Art of Meditation

As human beings we are capable of extraordinary depths of love, compassion and wisdom once we have cleared the fog of dullness and confusion from our mind and begun to glimpse our vast untapped potential for goodness.

Today meditation is often thought of as a spiritual exercise in the same way that yoga asanas have come to be viewed as a physical exercise. But the Buddha, and the countless sages of the past, saw it as far more than this. They realised that it was the heart of a path that, if followed with discipline and commitment, would lead all the way out of suffering and confusion to the enlightened state of complete awakening.

Meditation begins by working to overcome our most ignoble characteristics of mind, such as laziness, greed, restlessness, agitation and doubt so that we might at least find a peace in the here and now.  In time we come to delight harmlessly in this precious opportunity of life, needing less to bring completeness and being able to give more. The yogi naturally moves from a more egocentric view of reality, to a more selfless and ’soul’ based expression of  being. Armed with increased capacity to do good things and wisdom about what that truly entails, the yogi engages more and more in the loving service of others. This is the only true ground for fulfilment within the round of rebirth, rather than the barren pleasures of the extremes of either the pursuit of transitory sensual indulgence and gratification, or its opposite - a nihilistic withdrawl and disengagement from the world.

Our intention is to offer guidance and systematic instruction in the entire field of meditative endeavour for all - ranging from complete beginner aspiring simply to live a good human life or to become of true service to others; to the yogi who might aspire to the higher goals of spiritual awakening, penetrating and embodying the nature of pure love and attaining the cessation of suffering (Nibbana) and the fully realised state.

If you are coming to meditation for the first time, seeking to develop some peace, serenity and understanding in your life, our foundation courses are carefully structured to introduce you to the depth and breadth of the field of endeavour, as well as giving you a deep experiential immersion into the practice.  Beginners are invariably amazed at how much progress they make and how they manage to build a strong foundation in just one week.

If you are already experienced and committed to your own awakening and enlightenment in this very life, our goal is to offer the entire spectrum of meditative teachings and trainings from the foundations of concentration and mindfulness, loving kindness and serenity, to the higher states of samadhi and insight knowledge that lead to cutting off the very roots of suffering itself. To this end we offer longer retreats in which the yogi is personally mentored by Burgs and given teachings according to his temperament and aspiration to allow him to swiftly progress along the path out of suffering.

Burgs is one of the most highly qualified and attained teachers in the West. To learn more about him, his teachers and training please see the ‘About Burgs’ section of this website.