Bodhisattva School 2026–27:
Teachings on the Essence and What Surrounds It

Who is the Bodhisattva School intended for?

The Bodhisattva School is open to both current members of our group and newcomers who feel an inner calling and are eager to learn more about spiritual meditation traditions, about meditation itself and the inner transformation it brings about, and who have an inner desire and a steadfast commitment to take a step toward regular meditation and a mindful and compassionate way of life. If you have not previously participated in Sydänmaa’s activities, we require a private meeting—either in person or remotely—based on which we can jointly decide on your participation. The training can also be completed remotely using the video recordings.

Bodhisattva School sessions consist of guided meditations and meditative exercises, as well as supportive teaching that draws on the core teachings of various yogic, meditative and contemplative spiritual traditions, including the deeper meaning and purpose of life and humanity, awakening awareness and compassion, serving the world and embodying spirituality in daily life. The teachings are inspired by a range of spiritual traditions including Mahayana, Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta, Kashmiri Shaivism, Theosophy and esoteric Christianity. At the heart of the Bodhisattva school of thought is an interest in understanding humanity and the universe through spiritual philosophies and inner experiences, for which spiritual teachings provide a logical and clear basis. On the other hand, at least as central as understanding inner experiences is the practice of living everyday human life out of awareness and compassion, for which the training provides a strong and solid foundation.

The Core Teachings of Meditative Traditions

According to the teachings of the meditative traditions, we are not just our body, emotions and mind, but a much more complex and profound whole. We reflect, as a microcosm, the whole macrocosm of the universe. At the heart of our inner interest and practice is the exploration of who I am at my deepest core in the midst of all that is manifest. What in me is permanent and what is instead constantly changing? The central question of jnana yoga (wisdom yoga) is: Who am I? The answer lies in the question itself, the reality of which, however, cannot be grasped through thought but through silence and direct experience. When we quieten our minds, reality gradually reveals itself and we discover it to be our natural state – the so-called Buddha nature.

Central to the holistic spiritual path is the creation of a compassionate and loving relationship with ourselves and others. This requires a profound recognition and acceptance of our own incompleteness. At its core, the practice is about seeing things as they really are, without illusions and misunderstandings. We also practice letting go of various spiritual beliefs that do not lead us to our true Self, but feed our imagination and perpetuate our spiritual ego. Spiritual discernment is the key to opening up to true intuition rather than imagination. Our action is guided by the words of the Master Jesus that “the trees are known by their fruits”. How spiritual practice shows up in our daily lives, for example in our ability to discern the motives for our actions, in the way we relate to ourselves and to others, in our ability to rest within ourselves despite external pressures, in our willingness to let go of things that do not support our practice or to sacrifice our own comfort zones to serve others, and in our wisdom to understand when our services are not really needed, are key examples of the above-mentioned fruits of awareness that ripen with committed practice. Most comforting of all, in all our incompleteness, we can trust that when we patiently but persistently knock, we will be opened.

We dedicate this training to all Bodhisattva beings who inspire our spiritual practice and our lives. The term Bodhisattva comes from Buddhism and means a being who has realised his or her true nature and who, out of the compassion that arises from this realisation, works to promote the liberation from suffering and the awakening of consciousness of all living beings. At the Bodhisattva School, we practice on the bodhisattva path in the hope that the fruits of our practice will benefit not only ourselves but also our environment and the beings living in it.

Registration and Price

Dates
We meet on six weekends (+ Summer-extra).

2026: Sept. 4–6; Oct. 23–25; Nov. 20–22; 2027: Jan. 29–31; Apr. 16–18; May 28–30; 16.-18.4. 28.-30.5. Summer Extra: July 23–25.

We start Friday with a meditation at 7 p.m. We hope everyone will attend the meetings from Friday to Sunday. You can arrive no earlier than Fri at 18.30 (unless otherwise agreed). Saturday 9.30-20.00, and Sunday 9.30-16. Breakfast for overnight guests before the training starts. Free overnight accommodation is available in the Heartland, but please be prepared for mattresses, as there are not enough beds for everyone.

Price: 140 euros (including 25.5% VAT) for the weekend, including recordings. 115 euros for those traveling from more than 400 km away. All lectures and guided meditations are recorded in MP3 format as well as video, so you can also participate in the course from home at a later time if you’re unable to attend a session in person. The course is a complete program, and missing a course day does not reduce the price. If you complete the entire course through distance learning, the recordings cost 95 euros per weekend.

Please pay the course fee to the Heartland-Sydänmaa account: FI40 8954 0710 1011 62. You can pay the course fee in a single payment or in six installments, due before each session.

In exceptional cases, payment deadlines may be adjusted, but this must be agreed upon separately. As a general rule, course participants commit to attending the entire year-long program, which is important for the group as a whole. However, participants may interrupt the program for valid reasons, provided they give advance notice. Missing the final session does not exempt the participant from payment. Even in such cases, the participant will still receive the recordings for independent study at home.

Please register as soon as possible and preferably by 18 August at [email protected]. We can only take a few new people into our group.

Teachers

Teachers Leena and Hans Christian Hansen have been dedicated to the study of spiritual traditions, yoga, meditation and spiritual living for over twenty years. They have both taught in the late Asger Lorentsen’s trainings and run their own courses and retreats for over fifteen years. Currently Leena and Hans Christian are students of the American spiritual teacher Mark Sullivan and the Indian teacher Sri M. (Sri M is a disciple of the legendary Himalayan spiritual teacher Sri Guru Babaji). Both teachers support the Bodhisattva School and other Heartland trainings. The training is essentially not about the knowledge or vision of individual teachers, but about a broader impulse from multiple spiritual traditions and masters. The course is not an invitation to follow any one teacher or spiritual tradition, but rather to provide a rich and practical daily experience of finding one’s own inner connection to one’s own inner spiritual home through sustained practice. The languages of instruction are Finnish and English, translated into Finnish if necessary.

You are warmly welcome to our trainings and retreats, if your heart is in it! Feel free to pass on information about them.

Kuka voi osallistua: Retriitteihimme voi osallistua ilman aiempaa retriittitaustaa. Sinulla on kuitenkin hyvä olla jonkinlainen käsitys ja kokemus meditaatiosta, jotta tiedät mistä on kysymys. Jokainen voi kuitenkin syventää omaa harjoitustaan juuri siitä tilanteesta käsin, missä itse on. Mikäli sinulla on akuutteja mielenterveydellisiä ongelmia, pyydämme, että kerrot niistä ilmoittautumisen yhteydessä niin voimme yhdessä pohtia, voiko retriitti tukea tilannettasi vai joissakin tapauksissa päinvastoin.