Smile at Fear
with Stephan Pende

When circumstances are challenging and stressful, how do you react? Do you feel distressed, anxious, and depleted by the endless stresses of daily life?   

In this course, Stephan Pende will guide us through different meditations from the Buddhist tradition to give us a ‘toolkit’ to reset our internal thermostat so we can cultivate more calmness and resilience. Stephan will help us explore a more liberating way to relate to our fears, not as something to ignore or cast out, but as something we can learn from and relate to skillfully.

This, in turn, will make us more relaxed, and nourish our confidence to gracefully engage with the world. We will realize for ourselves that the journey of accepting and knowing fear is the journey of courage. From this wisdom, we can fearlessly embrace all our experiences.

The first session (on March 13) will explore solutions from the Sutra perspective. The second session (on March 14) will explore them from the Mahayana perspective. And the third session (March 28) will explore them from the perspective of Tantra. You are welcome to join us for the series or come for only one or two sessions. These teachings are applicable for new students and seasoned practitioners alike.

Recordings

About the Teacher

Stephan Pende Wormland has studied and practiced meditation in multiple traditions for over 30 years. He was a monk in the Tibetan tradition for 11 years. During that time, he served as director of FPMT’s Nalanda Monastery and spent five years in group and solitary retreats. While Stephan’s main teacher is Lama Zopa Rinpoche, he has also received teachings from great Tibetan Masters of the four schools including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, Kirti Thenshap Rinpoche, Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, and Choden Rinpoche. He has also practiced and studied with esteemed Western teachers like Peter Fenner, Alan Wallace, Rob Preece, Alex Berzin, Pema Chodron, Robert Thurman, and Ken McLeod.

Stephan has been the resident teacher for FPMT’s Center for Wisdom and Compassion in Copenhagen for many years and currently teaches meditation in Buddhist Centers around Europe. Since 2009 he has been studying Radiant Mind with Peter Fenner, completed the Nondual Teacher Training, and is a program adviser of Potential Project.