What is Annual Winter Training?
What is Annual Winter Training?
Annual Winter Training in Shinnyo-en Buddhism is a two-week period of practice and renewal held by Shinnyo practitioners at the beginning of each new year. A daily program consisting of chanting, meditation, and themed talks, is designed to help participants reconnect with their spiritual core and refocus for the year ahead.
Originating in the rigorous winter ascetic practices traditionally undertaken by monks and ascetics, Masters Shinjo and Tomoji, the founders of Shinnyo-en, engaged in a period of intense religious training to seek their life's purpose and uncover their true nature or shinnyo - a Buddhist term referring to the goodness, wisdom, and compassion that exists at the core of every living being.
Annual Winter Training invites participants to step away from their normal routines and discover ways of looking at their lives with renewed awareness.
Each daily program is formed of three key elements:
Chanting - the recitation of sacred verses praising Buddhahood encourages self-reflection, awareness, and the resolve to pursue spiritual growth and cultivate inner goodness. To recite or listen to chanting is regarded as a form of meditation.
Meditation - a core Buddhist practice integral to developing spiritual awareness and nurturing confidence in one's path to enlightened reality. By calming the mind, one gradually gains insight into our lives, tendencies and perceptions that might obscure seeing reality objectively, and helps an individual discover the keys to living a joyful and meaningful life.
Talks - each day will feature either an explanatory talk exploring different Buddhist concepts or current practitioners sharing their own experiences and insights gained through their practice of Shinnyo Buddhism. Special teachings by Master Shinjo and Shinso Ito, the current head priest of Shinnyo-en, explore the practice of acting altruistically for the well-being of others, as well as ourselves.
Participating in Annual Winter Training is an opportunity to discover the potential of actual transformation: the happiness and hope that all human beings seek. The program offers examples of how one can learn from and embrace life's challenges, and develop an increased awareness of our positive, Buddha-like qualities.