How can we be at peace and free all forms of dukkha (suffering stress, dissatisfaction, sense of separation) in this very moment? In this class, there will be encouragement to hold this question as a koan. We will practice balancing mind, heart and body to develop calm and bring the quality of affectionate curiosity to each moment so that we can understand what views and actions leads to peace and connection and what leads to dissatisfaction and separation. We will work with the following, from Thich Nhat Hanh:
“We have a tendency to think in terms of doing and not in terms of being. We think that when we’re not doing anything, we’re wasting our time. But that’s not true. Our time is first of all for us to be alive, to be peaceful, to be joyful, to be loving. And this is what the world needs the most. We all need to train ourselves in our way of being, and that is the ground for all action. Our quality of being determines our quality of doing.”
This program is appropriate for those who have prior meditation experience. Each session will include meditation practice, teachings and discussion on how to bring the practice with these teachings into our daily life.
Suggested reference for the class: The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Class will not meet on November 27 (the day before Thanksgiving).
Ron Denhardt has practiced Insight Meditation and in the Zen tradition since 1989. He has been teaching at CIMC since 2006, where he teaches the Elders’ Group and other classes. He also teaches meditation at colleges, adult education centers, and other community organizations. Ron has a strong interest in somatic practices and neuroscience. He finds it very heartening when practitioners realize personal freedom is possible and that their own freedom will be beneficial to all.