Know Your Mind, Transform Your Life
Weekend of Teachings with Jan van der Breggan
The key message of Buddha’s teachings is both empowering and optimistic: that inherent in the essential nature of our mind is a kindness, compassion, and wisdom that is naturally ours. And through the simple, yet revolutionary shift in orientation that comes when we learn to turn within and come to know that aspect of our mind, we will come to discover within ourselves a tremendous capacity to benefit ourselves and our world.
The teachings of the Buddha say that when we understand our mind, we understand ourselves and who we really are, and this brings with it a deep sense of peace, confidence, and well-being. For those of us who are searching for a wholesome relationship with ourselves and the world around us, Buddha’s message is an invitation for exploration and investigation.
The Buddha never asked anyone to just believe what he said, but instead asked us to deeply investigate anything before accepting it. In this course, we invite you to do exactly this, and will facilitate a process of
● learning about what Buddha had to say about our mind, and its role in creating our reality
● reflection and investigating this to see if it rings true to you, and challenging our own views and habits in light of our understanding
● meditation – which is a direct and experiential process of clearly and directly seeing your own mind and reality, in light of the insights gained through learning and reflection
The course draws on a variety of sources, ranging from the direct teachings of Buddha recorded in ancient texts called sutra and abhidharma, to contemporary masters who hold the living and unbroken transmission of the Buddha’s wisdom mind, and are able to guide us from the depth of their insight and compassion.
Jan van der Breggan
Jan began his path of meditation at 17 years old, touched by the tenderness of the human experience and filled with questions about what reality was all about. Forty years later, Jan continues to be moved by the vast profundity of the Buddhist path and its vision of the inherent wisdom, loving kindness and strength that lies in the minds of each and every one of us.
Jan completed Rigpa’s three-year retreat under the guidance of Sogyal Rinpoche. He was entrusted as one of Rigpa’s Senior teachers by Khenchen Namdrol Rinpoche and Mindroling Jetsun Khandro in 2022. Jan has been a participant in the Milinda program since 2017. Milinda is a 10-year, international Buddhist teacher training program under the guidance of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, with a three month per year intensive and immersive in-person learning and reflection program.
Jan grew up in the Netherlands where he obtained a Masters Degree in Social and Historical Anthropology. He has lived in Brisbane, Australia, since 1998, and was instrumental in founding Rigpa Brisbane in 1999, where he has served as a Dharma instructor for over 20 years.