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ZEN GOLF Retreats
 Fox Acres Country Club and Shambhala Mountain Center
Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
Program is based on Dr. Parent's book
ZEN GOLF: Mastering the Mental Game (Doubleday).
Dr. Parent will teach awareness practice and the four principles of Shambhala Golf - virtue, discipline, humor and friendship - to help golfers of every caliber enjoy golf and life more than ever. The program combines meditation practice and discussion at the Shambhala Mountain Center with daily play at spectacular Fox Acres Country Club. Program Fee: $1295, including accommodations (double occupancy, single available for higher fee), meals, instruction and greens fees.
The program begins with dinner on the first evening, and includes three full days of teaching, discussion, practice and 18 holes of golf. Closing session is the morning of the final day, with departure after lunch.
For more information and reservations call (805) 640-1046 or email us.
Principles of Shambhala Golf
“Confidence is a change in attitude that makes the seemingly unworkable workable. This doesn’t mean that all of a sudden everything is going to go our way. But it does mean that we can appreciate life even when things don’t go our way. We have the resources to live in the challenge. That is the expression of the courage of a Shambhala warrior.” Venerable Chögyam Trungpa, in Shambhala:
The Sacred Path of the Warrior In 1980, with meditation master Vajra Regent Ösel Tendzin and renowned PGA golf instructor Ed Hanczaryk, Dr. Parent helped to found the Shambhala Golfers' Association. The purpose of the Shambhala Golfers’ Association is to foster the flowering of an enlightened society, in which individuals relate in an open and compassionate way to themselves and others. The means to realize this purpose is the cultivation of four basic principles in playing the game of golf, and applying these principles to all aspects of life. Virtue
Virtue is the expression of basic goodness in action. Basic goodness is the fundamental worthiness of every individual. In playing golf, what matters most is experience without the reference point of results. Ultimately, the game is neither important nor unimportant. The real point is that it is good to be mutually engaged in our world, joining body, mind and heart in the vividness of the moment. This is the ground for discovering unconditional confidence. Discipline
Discipline means proper conduct. Because of virtue, we understand proper conduct as that which overcomes pettiness. In golf, we make a relationship to the form of the game and our interactions with others. When frustration arises, it becomes the working basis for developing discipline. By applying generosity, ethics, patience, exertion, composure and perspective, pettiness and irritation can be transcended. Therefore, discipline is the antidote to the negativity that can arise in playing the game of golf, and the means to cultivate a confident and uplifted attitude. Humor
Humor is the absence of self-importance. It is a quality of lightness, an atmosphere of enjoyment. This does not mean frivolous comments or a good time at someone else’s expense; rather it is a simple and genuine delight in participating in the game. Because of discipline, we recognize the need for humor in overcoming the way in which we take ourselves so seriously. Over emphasis on results becomes self-defeating; with humor we can relax and trust ourselves, and be able to help others do the same. Friendship
Playing the game of golf is one way of engaging in our world. With virtue, discipline and humor, the simplicity of the game becomes the steppingstone for believing in oneself and opening one’s heart to others. An open heart is the basis of true friendship: accepting all the qualities we experience in ourselves and our fellow human beings. This is the foundation for expanding a vision of openness and compassion throughout the world. "The Shambhala Golfers' Association principles are the best written expression I’ve ever seen of the way we Scots feel about the true nature of the game of golf." Brian Dawes, President, Scotia Golf, Troon, Scotland |
