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Skype sessions

We've started using Video Skype for teaching sessions. This means people can tune in by Skype from anywhere in the world. If you are interested in joining in, please contact me via the email.

Dido is normally resident in New Zealand. She does sometimes travel; however the way of the future is to work via Skype or phone rather than burn up oil. She's willing to work with people from anywhere in the world (English speaking) in groups or individually.The issues she works with are of world-wide interest; often there are not large numbers of people thinking about these things in any one location. Skype could help link people from different places.

 

- Individual sessions - by Skype or phone or in person.

- Ongoing 21 Tara groups - Mangawhai (Northland), and Wellington

- Workshops

- Retreats

- Join in groups by Skype - from anywhere in the world. These groups will be set up on request.

- Ongoing groups work with Dido in Oxford, England, and Perth, Australia.

(In Oxford the groups are specially for people suffering from M.E./Chronic Fatigue. Oxford's local teacher is Jan.)

 

 

 

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Black Tara Retreat

We've just had a three-week retreat at home, with daily sessions via Skype. Of the 21 Taras, the group chose to work with Black Tara. She is a role model for integrating the 'Shadow'. Rather than be overwhelmed and daunted by deeply difficult emotions, we can work with them with Black Tara's powerful compassion. We can be proud Mistresses of the Dark. A determined yogini needs to have confidence that she can meet big obstructions skilfully and transform them to wisdom. This was a group of experienced women: not beginners' work.

Black Tara's beauty was also part if our work. Powerful women can be gorgeous too! This isn't always obvious when in our society, if a woman shows strength, we're still in times when many find her 'threatening'. 

 

TEN DAY RETREAT

February 26 - March 7

Eco-Tara and her 20 Sisters tackle Climate Change!

9 day retreat with Dido Dunlop

It is also possible to come for the weekends

Download a registration form below

The 21 Taras are ancient goddesses whose meditations have been practised for millennia in an unbroken living tradition. Today we are dealing with new “un-traditional” circumstances - climate change, peak oil, and the host of fears and confusions that come with them. Our present “growth economics” is no longer appropriate and we need to shift our values and aims to another paradigm, to create happiness sustainable for us and for the planet.

The 21 Taras can be of great help in these conditions. They are goddesses for compassionate skilful action, transforming fears to strengths through compassion. They don't avoid the dark and difficult: our difficult emotions contain enormous power and wisdom. By embracing fear and pain with compassionate awareness, the Taras unlock this power and energy and once released, the Taras can also help us develop our vision of what kind of world we want to create for the future.

In this retreat we'll make use of these ancient wisdom methods to carry us forward in a positive way into the future, and transform powerlessness to creative compassionate action.

Create a great new post-oil world with Eco-Tara!

For more information and to register please contact the Wangapeka:
ph 03 522-4221

Download a registration form
email retreatcentre@wangapeka.org

 

Five Dancing Dakinis

A weekend retreat with Dido Dunlop

Saturday 20 February – Sunday 21 February 2010

 

 

9am – 1pm at 31 Hobson Crescent, Thorndon, Wellington   During the weekend we will focus on the five dakinis or skydancers. These are Buddhist archetypes for strengthening and enlivening the self.   The dakinis, or skydancers, help us explore who we are. No more low self-esteem! Dakinis build a full-power, empowered self, who dances through life. We’re not a fixed static self, we’re the dance of elemental forces in space.   Dakinis show us our beauty, joy and wildness; how to be the power of compassion so we meet suffering with love; be the power of our suffering so we can transform it into wisdom. They show us a self who can laugh and growl, embrace both terrible and wonderful sides of life; active and peaceful at once, stillness in dance   We’ll explore the Goddess and the feminine in Buddhism; and the 'engaged Buddhist' dakini - they strengthen our bodhisattva intent, to relieve the suffering of the world as well as our own.   We’ll meditate, dance, paint, and share together our experiences. If you don't feel up to dancing - you can still do it, in your mind.   Beginners and experienced meditators welcome. The weekend will include meditation, dancing, sharing and discussion.     Costs: $40 waged or $30 for unwaged/student. Please also bring Dana or Koha for Dido’s teaching. This is Dido's only source of income. Please give as generously as you are able and help to support this teaching.   For more information and registration: contact Ruth Pink, tel. 04 8018896 /pinkruth@xtra.co.nz. Please register your interest to secure a place.     To contact Dido: www.wisebirds.org /dido@paradise.net.nz / 09-4312277 / 021-2089316

 

 

LOVE AND COMPASSION FOR SELF AND OTHERS

at Kaiwaipurapura, Wellpark Community, Albany, North Auckland

6 Tuesday evenings, 7-9, March 23 - April 27 2010

 

We're brought up to be kind and compassionate to others. we give our all, and feel drained and used up. then we give ourselves a hard time and beat ourselves up for not doing more, or not doing it right. we feel unlovable and think we don't know how to love. 

Caring for self is just as much an act of compassion as loving others. after all, we're just another person like anyone else. when we learn to care for self, it helps us care for others more sensitively and deeply.

in this course,  we will do a variety of meditations to practise love. we'll practise treating ourself with kindness, being compassionate with our self-critic, and loving others in ways that don't drain us. 

we'll practise four kinds of love: kindness, compassion, joy for good things, and equanimity. these help us not only have compassion for our suffering and other people's, but also support and encourage ourself and others when we're doing well.

as well as meditating, we'll do group sharing, and some partner exercises.

this is the basis of community. 

 

 

EXPLORING THE GODDESS

Monday 15 March

Meeting on Monday nights, Welllington every month or three.

Interested people contact Jude (232 7812, toroa@paradise.net.nz)

Exploring the depths of the Goddess through meditation and similar means. Working together and supporting each other's deep work with the Goddess. There are all sorts of reasons for working with the Goddess, and all of them are welcome. The group will run as a mutual teaching and support group, with visits (and inspiration) from Meditation teacher, Dido Dunlop.

TWO ONGOING GROUPS STUDYING 21 TARAS:

MANGAWHAI, NORTHLAND

LOWER HUTT, WELLINGTON

 

 

PAST WORKSHOPS

 

Sustainable Happiness and Storm-Weathering

Meditations for our Inner and Outer Climate

 

Our spiritual life provides a strong basis for building a sustainable life. Meditation helps us find inner sources of contentment and happiness, and weather the stormwinds of change. We can build our communities on a foundation of love, compassion and mutual valuing. 

 

For this work, we'll take Nature as our teacher. In meditation, we embody the values we need to develop, get to know what they feel like and develop the habit of feeling that way.

 

Beginners and experienced meditators welcome. We'll use meditation and other exercises, sharing and discussion.

 

 

Our Creative Nature
A Day of Meditation, Art and Movement for Women

This present moment is called Mother of all awakened ones. Let the depth flow into the present moment, release the creative power that underlies our being. This magic Now is the place to discover our natural spirituality as women.

Suitable for beginners and everyone else.
Sunday 30th April 10am - 4pm
Bring your lunch
$50 waged, $25 unwaged
Auckland Womens Centre,
4 Warnock St Grey Lynn
Auckland

Dido will be offering this workshop in Wellington also, probably in June or July.

Please contact Dido at dido@wisebirds.org for registration and further information.

Other examples of workshops: - Meditation Days held 2005

Green Tara            Women and Nature

 

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tools for exploration

Dido uses a wide variety of meditation methods in teaching, drawn from the rich Tibetan tradition, adapted to suit Western minds. This work is for awakening, in every aspect of life. She uses creative media, myth, ritual, science, to develop awareness, foster growth and live with spirit. Her groups are open to people from any background.

Her co-operative style of group facilitation, from her background of therapy training, provides a basis to explore together what is important for us.

Some groups are for women only; some are open to men too. Groups cover a wide variety of themes -


Groups



Individual Sessions

One-to-one sessions are somewhat like counselling sessions.
Individual work with Dido is an effective way to work with meditation in depth, and apply the work to your personal needs.

Traditionally, money was not charged for meditation training. Teachers were given food and entirely supported by students. However this is not always practicable in these times, so fees are charged. This enables Dido to continue to teach in this way.


Student Comments

"With infectious laughter and powerful compassion, Dido guides students on their individual journeys towards empowerment. Her insights put each
person's talents and struggles into perspective within the human dilemmas of 21st century living."
                                                                                              Rachel

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courses, workshops & retreats

Dido developed two different meditation days for women held in Wellington in late November 2005.

For further information contact Dido: dido@wisebirds.org

Green Tara Meditation Day for Women

Green Tara is the embodiment of All-accomplishing Wisdom. She has one foot in worldly activity, the other in the profound peace of meditation. She protects against fears of all kinds.

How can we be smiling and relaxed, and at the same time swift acting? What would life be like if we were enlightened? in touch with our depth wisdom?

Tara is a model for women of how we can develop the power of peace, and compassionate skilful action. We already have the wisdom within us. Tara helps us bring it forth. She helps us care for ourself and others. and helps us live in our goodness, not swayed by the eight fears.

This is a day to get to know Green Tara, and apply her wisdom to daily life. For those interested in the Goddess, here is a chance to learn how to mediate on the Goddess, in an ancient living tradition of practice.

Beginners and experienced meditators both welcome. We will share our questions and experience.

DETAILS:
One day workshop 10 - 4.30

Cost - $50 waged, $25 unwaged,
byo lunch

Nature and Meditation Day for Women

We go to a beach or forest to clear our heads, and find a good space from which to begin again. Nature is a great healer.

The peace we find in Nature restores our sense of being alive. Fresh, luscious, profound. We are part of nature. Our blood is salty as ocean, we are made of the same water, earth, air and heat, molecules and space.

Often we don't know how to integrate the spiritual feeling we find in nature, to draw on the healing and regeneration, and take it back into our lives.

Through meditation we can find that peace and beauty within ourselves, as well. Our mind can become like a clear pool at dawn, our wisdom the wisdom of forest trees. The 'natural state' is one description of the awakened state in Buddhism.

This is the spirit of our time.

We need to feel this power of Nature within us, and our connection and unity with Nature around us, so we can care for our planet as if it were our self - as well as heal our own lives.

Beginners and experienced meditators both welcome. We will share our questions and experience.

DETAILS:
One day workshop 10-4.30

Cost - $50 waged, $25 unwaged
byo lunch

Weekly Meditation Group

Beginners and experienced meditators both welcome. We will share our questions and experience.

We will explore what works best for women in meditation - questions like


Discover the goddess within, using the wisdom of the Tibetan tradition of working with goddess meditation.

Meditation is a journey of deep discovery - to the depths and heights of experience, and the bottom of our hearts. What we are goes quite beyond ordinary expectations. The gifts of this deep discovery we bring back into our ordinary lives.

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For registration and information contact Dido Dunlop at dido@wisebirds.org