The Boundless Heart and Loving the Self:
The Somatic Practice of Bodhicitta
Registration for this program is now closed.
Through the somatic practice of bodhicitta, we come to know our natural state and discover that it is utterly open, filled with luminosity and the energy of awareness. Here we access the most fundamental love welling up within us, longing to be offered to the world.
September 19 – December 4
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Awaken Your Heart and Engage the Sacred Within.
The Boundless Heart and Loving the Self online course guides students into the third yana, dedicated to awakening our hearts.
This bodhicitta course explores ultimate bodhicitta (the fundamental, eternal, infinite openness of the heart) and maitri, or loving-kindness, toward oneself. A somatic understanding of the ultimate and an ability to appreciate the sacredness of our own being are essential in order to love others and to be of benefit to the world.
Boundless Heart is the third online course in the Dharma Ocean Foundation Series. It offers experiential training in the core somatic teachings and practices of this lineage. These Foundation Courses are designed to be incremental, with each course building on the practices of the previous ones. In order to get the most of out this program, participants are required to have taken the online courses Awakening the Body and The Somatic Practice of Pure Awareness, or to have gained experience of the practices taught in these courses by attending corresponding Dharma Ocean residential retreats.
Completion of the Meditating with the Body residential retreat may be used to fulfill the Awakening the Body pre-requisite. Completion of our online course Sutrayana Part I, or the Winter Meditation Intensive residential retreat, or another practice intensive focusing on the somatic practice of pure awareness may be used to fulfill The Somatic Practice of Pure Awareness pre-requisite.
Watch an introduction to the course with Reggie Ray and Caroline Pfohl.
Course Features
Weekly Video Teachings
10 weekly units of hour-long video teachings by Reggie Ray and Caroline Pfohl.
Online Q & A
Send questions to a trained meditation instructor for guidance on your practice.
Weekly Video Calls
Join weekly live video calls for teachings and Q&A with a Dharma Ocean teacher.
Downloadable Content
Download all teachings and guided meditations for later access and use.
Guided Audio Meditations
10 unique meditations that correlate with each unit’s teaching.
Study Questions
Supplemental materials to support your learning and deepen your practice.
Teaching & Guided Practice with Dr. Reggie Ray & Caroline Pfohl
Dr. Reginald “Reggie” Ray is the co-founder and Spiritual Director of the Dharma Ocean Foundation, dedicated to the evolution and flowering of the somatic teachings of Tibetan Tantra. He is a lineage holder in the tradition of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The author of many books, audio courses, and online series, Reggie’s work and teachings draw from his background as a Buddhist academic and practitioner. He holds a Ph.D. from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago in History of Religions. Reggie cofounded the Religious Studies program at Naropa University with Chögyam Trungpa, where he taught for over 30 years.
Reggie remains engaged in the transmission of this lineage through his involvement with Dharma Ocean students, the creation of new offerings such as this course, and in his lifelong work as a student and as a teacher.
Caroline Pfohl is the lineage successor of the Dharma Ocean lineage. Her spiritual journey has included three decades of study and practice in Chan, Taoism, and Tibetan Buddhism. Within Dharma Ocean, she holds the role of Desung (Protector of Joy), and drawing on lifelong work in educating and healing, she takes the lead in bringing somatic meditation into the arenas of mentoring, relationships, family, well-being, and the arts. In addition to Dharma Ocean, Caroline also currently leads the Hemera Foundation, dedicated to supporting contemplative views and practices and their integration into ordinary life. It focuses on dharma and secular education, children, and the arts.
Weekly Live Calls with Skye LaChute
Skye LaChute has been studying and practicing with Reggie Ray since 2002 and is the senior teacher for Dharma Ocean Seattle. The somatic meditation practices have had a profound and healing impact on her life and work. As a naturopathic physician, Skye’s passion is helping people discover the healing power of nature: the innate nature of wisdom, sacredness, and well-being already available within their own bodies. Both personally and professionally, she has discovered that the journey to health and healing is found within the body, discovering its true nature and supporting its vitality, rather than trying to escape or suppress discomfort and unease.
A Course Integrated Into Your Daily Life
Boundless Heart and Loving the Self is designed for “householders”—for those of us who have chosen to engage in a spiritual path inside of careers, families, and the great stressors (and great opportunities) provided by living in the world, as it is. This program teaches techniques that are meant to be integrated into your daily life and help you establish a committed practice at home.
Support From a Trained Senior Teacher
Dharma Ocean senior teachers have a longstanding commitment to the Dharma Ocean path and lineage. As practitioners, they are committed to their personal practice and complete many weeks of residential and solitary retreat before being trained and authorized to teach. Many have been students of Reggie’s for 10 years or more, and all have thousands of hours of active meditation training and practice.
Join the Course!
- Registration Closes September 13th
Course Curriculum
Each week, a new talk and new guided practice from Reggie and Caroline are released.
Unit 1
Talk
Mahayana – Vast and Profound
Guided Practice
Exploring the Territory of the Heart
Unit 3
Talk
Rousing Bodhicitta
Guided Practice
Central Channel
Unit 5
Talk
Pointing Out and Working with Obstacles
Guided Practice
Breathing the Fire Up from the Depths
Unit 7
Talk
Working with Obstacles
Guided Practice
Maitri – 10-Points Practice
Unit 9
Guided practice 1
Maitri for a Moment In Your Life
guided practice 2
Maitri with a Traumatized Aspect of Ourselves
Unit 2
Talk
Aspects of the Heart
Guided Practice
Yin Breathing
Unit 4
Talk
Resolving Karma: Trauma and Bodhicitta
Guided Practice
Thousand Petal Lotus
Unit 6
Talk
Three Aspects of the Ultimate Bodhicitta
Guided Practice
Love without Object
Unit 8
Talk
Working with Personal Trauma
Guided Practice
Maitri for a Part of Yourself
Unit 10
Talk
Life Without Concept
Guided Practice
The Bodhicitta Body
Proposed Boundless Heart Video Call Schedule
An Invitation and Course Preview From Reggie Ray
In this video, Reggie describes the course, how it fits into the larger Foundations Series, and how we can be together as an online community as we explore bodhicitta—the awakened heart.
Join the Course!
- Registration Closes on September 13th
Scholarship Information
If you currently have financial hardship and find the cost of this program prohibitive, prior to registration please complete a financial aid application.
Questions?
If you have questions, please reach out to us: 303-955-2574 or info@dharmaocean.org