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Becoming Buddha: The Meaning and Practice of Waking Up (in-person)

Program Type:
Teacher:
Time:10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Date:Saturday - July 27, 2024
Sessions:1
Registration for this program is closed.

This program will be hosted in-person at CIMC. Please bring a vegetarian lunch or plan to go out during the lunch break. Masks will be optional.

Buddhism is a cultural phenomenon, the -ism that came in the wake of Siddhartha Gotama’s awakening. Buddha is the honorific title Siddhartha took connoting the freedom from suffering that is possible through meditation practice and the cultivation of insight. Ultimately, the notion of Buddha (one who is awake) transcends both the institution and the historical figure. It is not restricted to time or place and is available to anyone under suitable and supportive conditions.

This workshop explores two related questions: “What does it mean to be awake?” and “What conditions support awakening?”

Integrating periods of meditation, examples from the Buddha’s life, and the Therigatha -- poems of the first Buddhist women -- we look to those who came before us on the path as well as to our own direct experience to better understand both the meaning and implication of Buddha for our own life and practice.

In addition to sitting and walking meditation, this day-long workshop will include Dhamma reflections by the teacher, time for individual student reflection, teacher-led discussion, and alternating between periods of silence and mindful speech.

This program is appropriate for both new and experienced meditators. Everyone is welcome.

Full and partial scholarships are available up to 72 hours before the start of the program.

Chris Crotty, M.A., BCCC, BCPC, is a Buddhist teacher, clinical chaplain and pastoral counselor, and furniture maker. Practicing meditation since 1998, he has taken retreats with Burmese monastics Sayadaw U Indaka and Sayadaw U Tejaniya, scholar-practitioner Bhikkhu Analayo, western monastics of the Zen and Thai Forest tradition, and senior western Vipassana teachers. Chris was authorized to teach Buddhadharma in 2015 by senior teachers in the western Insight (vipassana) tradition, and in 2016 was encouraged to teach vipassana and metta by Sayadaw U Indaka. Chris is the co-spiritual director at The Center for Mindfulness & Insight Meditation Wenham, a faculty member at Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and an active member of the Center for Spiritual Care & Pastoral Formation (CSCPF).

There are no prerequisites for this program. Everyone is welcome.

Workshop

Attending an In-Person Workshop at CIMC (see below for attending online workshops)

  • Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to check-in and to find a comfortable place in the meditation hall.
  • While at the Center all phones, pagers, beeping watches and other electronic devices must remain completely turned off at all times.
  • Parking at CIMC is limited; we suggest taking public transportation to the Center whenever possible.
  • Lunch will not be provided. Participants are invited to bring their own vegetarian meal to the Center or may buy lunch in the neighborhood. A list of local restaurants and food stores will be available.
  • Food and beverages, including water, are not allowed in the meditation halls.
  • We strongly recommend you dress in layers since the temperature in the meditation hall will vary throughout the day. The hall thermostat is set to a comfortable temperature range; however, please give yourself a range of clothing options, as individual preferences for warmth or coolness differ widely and cannot be accommodated.
  • Please leave shoes on the shoe shelves on the first floor and keep your valuables with you at all times.
  • CIMC provides zafus (round cushions), zabutons (large mats), meditation benches, blankets, and chairs for your use. At the end of the program, we request that participants brush off their zabuton and plump up their zafu. All other items should be returned neatly to where they were found.
  • CIMC is a refuge. Out of compassion for those who may have chemical sensitivities, please avoid using scented products—lotions, deodorant, after-shave, hair products, perfume, clothes laundered with scented detergent, or dryer sheets—before you come to the Center.

Attending an Online Workshop

  • We will be using Zoom for this workshop. Before your workshop begins, be sure to download Zoom and familiarize yourself with using the program, including the chat feature. Specifics about how we will be using Zoom during your workshop will be covered at the beginning of the workshop; however, we are not able to provide technical support during the workshop.
  • We ask that you treat our virtual meditation hall as if we were together in person, in the same room. The teachers and other yogis benefit greatly from your full presence and careful attention.
  • Join each session of the workshop a few minutes early. This will support the teachers and your fellow participants.
  • Ideally, power off phones and smartwatches for the entire time scheduled for the workshop on each day. Please don’t check your devices during breaks. We suggest that you put an “away” message on your email and voicemail and leave your devices in another room during your workshop hours.
  • Please keep your video on during our time together as much as you can. This supports a sense of connectedness and sangha.
  • Closed Captions for CIMC Programs are generated through “live streaming” via Rev.com. CIMC programs are not live-streamed to any other platform for any other use.
  • You will receive a welcome email from CIMC a day or two before your program that will include the zoom link and further information.