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The Four Noble Truths of Buddhist Recovery (online)

Program Type:
Teacher:
Time:1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Date:Saturday - January 23, 2021
Sessions:1
Registration for this program is closed.

This program will be held online via Zoom. All registrants will receive the link to join the program in their Order Confirmation email.

“If, by giving up a lesser happiness,
        One could experience greater happiness,
A wise person would renounce the lesser
        To behold the greater.”
-- The Dhammapada 290 (translated by Gil Fronsdal)

While we are still caught in our addictions, we often use difficult or painful events as excuses to indulge in our addictions more than ever. Sometimes this kind of suffering can also lead to relapse once we are in recovery. Buddhism teaches us ways to face painful experiences and feelings without trying to escape them through substance abuse or acting out in some harmful way. Instead, we gradually cultivate mindfulness, insight and wisdom. It’s very helpful to do this in community with like-minded people, as well.

In his first teaching, which was an explanation of the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha talked about suffering and the causes of suffering, as well as the way leading to the end of suffering. This teaching can aid us in our recovery by showing us a helpful strategy for working through difficult times that leads to lasting happiness and peace.

During this half-day online workshop, we will gather as a community or sangha and explore the Buddha’s teaching on the Four Noble Truths through the lens of our recovery. The day will include: several periods of guided meditation, short lectures, small group discussions, and Q&A.

This workshop is open to anyone dealing with addictions of any kind, as well as those who love them.

Full and partial scholarships are available.

Note: Walt will be teaching a second workshop -- The Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhist Recovery -- on Sunday, February 28th.

 

WALT OPIE has been in recovery since 1987 and is a current participant in the Insight Meditation Society’s 2017-2021 Teacher Training Program. He is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders training program, mentored by Kevin Griffin (author of One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps). Walt has led sitting groups for people in recovery since 2011. He has also served as a volunteer prison dharma teacher for over five years. His most influential teachers include Bhikkhu Anālayo, Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Ajahn Sumedho, Joseph Goldstein, and Gil Fronsdal. His writing appears in the book collection Still, In the City: Creating Peace of Mind in the Midst of Urban Chaos edited by Angela Dews (Skyhorse Publishing, 2018).

There are no prerequisites for this program.

 

Workshop

  • Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to check in and to find a comfortable place in the meditation hall.
  • 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; however, please give yourself a range of clothing options, as individual preferences for warmth or coolness differ widely and cannot be accommodated.
  • Please be sure to leave shoes on the shoe shelves on the first floor, and to 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.
  • While at the Center all phones, pagers, beeping watches and other electronic devices must remain completely turned off at all times.
  • Some people who practice at the Center have chemical sensitivities or environmental illnesses and experience adverse reactions when exposed to scented products. CIMC is a refuge. Out of compassion for those with 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.