Beyond Mindfulness III: The Nature of Consciousness

With Tempa Dukte Lama, Dr. Jon Spiegel, Dr. Stan Perelman, and Dr. Carol Greco

Shadyside Hospital, West Wing Auditorium, 5320 Center Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232.

Co-Sponsored by the UPMC Center for Integrative Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC (WPIC) and C.G. Jung Institute of Pittsburgh. Continuing education credits available.

Fri. March 30, 7-8:30 PM
Sat. March 31, 9:30 AM – 5 PM (break: 12:30-2 PM)
Sun. April 1, 10 AM – 1 PM

About the Workshop

This Workshop is the third in the “Beyond Mindfulness” series which introduces participants to the psychological importance of Bon Buddhism. The ancient Tibetan Bon tradition is the oldest of Tibet’s five spiritual schools. Bon has developed a psychologically sophisticated system of practices to understand and transform ‘afflicted states of mind’ such as ignorance, greed, anger and jealousy.

This workshop will introduce participants to the Bon view of consciousness. According to Bon, the mind is not a single entity, but arises from the six consciousnesses of the senses, the deluded mind consciousness, and the fundamental base consciousness. The base consciousness contains the seeds of both happiness and unhappiness. These seeds ripen depending on secondary conditions in our life, including our moment to moment choices. Participants will study the arising of deluded perception and attendant affliction. We will then explore potential for psychological transformation based in a deeper understanding of consciousness, the conceptual mind, and mindfulness.

Each Workshop in the Beyond Mindfulness Series focuses on a different topic and consists of entirely new material. To attend, it is not necessary to have attended any of the previous workshops in this series.

Educational Objectives:

At the conclusion of this program, participants should be able to:

• Explain Bon Buddhism as a psychological, ethical and spiritual system.
• Explain the Bon view of the mind and the eight constituent consciousnesses.
• Describe the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program at UPMC Center for Integrative Medicine.
• Explain practical methods for keeping meditation practice vital.
• Describe the applicability of Bon psychological concepts and practices in the context of clinical work.
• Describe Bon meditation techniques used to support psychological well being.

About the Instructors:

Tempa Dukte Lama is an ordained Tibetan Bon lama. He is the founder and spiritual director of Olmo Ling Bon Center. He is an artist, poet, and the author of two books. Tempa Lama trained in Menri Monastery, India from the age of six under the guidance of H.H. 33rd Menri Trizin, the world-wide spiritual leader of Bon. He has lived in the US since 2000 and teaches internationally on contemplative healing practice and other Bon practices, being with dying, the stages of meditation, and living a spiritual path informed by compassion.

Jon Spiegel, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in private practice and the Clinical Director of Spiegel/ Freedman Psychological Associates. He has been teaching and supervising psycho-therapists for the past 30 years. Since early adulthood he has been a dedicated student of religion and culture. His post-doctoral work was in mythology and comparative religion. Dr. Spiegel has studied in Asia with Jain, Sikh, Hindu, Taoist, and Buddhist teachers since 1967. In the US he studied with the late mythologist Joseph Campbell for five years. Since 1986 he has studied with Reb. Zalman Schacter-Shalomi. Dr. Spiegel is the co-founder of the Program in Spirituality and Psychology at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Stanley Perelman, Ph.D. is a psychologist and Jungian Analyst in private practice. He also consults with the Chatham University Counseling Center. He is a member of the Jungian Psychoanalytic Association in New York and an affiliate member of the Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Institute. He has given seminars on a variety of subjects including personality disorders, aspects of Jungian psychology, dreams, Buddhism and the nature of spirituality. He has a long time meditation practice and has been a student of Bon Buddhism for the last fifteen years.

Carol Greco, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist at the UPMC Center for Integrative Medicine and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests include mind-body approaches to chronic pain and chronic disease, cognitive-behavioral therapy, biofeedback, and mind¬fulness meditation. She is trained in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Re¬duc-tion Program (MBSR) by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, has practiced meditation for 18 years and teaches MBSR at the UPMC Center for Integrative Medicine.

Continuing Education Credits:

Psychologists: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education credit for psychologists. WPIC maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This program is being offered for 10.5 continuing education credits.

Counselors: WPIC is recognized by the National Board for Certified Counselors to offer continuing education for National Certified Counselors. WPIC adheres to the NBCC Continuing Education Guidelines. This program is being offered for 10.5 continuing education credits.

Licensed clinical social workers (LSW), licensed professional counselors (LPC), licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT): This program is offered for 10.5 hours of social work continuing education through co-sponsorship of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work, a Council on Social Work Education-accredited school and, therefore, a PA pre-approved provider of social work continuing education. These credit hours satisfy requirements for LSW/LCSW, LPC and LMFT biennial license renewal. For information on social work continuing education call (412) 624-3711

Mental Health Professionals: Nurses and other health care professionals are awarded 1.05 Continuing Education Units (CEU’s). One CEU is equal to 10 contact hours.
Nurses: For attending this program you will receive a Certificate of Attendance confirming 10.5 hours of continuing education. These hours may be considered eligible for completing the 30 hours of continuing education required for biannual nursing re-licensure in Pennsylvania.
Peer Specialists: This program fulfills requirements for Certified Peer Specialist continuing education.

Registration & costs through March 14:

Olmo Ling members: $110
Non-members: $125
Add $30 to receive continuing education credits. The online registration system assumes that those requesting continuing education are not members, so if you are a member and would like to receive continuing education credits, please call us to register (or register by mail).

Students with a valid student ID may request a discount for this workshop. Please call 412-904-1112 or send an email inquiry to bon@olmoling.org.

Registration deadline: March 14. Registrations after March 14 will be accepted space-permitting.

Costs from March 15:
Olmo Ling members: $135
Non-members: $150

Registrations after Thurs. March 29, 6pm can be accepted at the door or on the phone.

Cancellation Policy:

A $20 fee applies for cancellations prior to 24 h before the workshop. No refunds for cancellations within 24 h before the workshop. Olmo Ling reserves the right to cancel the program if circumstances warrant (for a full refund).