Mt. Kailas Sacred Pilgrimage and Kora - 30 Day Tibet Pilgrimage
Asia ( 6/04/2011 - 7/03/2011 )
International Pilgrimages

John's description of this extraordinary expedition style retreat is as follows: "Our pilgrimage is to one of the most sacred mountains in the world, Mt. Kailas in Southwestern Tibet. This is THE Sacred Mountain to the Tibetan Bon, Tibetan Buddhists and Hindu Tantrikas. Our circumambulation (kora) around Mt. Kailas includes a pass well over 18,000 feet. This trekking part of the pilgrimage is rigorous, and only those who have conditioned themselves thoroughly beforehand should consider coming.

One very unique aspect of our Kora will be making a series of solo meditation retreat and vision quest camps to each of the four directions, as we do our walking pilgrimage around Kailas. If we have the time, and everyone's health holds up, I plan one to three nights of solo mountain retreat (vision quest) at each of the four direction stations to the south, the west, the north and the east. We will probably be the first contemporary Westerners to do this style of deep retreat at Kailas.

If possible, all those considering joining us should be of very good health and spend at least several weeks to a month at an elevation of 11,000 feet or above immediately before the pilrimage to help prepare for the thin air of the Tibetan Plateau.

Although difficult and demanding, this 30 day journey promises a profound immersion in the deepest levels of Source. The teachings given during the pilgrimage will support this extraordinary opportunity for recognition of our fundamental True Nature."

Although this program is open to all who have prepared well internally and externally, a number of John's senior Advanced Awareness Training students will also be joining in this powerful pilgrimage.

Cost: To be announced
Teacher:
John P. Milton

Sikkim Pilgrimage - 16 Day Advanced Awareness Training Retreat (Cycles 3 & 4)
Asia ( 10/22/2011 - 11/06/2011 )
Advanced Awareness Training
International Pilgrimages

This sacred journey to Sikkim will emphasize the study and cultivation of Tibet's Dzogchen Teachings - one of the most profound paths to full Liberation available on Earth. Our practice will be integrated with pilgrimage to many sites sacred to Dzogchen practitioners, both Bonpo, Kagyu and Nyingma. Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) and Yeshe Tsogyal spent much time here, and considered Sikkim to be one of the most important sacred "Hidden Lands." During our last Advanced Awareness Training Retreat here in the Spring of 2007, we completed pilgrimage many of his sacred caves, mountains, lakes, rivers and valleys to do deep practice. We will continue this sacred tradition on this extraordinary 2009 pilgrimage and Advanced Training with John. The retreat will be open to all who have completed at least one of his Advanced Trainings on realization of Source.

Sikkim is gifted with one of the world's greatest sacred mountains, Kanchenjunga. This spectacular, massive mountain is over 28,000 feet high. Its name translates as "Five treasuries of the Great Snow." Many have tried to capture its presence in words, for example, here is a quote from the book Everest, The Challenge: "Kanchenjunga is the very queen of mountains. The view of it from Darjeeling is the finest in the world. No other can compete with it." In an experience from his last solo mountain retreat with Kanchenjunga, John Milton noted: "this great sacred peak lifts One's eyes into the vastness of the sky, where form itself dissolves into rainbows..."

This year of our Advanced Awareness Training will be focusing on powerful methods to recognize Primordial Source Awareness, in preparation for our 44 Day Solo Retreat in the summer of 2010. The openness, spaciousness and clarity of sky, combined with the powerful spiritual presence of Kanchenjunga and the Himalayan Mountains will be a tremendous support to our practice here.

$1440 fee for contributions to Fellowship expenses & John's Teachings. (meals, housing & transport to be organized by AAT sangha)
Teacher: John P. Milton

Sacred Island of Bali - 10 Day Advanced Awareness Training & Pilgrimage (Open to all)
Asia ( 11/08/2011 - 11/18/2011 )
Advanced Awareness Training
GaiaFlow
Intermediate Awareness Training
International Pilgrimages
NatureQuest
Sacred Passage

Join us on a 10 day Advanced Awareness Training and Pilgrimage to magical, sacred Bali. Our teacher and guide, John Milton, has led pilgrimage and done spiritual practice here over many years. The extraordinarily friendly people of this amazing Hindu island culture have preserved one of Southeast Asia's most deeply spiritual ways of life. We will immerse ourselves deeply in Bali's ceremonies, sacred temples and incredibly beautiful landscapes. Our Balinese friends will share their secrets to opening a life of harmony, ceremony, beauty and sacredness in every step.

In addition, John will teach his carefully-developed system of Qi Gong for health, for revitalization, for building powerful life force and for spiritual development. Qi Gong, which is a major foundation of Chinese health care, is easy to learn, safe for all ages, and fun to practice. John will also teach on Taoist Internal Alchemy - a spectrum of powerful practices for spiritual illumination at the heart of the Taoist Path. Additional teachings on Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu will complement the strong immersion in Taoist cultivation at this retreat. John will also share meditations from his extensive background training in the meditation practices of many traditions. With John's 12 Principles for Spiritual Cultivation as our guide, each day we will devote at least three hours to learning and cultivating complementary forms of Qi Gong, Advanced Taoist Yoga, Dzogchen, Tantra and practices from other meditation systems.

Devotional cultivation of the path to the Divine Feminine will be an important part of our Bali Retreat. This will focus on honoring of Kali, Durga and Bagalama through ceremony, prayer, mantra and meditation as part of our deep exploration and cultivation of the Divine Feminine.

John is keeping this pilgrimage-based Advanced Retreat open to those new students who are either joining the Advanced Awareness training for the first time, to students who have done training or Passages with John before, and to those wanting to experience deep Pilgrimage on this extraordinarily sacred island.

With the help of the rich tradition of spiritual teachers from Bali, we will also delve deeply into the ceremonies, practices and modes of spiritual cultivation of the remarkable Balinese People. In particular, we will discover the Balinese mastery of bringing the Sacred View into every aspect of everyday life - and explore how to create this spiritual harmony in our own lives, wherever we are.

$999 Fee for John's Teaching
(meals, housing & land transport costs shared upon request)
teacher: John P. Milton