The School for Awakening 2010
"Enlightenment is your birthright; it's up to you
to claim it."
Now that so many people have embarked on the quest for spiritual awakening, the time has come for an extended program of self-exploration and peaceful abiding designed to invite the full realization of your timeless spiritual nature.
The School for Awakening is an eight-month “enlightenment intensive” sponsored by the International University of Professional Studies. Designed and led by an awakened teacher, the program creates a small-group environment in which the direct experience of true nature or unconditioned mind can be nurtured and deepened. In addition to group sessions, participants are supported in exploring silent sitting and self-inquiry on their own. (Participants have the option of crediting their involvement toward an advanced degree at the University.)
The format, consisting of three intensive periods of participation linked by regular group phone sessions and individual mentoring, invites people from around the world who might not otherwise have regular access to a teacher to gather and share in the process of investigating and realizing the truth together.
The teacher, Stephan Bodian, has been practicing and teaching the path of awakening for more than 35 years, including a decade as a Zen Buddhist monk. After studying Asian language, religion, and culture at Columbia and Stanford, Stephan trained with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind) and several other Zen teachers, directed the training program at the Zen Center of Los Angeles, studied Dzogchen with Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and spent 10 years as a student of Advaita master Jean Klein. (For a more complete biography, click here.)
In 2001 Adyashanti gave Stephan Dharma transmission (authorization to teach) and invited him to share the truth with others. His life is devoted to making authentic spiritual awakening accessible to a wider audience. He's the author of the popular guidebook Meditation for Dummies and coauthor of Buddhism for Dummies. His latest book, Wake Up Now: A Guide to the Journey of Spiritual Awakening, was published in hardcover by McGraw-Hill in 2008 and will be released in paperback this April. (To read an excerpt, click here. To order a copy, click on the book to the left.)
Format
The eight-month program is structured around three intensives, 12 regular group satsangs by phone, and 12 half-hour individual counseling sessions. Participation in each module is limited to 12 people.
The program begins in September with a three-day nonresidential intensive, featuring satsangs, dialogues, guided meditations, focused self-inquiry, and silent sitting, in a relaxing, supportive environment. Each day Stephan offers several satsangs, beginning with a Dharma talk followed by ample time for intimate, in-depth exploration of the nature of nondual reality. The living words spoken in satsang are not abstract concepts but direct pointers that invite an immediate glimpse of our timeless true nature. Participants also have an opportunity to get to know one another and bond as a sangha.
In February, after five months of regular group meetings and individual counseling sessions, and then again in May, eight months into the program, participants join for a two-day nonresidential intensive to deepen their inquiry. (Most participants fly in and stay off-site.)
Throughout the eight months, participants meet regularly by phone to sit quietly together, listen to brief Dharma talks, ask questions, engage in guided meditations and various forms of self-inquiry, share experiences and insights, and maintain their connection with the teacher and one another. Each session explores a particular theme or aspect of truth and provides a vital, ongoing invitation to awaken from the dream this very moment. To deepen their individual inquiry, participants also have 12 half-hour phone counseling sessions with Stephan.
One Student's Experience
"I had read books and attended larger retreats, but the catalyst for a deeper opening came through attending the School for Awakening. Being able to sit with Stephan sounded a gong within me that reverberated at a previously unrecognized level of inwardness.
"Stephan has the settled, unhurried quality of someone deeply steeped in being, and this is counterbalanced by the startling vitality of a consciousness unblinded by the mind, a consciousness empowered with the energy of wakefulness.
"Yet I felt at ease with Stephan. I did not feel judged by him. He is unpretentious and has the lightness and playfulness of someone who doesn’t take the forms of the world over-seriously. Stephan admits his humanity and doesn’t pretend to be “special”, he doesn’t call himself a guru, but a spiritual friend.
"I remember the doubt and fear that nearly prevented me from enrolling in the School. The idea of such a small group of people and such close proximity to a teacher was scary, definitely outside my normal comfort zone. All the travel arrangements, costs, and time commitments were further obstacles holding me back.
"But I listened to my heart. For once I walked past the voice of fear. Two years after completing the School for Awakening, the ripple effects continue to permeate every aspect of my life. I will always be grateful that I decided to attend the School. I highly recommend it to others."
--Colleen Loehr, M.D.
Location and Fees
The September and May intensives will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the site of the February intensive has yet to be determined.
The cost of the eight-month program is $2,350. (Plane fares, meals, and accommodations are up to participants.) For those who can't afford to pay the full cost in advance, an installment plan may be arranged.
Full payment received 90 days in advance will receive a 5% discount.
If you would like to schedule a free phone conversation to ask questions about the school, or to register for the program, please feel free to email us at info@stephanbodian.org or call 415-451-7133.
