NEWTON COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND ANDOVER NEWTON THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL PRESENT: AND RELIGION Two Sessions: Tuesdays, October 1 & 29

Mindfulness has become a powerful secular movement in this country. But with it comes pushback from those who are tracing its roots to classical Buddhist teachings and dismissing it as just another religious teaching. In response, many Mindfulness practitioners are asserting that Mindfulness is not owned by any one religious tradition but is an aspect of all. Join us to see/experience if this notion is correct. NCE is proud to co-sponsor this fall’s series with Andover Newton !eological School; these talks will take place in their lovely Wilson Chapel, 234 Herrick Road in Newton Center.

SESSION 1: SITTING TOGETHER: BUDDHIST PRACTICE CHRISTIAN PRACTICE Meditation Practices From Various In practice, we are inspired by the words of the Silence is said to be God’s !rst language. Christian prac- Buddha, “If we could see the miracle of a single "ower tice, like practices from other religious traditions, holds Religious Traditions clearly, our whole life would change.” While awakening that if you want transformation in your life, a practice With Ji Hyang Padma, Brita Gill-Austern, Rabbi Moshe Waldoks, in our own heart-mind, we come to trust our own of intentional silence is the foundation. Without this deepest experience. Our life then becomes a re"ection practice, we cannot move beyond ordinary awareness and Naila Baloch of this awakening, which, like ripples from a stone to spiritual awareness of belonging to all that is. In this X901-F13-1 $35 (or $60 when combined with Session 2) thrown into a pond, spreads out in widening circles into presentation, we’ll focus on the practice of Centering Tuesday October 1 @ Andover Newton Theological School the world. Zen practice supports this transformation. Prayer as a simple form of meditation anyone can learn, By developing Mindfulness, we can get out of our own that promotes profound healing on multiple levels. 234 Herrick Road, Newton, MA 02459 way, returning to our original clear mind so as to see the Brita Gill-Austern M.Div., Ph.D. 7–9pm miracle of that "ower. is Austin Philip Guiles Professor of In this session, each presenter will give an Ji Hyang Padma is Director of Psychology and Pastoral Theology at introductory talk of ten to 15 minutes, and then Spirituality and Education Programs Andover Newton Theological School. o"er a direct experience of the form of meditation at Wellesley College and is also a Zen She is an ordained United Church of Christ pastor and has teacher. She has done intensive Zen been teaching spiritual practices for healing for practice that comes from their religious tradition. training and teaching in Asia and North America and has over 20 years. A#er the presentations, there will be an open spent 15 years as an ordained nun. She is the author of discussion among the presenters, followed by a Living the Seasons: Zen Practice for Transformative Times. MUSLIM PRACTICE Q&A period. In Islam, the spiritual heart is the seat of our connection to JEWISH PRACTICE God, and the means to cultivate self-understanding and SESSION 2: Jewish practice is a balance between established ritual knowledge of the Divine. The spiritual practice of remem- forms or mitzvoth, and directed intentionality that brance teaches us to connect deeply with Divine Love MINDFULNESS PRACTICE informs and revitalizes ritual performance. Mitzvot beyn and to be present with people from the heart. From this AND JOYOUS CELEBRATION: adam vekhavero and mizvot beyn adam laMakom, depth, real healing within oneself and others is possible. a Jewish-Buddhist Dialogue means actions between and among human beings, and This can powerfully shift our being, and teach us to hold actions that bring together the human and the Divine. people in love and be stronger and more centered. With Rabbi Moshe Waldoks & Surya Das Mindfulness practice can be a central part in !nding the Naila Baloch is Muslim chaplain imminent sense of the Divine to inspire our behaviors in X902-F13-1 $35 (or $60 when combined with Session 1) at Tufts University. She received her the world. Tuesday October 29 @ Andover Newton Theological School Masters from Harvard Divinity School, 234 Herrick Road, Newton, MA 02459 Rabbi Moshe Waldoks is Rabbi of where she specialized in Islamic minis- Temple Beth Zion, an independent try. Her academic sojourns have also taken her to Williams 7–9pm congregation in Brookline, MA. He College and to Oxford University. She has worked for the How to lighten up while enlightening up? Spirit is has been involved in Jewish-Christian, Pakistan Senate, in the International Development sector ecstatic, not static, and the spiritual life is buoyant, Jewish Muslim, and Jewish-Buddhist dialogue for over 40 in Pakistan, and in various capacities as an educator and years. He has traveled widely both as a humorist, and as a a researcher. upli#ing, and delight-full; Psalm 100 tells us to serve teacher of Jewish worship and spiritual practice. the Divine with joy. Judaism has no fewer than ten di"erent expressions of joy (simkha), and Tibetan teachings enumerate 16 kinds of joy and bliss to be Lama Surya Das is one of the foremost Western teachers and scholars. The cultivated on the journey from the head to the heart. a#ectionately calls him “the American Lama.” He has spent nearly forty years studying Zen, Vipassana, Yoga, and Tibetan with many of the great old masters of Asia, among Rejoicing is one of the four main beatitudes, along them some of the Dalai Lama’s own teachers. He is an authorized lama in the Tibetan Buddhist order, with loving kindness, compassion, and impartiality. a leading spokesperson for Buddhism and contemporary spirituality, a translator, poet, meditation Learn the role of joyous celebration in Mindfulness master, chant master, and spiritual activist. Lama Surya Das is the author of the international best- practice when you join us for this evening of seller Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World, and 12 other books. dialogue, laughter, and joyous celebration. Mindfulness and Religion !e NCE community has shown great interest in our Mindfulness programs. We have had talks on topics including Mindfulness in Relationships, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, Mindfulness in Business, and more. We look forward to continuing to explore this movement with you, and to bringing you more inspiring speakers at the forefront of Mindfulness practice today. We have also expanded course o"erings in our Mind, Body, and Soul category; please see our catalog. We hope you $nd something that interests you.

For more information, visit our website: www.newtoncommunityed.org or call us at 617.559.6999

Newton Public Schools Non-Profit Org. Newton Community Education US Postage 457 Walnut Street PAID Newton, MA 02460 Permit No. 54826 Boston, MA

MINDFULNESS AND RELIGION

Ji Hyang Padma Brita Gill-Austern M.Div., Ph.D. Rabbi Moshe Waldoks Naila Baloch Lama Surya Das

MINDFULNESS AND RELIGION

Two sessions: Tuesdays, October 1st and 29th At Andover Newton Theological School, Newton Center