This is a practical and experiential retreat, firmly rooted in the Skillful Means teachings of Tarthang Tulku. The aim is to develop a mindful and caring stance in many areas of your life as a powerfull antidote to stress. The retreat will be hosted by the World Peace Stupa Center at Winterwijk Woold in the charming countryside of the achterhoek in the east of the Netherlands. It is just a few foot steps away from Germany. Full board stay (vegetarian) in a private room with ensuite facilities included. There is parking space on site (charging station for EV’s available) and shuttle transport to and from the train station of Aalten, Winterwijk or Bocholt can be arranged.
Skillful Means originates from (Tibetan) Buddhism. The Tibetan teacher Tarthang Tulku has translated the specific challenges, that many (Western) people encounter in their daily lives, into a practical approach to bring back joy and fulfilment at work and your daily existence.
By developing inner skills such as relaxation, concentration, appreciation, and the focused deployment of energy you learn to creatively respond to the ongoing changes that mark our existence. The best place to practice is daily life and work. This means that you train WHILST you work and live. The result is that you achieve set goals with less effort and in alignment with the constantly changing circumstances.
Skillful Means is not just a set of skills and ’tricks’. By unfolding your hidden qualities, you gain control over all aspects of life. With a light-hearted approach, your work attitude shifts from ’things that must be done’ or ‘being a playball of daily circumstances to leadership over your life. Work and your daily life become the source from which you shape your personal development and it starts to feel as a playground of fulfillment, where personal growth and effective work start to mutually reinforce each other. During these retreats, you can completely immerse yourself and return to daily life recharged and with new knowledge and skills.
Is this retreat suitable for you?
If you experience stress in daily life and are open to recognize patterns that lead to stress, this retreat may well suit you. The program is designed for those who want to prevent burn outs or are well on their way to re-integrate at work after a burn-out period. If you’re interested in restoring the balance in your life, you are more than welcome.
A participant (policemen) stated: “The training has given me a lot of tools that I can practice with in daily life. It is a revelation to me that changing the attitude towards stressful situations works much more effectively than tricks to avoid or solve stress.”
Restore your Balance
Many problems in the workplace arise when the balance is lost between different aspects of a professional’s life. During the midweek retreat there are study sessions and practice sessions. The first practice session each day can be spent on a task you bring from your daily work. This is to practice with the balances, not to emerge yourself in work. You can bring a well-defined project that can be finished during the mid-week retreat. During the other sessions you will get instructions, participate in daily jobs at the center, do exercises (Kum Nye Yoga) and meditation practices, walks in nature and evaluate your insights and progression. Thus you wil reconnect with inner sources of knowledge that are so easily ignored or suppressed.
Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche is a Tibetan Vajrayana teacher and lama who introduced the Nyingma school tradition of Tibetan Buddhism to the United States. He has written over 40 books covering a wide variety of topics, including meditation, Kum Nye, Nyingma Buddhist psychology, Skillful means (bringing Buddhist practices to the workplace), and the Time, Space, and Knowledge series.
One Balance each Retreat
There are three balances that are being explored: the balance between giving and receiving, thinking and feeling, and doing and being. Each retreat helps you to practice one of the balances. Between retreats new insights and practice can be integrated in your daily life. You are supported by at least one coaching session between retreats or more on request.
Participation in all of the three balance retreats over the course of one year is recommended but you are also welcome to do one or two retreats. You will learn how to restore and maintain a natural connection between body, breath and mind during everyday situations at home and at work as a powerful and lasting antidote to stress.
“Once a balanced connection is restored, the connection between us, our colleagues, family and friends and our surroundings will open up and daily chores and work can become a source of inspiration instead of a necessary burden. ‘You will notice it is easier to get the results you wish for without wasting your energy’.”
The program is not suitable for people who are in the midst of a burn-out. Then all you need is rest, counseling, peace of mind and gentle exercises. In case you like to join other programs at the World Peace Stupa Center aiming at peace of mind and tranquility and you are burn-out, please consult your physician. There are possibilities for a tailormade program at the center according to your needs. But please keep in mind that a burn out is a medical condition that needs medical supervision, preferably by your own GP.
Having an intake with one of our trainers is part of the program. For info mail: thieuberkhout@nyingma.nl.
Arrival Monday: 15.15-15.30, departure: friday 11.15
Daily schedule
07.00-07.45 morning practice (optional)
08.00-09.00 breakfast and clean-up
10.00-11.00 retreat session
11.00-11.30 tea and coffee break
11.30-13.00 practice session
13.00-14.00 lunch and clean-up
14.00-15.30 private time for rest, practice or work (in garden or kitchen) or take a walk
15.30-16.00 tea break
16.00-17.30 retreat session
18.00-19.30 dinner socializing and clean-up
19.30-21.00 reading/preparing for next day/relaxing, essential speech only
22.00-06.15 Silence
The World Peace Stupa Centre is situated in Winterswijk Woold which is part of an enchanting ‘light and noise polution protected’ National Landscape. Here nature shows itself at its best and beholds plenty of peace and space, you will experience the Achterhoek at its finest. Let yourself be surprised by the beautiful historical center of Winterswijk. Its charming shopping area, comprehensive street market, numerous hospitable catering establishments, special museums, and attractions. There is much to see, do, and experience.
These retreats will be organized 9 times a year. You can enter in the next retreat at any of the balances, unless otherwise adviced. Ask for the dates!
Thieu Berkhout was trained as a physical therapist and has been in a leadership role within the Dutch rehabilitation sector since 2013. Thieu developed a program based on Kum Nye for patients with chronic pain and was active for Nyingma in Amsterdam, Alkmaar and Rotterdam. He has been studying Dharma for several decades and is an instructor of Kum Nye and Skillful Means at the Nyingma Centrum Amsterdam, where he recently also became the coordinator of MindingWork offering B tot B workshops in Skillful means on location.
Ineke Smits was trained as a cultural anthropologist. She has worked for almost 30 years with and for refugees, as a coach and later as consultant and trainer for the Dutch Council for Refugees. She has been involved with Nyingma Centrum Nederland since 1995 and has lived and worked at the center in Amsterdam since 2011. There she is co-dean, teaches Skillful Means, and Buddhist Study and Practice. She is also involved in in-company training through MindingWork.