《心經》一課之延伸;同學會在法國梅村參與七天的修習,通過親身實踐,體悟五蘊皆空、互即互入等理念,如何展現在真實世界中。由盤膝數息的禁語禪坐,到生活日常中擁抱當下,同學可依循指導,逐步修習「正念」。

一般人認為禪修是一個艱苦而孤獨的過程,《學以致禪》卻希望讓同學發現:禪修其實也可以是簡單而精彩、與友同行的。《學以致禪》的課程主要分三個部分:參與修習前,學生須完成指定閱讀和報告,掌握靜觀的理念和應用;於法國梅村的佛家禪修中心,進行為期一周的「正念靜觀」修習,包括行禪、坐禪、茶禪、農禪、止語、慈悲禪等;修習後則須撰寫報告,總結一周的觀察和體悟。三個部分中,法國梅村一星期平靜而充滿靈性的禪修體驗應該最吸引同學。梅村位於法國酒鄉波爾多的近郊,環境清幽,鳥語花香,宛如人間天堂,即使沒有信仰,在那裡靜待一周,總會與心底裡的自己相遇。籌劃課程的趙茱莉博士更說:「希望同學完成課程後,可以培養自我慈悲,並且發現自己和他人以致萬物的聯繫;這樣,不但對於情緒管理會有幫助,對於未來行動的取捨,無論是關乎自己還是關乎社會、環境的,都應該有所啟發。」

長話短說,以下便是課程的基本資訊,現正修讀或已修讀過《與人文對話》,對此課程有興趣的學生均可申請。

日期:          2019年六月中至七月中 (暫定)
地點:          香港中文大學(講課和研討會)、法國波爾多梅村禪修中心(七天禪修)
導師:          通識教育部趙茱莉博士
名額:          20人
授課語言:廣東話及英語
截止日期:2018年12月17日
面試:          2019年1月

**大學通識教育部會負責課程、素膳食、露營住宿和轉車的基本費用。同學須自行預備往返香港和法國的機票和個人用品。有需要的同學可申請進一步的資助 。

申請和詳細內容:
http://www5.cuhk.edu.hk/oge/index.php/tc/2011-06-24-02-57-02/2011-07-07-02-58-24/summer-courses/uged2297-mindfulness

新科簡介會
日期:2018年11月23日
時間:下午六時四十五分
地點:ELB LT4
登記:https://webapp.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/ras/restricted/event?id=23897
廣東話進行


This body isn’t mine to have; can there be freedom from the daily grind?

Mindfulness be the trend, “Buddhist-clique” the new net-sensation!

Mindfulness has long been an important part of the Buddhist faith. Thanks to inexorable pressure at work and a polarized social structure, we are prone to stress and dissatisfaction. These days, even non-Buddhists may claim to be of the “Buddhist-clique”—anything is fine, I don’t care; have no worries, nature will take its course. The more serious ones are actively seeking reliefs from pent-up emotions and stress through meditation and retreats. Not yet in the job market, university students are not free from unsatisfied desires and wishes yet to be fulfilled—studies, expectations, self-positioning, relationships are all calling for attention; those seeking higher ideals and social justice can feel beaten and depressed.

Mindfulness meditation helps us penetrate desires that arise and cease moment to moment, hear sounds within us and without, and let go of attachment to the self. It also helps us perceive the needs of others and ponder the intricate causes and conditions underlying phenomena, so we may make better plans for future life and action. Thich Nhat Hanh first conceived the idea of “Engaged Buddhism” during times of unrest around the Vietnam War. His mindfulness meditation finds origin in the Buddhist tradition but is adapted to suit the needs of the modern world. Throughout the year, the meditation centre he founded in France is open for joint practice with people from around the world.

From meditation to mindfulness

“UGED2297 Understanding in Practice: From Meditation to Mindfulness” is a new course of the Office of University General Education to be launched in the summer of 2019. It offers a chance to extend learning of the Heart Sutra, one of the classics studied in “In Dialogue with Humanity.” Students will take part in a week’s meditation retreat at Plum Village, France, for direct experience and practice to appreciate how “emptiness of the five skandhas” and “interbeing” find resonances in real life. From sitting cross-legged counting the breaths in sitting meditation, to embracing each present moment in daily life, students will be guided to practice “right mindfulness” (samma sati).

Many people think that meditation is a difficult, lonely process. But students of the course may discover: it can also be fun and foster togetherness. The course comprises three parts: pre-trip seminars and readings on Buddhist meditation and its applications; in-trip practices with an international community in mindful sitting, walking, eating, farming, noble silence, and loving kindness; and post-trip reflection and sharing. Of the three parts, students may welcome most the tranquil and spiritual experience of the 7-day retreat. Plum Village is located in the suburb of Bordeaux, winery country of France. It is an area of calm and quietude, of fragrant flowers and birdsongs, which is like a paradise on earth. Even without any religious belief, students who spend a quiet week there may have meaningful encounters with the “me” deep inside. “My humble wish is that students can cultivate self-compassion and discover their connections with the others and with everything in the world,” said Julie Chiu, the teacher who developed the course. “Hopefully, in the long run, it puts students in a better position to manage their emotions, and to make plans for future life and action, whether it concerns only themselves or the society and environment as a whole.”

Students having taken or presently taking “In Dialogue with Humanity” may apply. Details of the course are as follows.

Date:               mid-June to mid-July 2019 (tentative)
Venue:            CUHK (lectures & seminars)
Plum Village, Bordeaux, France (7-day retreat)
Teacher:        Dr Julie Chiu, OUGE
Class size:     20
Language:    Cantonese & English
Application: by 17/12/2018 (Mon)
Interview:     January 2019

**Full sponsorship for tuition, vegan meals, camping & shuttle to PV. Air travel self-funded and self-arranged by students. Students in need may apply for further spondsorship.

Application and details: http://www5.cuhk.edu.hk/oge/index.php/en/teaching-a-learning/2011-07-04-07-07-54/summer-courses/uged2297-mindfulness-en

Course briefing (in Cantonese)
Date:                23/11/2018 (Fri)
Time :              6 :45 pm
Venue :            ELB LT4
Website :        https://webapp.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/ras/restricted/event?id=23897

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