"Peace in Oneself, Peace in the World"
First Asia-Pacific  Mindfulness Teachers Conference Retreat
 August 12 - 16, 2015
at Plum Village Mindfulness Academy,
Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong


Online registration for the conference retreat is avaiable

 
Click here for high-res image of the poster: 1stAsiaPacific-2015-MTeachers-Conference-Poster.jpg

Objective and Contents

Mindfulness helps us to be in the present moment, in the here and now, via the practice of mindful breathing. Being conscious of our breath helps bring our mind and body together, enables us to be aware of what's going on in our body and our mind. This helps cultivate peace and happiness within ourselves by realizing that there are wonderful things around us, even in the worst of times. Pain and suffering can be transformed with those realizations. With mindfulness, we can live a healthy and compassionate life right in this world, and help others do the same.

Mindfulness can be practiced in everyday activities such as walking, working, sitting, eating, relaxing ... because all that is needed is mindful breathing. In this conference retreat, participants have the chance to practice just that, participating in mindful activities of daily life. The conference is organized in a retreat format to allow participants to experience mindfulness as a way of living, not as a skill. Mindfulness-Born Peace and Happiness (MBPH), is realized when we go back to our breath and get in touch with the present moment.

Besides the practices, participants will listen to sharing of real life work of fellow mindfulness teachers and practitioners in the fields of education and physical, mental and social well-being. We will participate in the panel discussions and workshops. Among the speakers and panelists are:

• Bhikkhu Thich Chan Phap Kham, Director of Plum Village Mindfulness Academy, Hong Kong
• Richard Brady, Founder of the Mindfulness in Education Network, USA
• Li Chong Chan , Co-Director of Centre for the Humanities and Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
• Ha Vinh Tho, Program Director at the Gross National Happiness Centre, Bhutan
• Vicente Hao Chin, President of Golden Link College Foundation, The Philippines
• Shantum Seth, Director of Ahimsa Trust, India
• Jenny Chan, Clinical Psychologist
• and etc ... 

Format

The conference retreat is an in-residence retreat, lasting a full four days and four nights, from 14:00 August 12 to 14:00 August 16, 2015.

A sample of daily activities is as below:

     
Registration and Check in begins at 14:00 on Wednesday August 12. The event ends at 14:00 after lunch on Sunday August 16. There will be a hike along the scenic Nei Lak Shan Trail and picnic dinner in the afternoon on Friday August 14.  Please see the complete tentative schedule at the end of this document.

Accommodation and Food:

The conference retreat is organized at facilities of Plum Village Hong Kong, which are located at Lotus Pond Temple and Bamboo Forest Monastery in Ngong Ping, Lantau Island. Accommodation is simple, with single beds and bunk beds in dormitory-style rooms. Meals are vegetarian and prepared by the monastics of the monasteries.

Participants are invited to help with setting up and preparing for activities such as setting up the meditation/lecture hall, cleaning up, cutting vegetables, washing up after meal, cleaning toilets, preparing tea tables .... The working meditation is to help participants to integrate mindfulness into daily activities, besides helping the monastics and lay volunteers to run the event.

Cost: 

Registration fees is HKD2,000.00/person, including food, accommodation, and program fees.

How to register: 

Online Registration is available at pvretreats.org/aiab. There are only 120 spaces available. Registration is on a first come-first served basis. Payment information is provided in the confirmation of registration e-mail after you register. Please follow the instruction there.

For more information about the event, please contact:
Website:    mindfulness-academy.net
E-mail:       macademy@pvfhk.org
Phone:       +(852) 2985-5033

About the Organizers:

The Conference Retreat is co-organized by Plum Village Mindfulness Academy, The Plum Village Foundation Hong Kong Ltd.; Centre on Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong; and Centre for the Humanities and Medicine, The University of Hong Kong. Under various forms, the three organizations have worked together to bring mindfulness into the education and health care fields in Hong Kong since 2007. In October 2010 and May 2013, the organizers invited Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh to hold Days of Mindfulness for Health Care and Social Services Professionals at the University of Hong Kong

List of Speakers and Panelists (see short biographies here)

The following speakers and panelist will give presentations, participate in panel discussion and give workshops in the following areas:

1. Education

Bhikkhu Thich Chan Phap Kham, Plum Village Mindfulness Academy, Hong Kong
Richard Brady, Mindfulness in Education Network, USA
Christine Cheung , The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Grace Tam,  Rosary Hill School, Hong Kong
Vicente Hao Chin, Golden Link College Foundation, The Philippines
Larry Ward, USA and Thailand

2. Physical Well-Being

Lee Seng Teik, M.D., Singapore General Hospital
Suthida Suwanvecho, M.D., Bumrungrad International Hospital, Thailand
Li Chong Chan, M.D.,  Centre for the Humanities and Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
Katrina Tsang, M.D. , The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

3. Mental Well-Being

Jenny Chan, Clinical Psychologist
Helen Ma, Clinical Psychologist, Hong Kong Centre for Mindfulness, Hong Kong
Randy Dellosa, M.D., & Psy.D, Life Change Recovery Center, The Philippines
Geoffrey Chern-Yee Tan, M.D, Singapore  
Bhikkhuni Thich Nu Chan Luong Nghiem, Plum Village Mindfulness Academy, Hong Kong

4. Social Well-Being

Parry Leung, Hong Kong
Shantum Seth, Ahimsa Trust, India
Tho Ha Vinh, Gross National Happiness Office, Bhutan
Florita Paragas, Save Our School Children Foundation, The Philippines
Peggy Ward, USA and Thailand

Tentative Schedule