Heroic Heart – Day-Long Retreat: Practicing Wisdom
July 12, 2026 – Online and In Person
We are grateful for the opportunity to gather each month for these precious teachings. This month’s retreat will focus on “Practicing Wisdom,” based on Chapter 30 of The Heroic Heart: Awakening Unbound Compassion by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, a commentary on The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva.
In the absence of wisdom, perfect enlightenment cannot be attained
Through the other five perfections alone.
Therefore, to cultivate wisdom combined with skillful means
And free from the three concepts is the practice of a bodhisattva.Gyalse Thogme Zangpo
Wisdom lies at the heart of the Buddhist path. While generosity, ethical conduct, patience, joyful effort, and meditation create the causes for awakening, it is wisdom that transforms these practices into a path of liberation. In this chapter, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo explores the profound teachings on emptiness, selflessness, and the “three concepts” of subject, action, and object that subtly shape our experience and keep us bound to suffering.
During this day-long retreat, John Bruna will guide participants through a careful exploration of this chapter, offering commentary, meditation instruction, and opportunities for discussion and reflection. Together, we will examine how wisdom and compassion work hand in hand, why understanding emptiness is essential to the bodhisattva path, and how these teachings can be applied in our everyday lives to cultivate greater freedom, clarity, and compassion.
In The Heroic Heart, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo illuminates the heart of Mahayana Buddhism—bodhicitta, the awakened heart of compassion—and provides practical guidance for bringing these timeless teachings into modern life. Through study, contemplation, and meditation, this retreat offers an opportunity to deepen our understanding of one of the most profound and transformative aspects of the Buddhist path.
The retreat will be offered both in person and online and will consist of sessions approximately fifty minutes in length, with short breaks between sessions and an hour lunch break at noon.
As always, our retreats and teachings are offered on a free-will donation basis. All donations support the Way of Compassion Foundation.
Retreat Details
Date and Time: Sunday, July 12, 2026.
- Pacific Time: 8:30 am to 2:30 pm
- Mountain Time: 9:30 am to 3:30 pm
- Central Time: 10:30 am to 4:30 pm
- Eastern Time: 11:30 am to 5:30 pm
Cost: By donation. You may offer any amount.
Way of Compassion Dharma Center, 520 S Third Street, Suite 12, Carbondale, CO 81623
Topic: Practicing Wisdom
Register: To register make a secure donation below (any amount). Please make a note to specify if you will be attending in person or online. Once your donation is processed, you will receive a confirmation by email to enter your information and receive your zoom link. If you would like to register by check or in person at the retreat, email or call us, admin@wocompassion.org or 970-704-5512.
If you are attending in person, you can either bring a lunch or go out to eat. There will be an hour-long lunch break.
Online Attendees: The retreat will use the Zoom online webinar platform. There will be breaks and time for reflection, and questions and answers.
Before making your donation, please watch the short video above.