Creating Dharma Events and Teachings: the Daylong

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Creating Dharma Events and Teachings: The Daylong

by the participants of CDL5

Spring 2016

Table of Contents

The assignment ...... 5 Margaret Smith ...... 7 Catching the Clinging – a Transformative Journey by Pauletta M Chanco ...... 9 Steve Wilhelm ...... 11 Patience – An Act of Self-Compassion by Priscilla Szneke ...... 14 A Taste of Happiness and Peace by Amy Selzer ...... 22 Half-Day Mindfulness Meditation Retreat by Andrew Chapman ...... 25 Beginning Meditation Daylong for Teens by Sara Van Zutphen Oakes ...... 31 Living with a Brain on Fire: A Day of practice and respite for people who think too much by Carolyn Kelley ...... 33 A Workshop for Dharma Leaders and Guiding Teachers by Bob Agoglia ...... 35 Equanimity: A Day of Practice by Michael Malotte ...... 37 Chi Gung & Mindfulness of the Body by Kitty Costello ...... 40 Metta Retreat: A Journey into Loving Kindness by Julie Novas ...... 43 Lovingkindness: Training the Heart to Open by Bill Scheinman ...... 45 Mindfulness of the Body by Beth Shoyer ...... 47 Trauma & Spiritual Practice: Daylong Retreat by Sean Feit Oakes ...... 50 Mindfulness on the Mountain: Daylong Retreat in Nature by Yong Oh ...... 53 Sustaining and Nourishing your Meditation Practice by Ian Challis ...... 55 Unleashing the power of heart by Chris Charles ...... 61 Mindful Fitness: Social Emotional Learning for 21st Century Educators by Brian Simmons ...... 64 Cultivating a Forgiving Heart by Gina LaRoche ...... 66 Being With What Is and Impermanence by Sashi Gabrielle Kimball ...... 71 Feeling Clearly: Touching Through Suffering to Embody Freedom by Bruce Pardoe ...... 73 Letting Go into Compassionate Awareness by Tara Mulay ...... 85 Making Your Whole Life the Zone by Karen G. Williams ...... 88 Everywhere, in Everything, Everyday: The Integration of the Dharma into your Life by Victoria Cary ...... 93 Mindfulness in Nature Retreat by Mary Haberman ...... 95 Investigation Points the Way by Kathey Ferland ...... 97

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 2 Retreat in a Box by Jan Rosamond ...... 98 Introduction to Mindfulness by Helen Vantine ...... 100 Mindfulness and the Body by Matthew Sockolov ...... 102 A Day of Refuge by Lulu Cook ...... 105 Returning to Presence: A Mindfulness Meditation Daylong Retreat by Emily Carpenter ...... 107 Women, Wisdom and Meditation by Grace Fisher ...... 111 An introduction to Insight Meditation by Justin Michelson ...... 112 Mindfulness in Nature Daylong by Robin Boudette ...... 115 Cultivating Mindfulness of Emotions by Augusta Hopkins ...... 116 “Sitting” with Chronic Pain: A Daylong for People Who Think They Can’t Meditate Because of Pain by Allison Shore ...... 118 Calm Mind, Wise Heart by Janka Livoncova ...... 120 MMM! Mindfulness, Movement and Music by Andrew Chaikin ...... 123 Anger. Aversion. Acrimony. By Alice Robison ...... 127 Last Night a Brownie Saved My Life: Dharma, Food & You by Dalila Bothwell ...... 129 Block, Build, Be: Liberating Ourselves through Collective Liberation by Dawn Haney ...... 130 Huda Jadallah ...... 133 Basics of Mindfulness Meditation by Ronya Banks ...... 134 Nourishing our relationship to our practice by Max Airborne ...... 136 Responding to the Cries of the World: EcoDharma Daylong by Kristin Barker ...... 138 Mindfulness for Healthcare Professionals in End-of-Life Care: Working with living and dying, working with fatigue and burnout, finding joy again by Pam Pierce ...... 140 Exploring the Heart of Generosity by Paula Simon ...... 143 Mindfulness and Self-Compassion as Tools for Emotional Resilience by Suzanne Colón ...... 146 Loving Kindness and Meditation for Women's Uterine Health by Shakthi Ganeshan ...... 151 An Embodied Investigation of Skillful Speech and Action by Booker ...... 152 From the cushion to the marketplace by Carrie María Tamburo ...... 155 Investigating the Second Noble Truth (Craving) with Wendy Eisner ...... 159 Mindfulness as a Pathway for Transformation: A Retreat for People of Color Activists by Helen Kim ...... 165 Loving Awareness, Reclaiming our Hearts and Minds by Forrest Hill ...... 167 EBMC Transgender and Gender Diverse Metta Daylong by Fresh! White ...... 170 Working Skillfully with Trauma by Rae Ellen Houseman ...... 172 CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 3

Befriending the Hindrances by Jacqueline S. Nelson ...... 174 Mindfulness for Christians by Christina Leano ...... 178 Tools Toward Liberation by Patrick Brown ...... 180

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 4 March 2016—CDL5 Homework Bringing Dharma Leadership Into Your Teaching

The Daylong Retreat

During the next year we will introduce a Practicum (that is, an application of your skills), experiential application, and resources for teaching. In this period you will conceive, design, develop, initiate, and possibly deliver differing teaching events, such as daylongs, class series, and sitting groups. For this first Practicum, you are invited to do it individually. In future exercises you will be asked to work with your Dharma Consult Group or any other group configuration that you decide upon.

The first practicum will be about creating, designing and developing a daylong retreat. The assignment is to document five components: (1) a daylong description with topic, (2) retreat schedule of the entire day, (3) a detailed outline of the dharma content of what you would like to cover, (4) a short bio with a description of your qualifications or experience that might draw people to your event, and (5) some thoughts about how you would bring people into the event, i.e. an outreach plan. This last point is the invitation to be conscious of your intended audience—is the event for all practitioners, for certain levels of practice, for topical interests, for certain demographics, for certain professional groups, for certain practice skills? As a reference document, we are enclosing a generic program proposal form that is distilled from several meditation centers. Please use it to guide your own thoughts and descriptions.

Please be aware of what your intention is behind creating the event. Is it to fulfill the homework requirement? Is it to try something that you have not done before? Is it to practice your dharma, creative, and organizational skills in sharing the Dharma?

How will you open the daylong? What kind of Introductions or Beginning Process would you design? How traditional or non-traditional will you go?

When selecting a topic and designing the description, you might consider a general Vipassana practice daylong, a general daylong on Metta practice, or a more specific topic about the Four Noble Truths, or Mindfulness, or one of the Brahma Viharas. If you are teaching in secular contexts, please adjust your content accordingly. If you are not using the CDL5 program to teach, but to develop leadership in the Dharma, you are invited to go through the exercise. There is benefit to know what the teaching community does in order to provide leadership for this important aspect of the community.

When creating the day schedule, consider the balance and timing of the sitting and movement and presentation periods. How long is lunch? Are there breaks in the day? How much time is there for engagement and community connection, process, and questions or comments?

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 5

When developing the outline of your daylong content, please articulate briefly the content of each session, including the silent sittings. What kind of instructions will you be giving for the silent sittings? How will you approach movement? How will you integrate Lunch? What is the content of your Dharma Talk or presentation? How will you frame shifting into communication and process? Will there be a Question and Answer or Question and Comments period?

How will you close the daylong or end the day?

As with all the Practicums, we will be collecting all the homework and collating them into a resource document that will be sent back out to all CDL5 participants as examples of how to manifest and live each of your Dharma teaching roles. Please be sure that you are comfortable with sharing your piece with the whole program. If you feel that the materials that you create are unique to your voice, one way to still share them is to © copyright them with a “do not duplicate or distribute without permission” designation.

If it’s helpful, you can imagine that this course or program is for either a general audience or a specific population. As part of this exercise, think about the outreach or publicity that you might do for this event. Who would benefit from this event? Where are they likely to see your information? How can you deliver that information to increase the benefit and impact of your event?

At the next retreat, you will have time to share the assignment components #1, #2, and #3 of your daylong with a few colleagues to get feedback. To facilitate this, please bring 3 copies of your draft version to the retreat. (There will not be copying available on-site. Please do not ask the managers to do this for you.)

Over the remaining year-plus time in the program, see if you can manifest your daylong within whatever communities or groups you wish to serve. Accordingly, we invite you to start assessing the Dharma needs in your community and how you might consider serving them. Again, we would encourage you to be very creative. Perhaps there is general need for Dharma in your geographic region, or an un-served or under-served population, or a particular Dharma need with which you feel inspired to assist.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 6 Daylong outline Margaret Smith

Description: An Insight Meditation (Vipassana) daylong that includes instructions, silent sitting and walking meditation, and a dharma talk. Emphasizing cultivation of mindful awareness, this daylong is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditators.

Purpose: To introduce insight meditation to those who are interested but not yet practicing, and to provide an opportunity for group practice to those with some experience. (I am planning this daylong for participants from my own small community and nearby towns where there is interest in learning about insight meditation, and also a small group of individuals already practicing)

Schedule: 10:00 am Opening and introduction to Insight Meditation, followed by silent sitting with instructions 11:00 am Walking meditation instructions and walking meditation 11:30 am Silent sitting with brief guidance 12:15 pm Lunch (preceded by brief instruction) 1:30 pm Silent sitting with brief guidance 2:15 pm Silent walking 3:00 pm Silent sitting with brief guidance 3:45 pm Silent walking 4:30 pm Questions, reflection, comments 5:00 pm Closing and dedication of merit

Dharma content:

Calming the mind, observing one object, observing the breath.

Awareness of physical objects and sensations through the sense doors: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. Use of noting: hearing being known, thinking being known, etc

Awareness of feelings - and the connection between thoughts and feelings, between negative thinking and negative feelings arising, between positive thinking and positive feelings arising. Use of noting: thoughts being known, thoughts arising, feelings being known, etc

Awareness of states of mind - desire, aversion, delusion. Noting wanting (wanting more of, wanting less of), noting aversion (reactivity, irritation, anger, etc)

“Meditation is about seeing clearly the body that we have, the mind that we have, the domestic situation that we have, the job that we have, and the people who are in our lives. It’s about seeing how we react to all these things. It’s seeing our emotions and thoughts just as they are right now, in this very moment, in this very room, on this very seat. It’s about not trying to make them go away, not trying to become better than we CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 7 are, but just seeing clearly with precision and gentleness.” Pema Chodron -- Excerpted from The Wisdom of No Escape

“In insight meditation, you are observing the rising and falling of the breath and the phenomena that arise in the mind and body. So there is a shifting of the mind from sensations felt, both painful and pleasurable, to thoughts as well. Whatever is happening is to be noticed, then that will go away, and another thing will come. In this way, insight practice is a method of observation. All six senses [the mind being the sixth] will arise.

Just watch them arise and pass away and come back to the feeling of the breath. Anything you see, anything that comes to mind, just be aware of it.” Dipa Ma

Bio:

Margaret began meditating in a small monastery in Bali where she was introduced to the Mahasi method of Vipassana. She has studied with Sumarah teachers in Java, lived at the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland, and studied with Buddhist teachers in the United States, including Joseph Goldstein, Steve Armstrong and Richard Shankman, as well as with U Tejaniya in Burma. Margaret’s devotion to Buddhist practice and love of travel have lead to a deep belief in the value of retreat and pilgrimage as a way to nurture and inspire a life dedicated to a spiritual calling, to develop caring and open- mindedness, and to cut through habitual patterning which may obscure our abilities to see and understand with wisdom. This belief has inspired her to seek avenues to provide this type of life-enhancing experience for others.

Outreach:

This daylong will be advertised in my local community, by google group and town notice board, through friends with sitting groups in nearby towns, and through my Marin DPP sangha, as well as social media.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 8 Pauletta M Chanco The Daylong Description: Catching the Clinging – a Transformative Journey

Come and explore with me for an entire day, ways in our practice and daily life, that we move towards clinging which Buddha has taught is the cause of suffering. We will begin the day hearing about the small ways in which we can practice seeing and catching the clinging. These less consequential moments of clinging is our training ground to help us when clinging in a big way in our lives could have adverse results for us. At the same time, give yourselves the gift of a day of practice, stillness and reflection so that the spiritual nourishment gained, will do a lot to reinforce positive behaviours and ways of relating to ourselves and others that are beneficial and wholesome.

The Retreat Schedule: 9:30-5pm

9:30 – 9:40 Introduction, logistics, welcome, setting an intention for the day. 9:40 – 10:10 Guided Meditation (focus on the breath; calm, stability, comfort and relaxation) 10:10 – 10:30 Walking meditation (instructions given in the beginning 10:30 – 11:00 Dharma Talk (How we can observe clinging in any degree of intensity in daily life and spiritual practice) 11:00 – 11:20 q and a 11:20 – 11:50 Silent sitting meditation (no guiding) 12:00 – 1:30 Lunch 1:30 – 2:00 Silent sitting 2:00 – 2:30 walking meditation 2:30 – 3:00 Silent sitting 3:00 – 3:30 Dharma Talk (Transformative aspects of catching the clinging) 3:30 – 4:00 Walking meditation 4:00 – 4:20 q and a 4:20 – 5:00 dana talk, closing ritual (each one say what received from the day)

Detailed Outline of Dharma Content:

Morning Talk: The Second Noble Truth; 3 kinds of desire and how each leads to clinging; simple ways to practice

Afternoon Talk: Process of Recognition; Different forms of clinging that we notice in daily life

Short Bio: Pauletta Chanco has been practicing meditation since 1998 and is also a professional artist and full time householder – married with 3 children and 3 grandchildren. She completed the Buddhist Chaplaincy program at the Sati Center in Redwood City in 2012-2013 and during this time, also was a Zen Hospice volunteer at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco. Pauletta created and continues to teach at Alameda Sangha since 2010 with two

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 9 other dharma teachers. As she offers the dharma, Pauletta brings her own daily life householder practice with complex family relationships as part of the teachings that resonate with those who have chosen to walk this path without giving up a lay life. She feels that the ultimate challenge is to walk the path and have less suffering without needing to resort to becoming a monastic.

Outreach Plan: I have always used my art publicist to get the word out. The publicist has been quite successful in reaching many in the community to come to all local dharma events. The first night that we met together as newly created Alameda Sangha, there were 18 attendants who were coming for the first time. She has also sometimes gotten my daylong events written up in the local Alameda papers which has helped to increase attendance. I will also create postcards with my web designer to circulate in local cafes, markets and other public places. My audience is the local community of Alameda for anyone interested in deepening their practice and it is open for beginners and experienced practitioners.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 10 Steve Wilhelm daylong

1. About the daylong:

This daylong will end a six-week introductory class, the latter comprised of six Monday evening sessions, two hours each. The audience will be a mix of people from two introductory classes, one from Seattle and one from the region directly to the east, called the Eastside. In addition, we might expect some more experienced practitioners, people attracted to a simple day of mindfulness. The primary focus of the daylong will be to give a taste of deeper practice to people who have gone through the six-week program. The idea is to stretch them a bit, but not too much, because we want them to have some sense of success or satisfaction. Therefore the topic might be: Deepening your practice, and bringing it into your daily life.

2. The schedule:

The daylong will be from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on a Saturday, at the Seattle Insight Meditation Society center in Seattle.

9 a.m. - Arrive and orientation. Welcome people, some of whom won't have visited the SIMS Seattle center before. Give them a sense of the day, and the wonderful opportunity it is to sit and practice without any interruption. Offer a few words refreshing the practice, before we sit. Will touch on the four foundations, to help them ground in their bodies.

9:20 a.m. - sitting meditation 9:50 - First talk. 10:20 – break for 10 minutes 10:30 - sit for 30 minutes 11:00- walk for 30 11:30 — sit for 30 minutes 12:00 — break for lunch, with instructions to be mindful of eating, and also if talking. 1 - Second talk - Questions and sharing, reminder of four foundations. 1:30 - sit for 30 minutes 2 - walk for 30 2:30 – sit for 30 3 - Third talk - 30 minute talk on taking the practice into the world, and going deeper into practice 10 - minute break 3:40 - last sit, for 30 minutes 4:10 - closing thoughts and feelings. Hear from people about what they need going forward. End on a positive note.

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3. About the content:

A. First talk - Tell them that while a day may seem like a long time, it's just comprised of multiple short sessions. And once they've done this they could easily tackle a longer retreat, which is just comprised of multiple days. Suggest that people relax into practicing now, that they let go of the pressures of their daily lives. Give them the instruction to primarily rest their attention on their breath, to make this day a special place. Open up what longer practice can mean, the opportunity to deepen what they've been learning during the six weeks. Remind them the practice is not to stop thinking or to force a still mind, but rather to stretch mindfulness to be aware of everything arising, with a centering place in the breath. Refresh the idea that freedom is to be found in this mindfulness, that when we’re mindful of something arising we’re less stuck to it, more fluid.

B. Second talk - We'll start with any questions that have arisen. What's uncomfortable? What thoughts or feelings have been arising repeatedly, and how have people worked with those? From there segue into discussing the constant change of things, impermanence, and our sense of self, and how clearly linked they are to mindfulness. Without getting too technical, there's a way to frame this in terms of freedom, and that as we see everything constantly moving, we realize there's nowhere to be stuck. Also we’ll touch on the idea of cultivating kindness, and how it arises naturally from being aware. When we’re aware of others’ arisings and passings, and our own, we realize we aren’t different from one another, and kindness arises.

C. Third talk - This last talk will be about practice in the big world, and how powerful and transformational it can be. We'll work off the joke about "welcome back to the real world" after long retreat, and develop the idea that becoming aware about what's going on in the moment is far more real than being lost in thoughts and feelings. Some areas to develop: - How to create a regular sitting practice, and what this can bring us. - How to bring family difficulties into the path. - Work meditation, and the sacred mindful path from desk to restroom. - The fact that the deluge of junk in our minds from work is exactly that which we need to be mindful of, and is our own doorway to freedom. - Also exploring longer practice, what we can learn about that from this retreat.

D. Closing thoughts and feelings - A chance for people to be heard about what may or may not have been meaningful. - A chance to respond to last questions or issues about bringing practice into life. - Offering a sense of local and other resources, an invitation to Eastside or SIMS.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 12 4. Biography: Steve Wilhelm has been meditating since 1968, and engaged in Buddhist practice since 1987. He has studied and practiced in the Tibetan and Vipassana traditions, including extended retreats in both, although his practice is now primarily Vipassana. Steve and his wife Ellen have co-facilitated the SIMS Eastside Meditation Group since 2000. Steve edits Northwest Dharma News, an online quarterly, and also serves on the board of the Tibetan Nuns Project. He was an editor for the book “Open Heart Clear Mind,” and co-wrote “Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up.” Steve is now enrolled in the two-year Community Dharma Leaders program. He lives in Kirkland with Ellen, and works as a staff writer for Puget Sound Business Journal in Seattle.

5. Publicity Primarily we would publicize this through the Seattle Insight Meditation Society website and emails. Also we would tell people through the Eastside Insight Meditation email list, which we have built for the last 16 years. In addition we would put a few flyers at the local co-op, and publicize through the local Unitarian church.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 13

Priscilla Szneke [This is not copyrighted, but please let me know if you will be using it and PLEASE do not post it on the internet or on any social media. Thank you for understanding.]

Day of Mindfulness Patience – An Act of Self-Compassion

Patience is an act of self-compassion because it is we who suffer when we are impatient. This act of self-compassion is a gift to us that gives rise to equanimity, which results in peace and well-being.

In this daylong, we will explore the relationship between patience and self-compassion. Patience carries the heart through the difficulties of life by recognizing the cause of suffering. We will explore these and other aspects of patience with guided and silent sitting and walking meditations, share within a context of mindfulness and compassion, and listen to a presentation on patience. There will be time for questions at the end of the day.

The Full Day of Mindfulness is an opportunity for extended meditation practice, which offers us the simplicity and quiet to gently investigate what arises. It is scheduled for October 29, 2016 at Innerlight Center for Yoga and Meditation from 9 am to 5 pm. Cushions, chairs and other props are available at the studio, but please feel free to bring your own if you’d like. Dress comfortably, in layers and bring a boxed lunch and something to drink. This facility is wheelchair accessible and we invite all practitioners who are interested, regardless of physical ability, race, gender, or sexual orientation. This workshop is appropriate for both experienced and beginning meditators.

RETREAT SCHEDULE 9 – 9:30 10 minute AOB meditation Introductions and why you are here (if group is small) Guidelines for the day Taking care of yourself Noble silence Availability of the teacher Confidentiality Talking from our own experience only – no advise giving

9:30 – 10 Introduction to patience: What is patience? What is patience not? Impatience is: Wanting this experience to be different than it is. Reacting rather than responding. (i.e. anger, aggression, blame) Having expectations that are not met. Not having control over the situation. It SHOULD be this way. Wanting instant gratification. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 14 Definition of Patience – Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, difficulty or annoyance without getting angry or upset. Is there anyone who does not experience delay, difficulty or annoyance? Maybe even on a daily basis?

Today see if you can notice when patience is present and notice when it is not present by using a technique called RAIN.

Explain RAIN technique. Use example – getting cut off in traffic (my Achille’s heel.)

Recognize if impatience/patience is present; Allow the experience to be there, just as it is; Investigate with kindness as a child would on body level; Natural awareness, which comes from not identifying with the experience.

Guided sitting practice (taken from Kamma and the End of Kamma – Ajahn Sucitto) “ Establish a supportive bodily presence: a sense of uprightness, an axis that centers around the spine. Connect to the ground beneath and the space above and around the body. Acknowledge sitting within a space, taking the time and space that you need to settle in. As you settle, let your eyes gently close. Attune to the bodily sense through feeling the breathing: first in the abdomen, allowing the breath to descend through the soft tissues…. Feel the flexing of the breath mirrored by the effortless release and firming of the abdomen in respiration.

Attend to the upper body, consciously dropping the shoulders and opening the connecting tissues between the upper arms and the main trunk…. Allow the breathing to subtly flex the chest. Open the head by relaxing the jaw and settling the tongue in the floor of the mouth. Relax around the eyes, the forehead and the temples. As if you were removing a scarf, or unbuttoning a collar, let the neck feel free and the throat open. Feel the breathing move through the throat from the throat notch, up through the back of the mouth and out through the nose and mouth.

As you establish this body reference, settle into it, checking in with the specific points from time to time. If you feel unsettled – snagging flurries or sags of energy or mood – draw attention down your back to the ground, allowing the front of the body to flex freely with the breathing. Refer to the ‘descending breath’ – down through the abdomen – if you feel bustling or uptight. Attune to the ‘rising breath’ – up through the chest and throat – if you feel sunk or flat.

As you come to a sense of balance, bring to mind a situation in your life” where you were impatient. Not the worst-case scenario, but one that you can look at without getting hooked. Maybe when you got cut off in traffic or a person you interacted with that had a bad attitude. Perhaps notice if you are impatient now with this task. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 15

Use the RAIN acronym to investigate the scenario. (Review RAIN). Remember that we can suppress our reaction to impatience or act it out, either way making things worse for others and us. This is especially evident when with react with anger and aggression. Or we can practice patience; wait, experience the impatience and investigate its nature.

Use RAIN to determine whether or not patience is present during the daylong. I will ask you periodically if patience or impatience or neither is present. If impatience is present, you can use RAIN or you can ask the question, What would patience look like or What would patience mean right now?

10 – 10:30 Walking practice

10:30 – 11:15 Sitting practice

11:15 – 11:45 Walking practice

11:45 – 12:30 Sitting practice

12:30 – 1 Bag lunch

1 – 1:30 Walking practice

1:30 – 2:15 Sitting practice

2:15 – 2:45 Walking practice

2:45 – 3:30 Dharma talk – Patience – An Act of Self-Compassion

3:30 – 3:45 Mindful Break (instructions how to do this.)

3:45 – 4:30 Sitting

4:30 – 5 Questions, discussion, closing

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 16 DHARMA CONTENT

Introduction (see above) Dharma talk (outline) Personal story One of the first retreats I attended was on the four Brahma-viharas. The teacher suggested that there might be a fifth and that it was patience or khanti. She described patience as “Emptying the ocean with a teacup.” I think that that is such a great analogy – and for me it even creates the feeling of restlessness and “Oh, no!” That the impossibility of it can’t be endured and immediately I can feel the impatience. Wanting the analogy to patience to be different than it is!!!

For me being patient with my practice always requires self-compassion. Self- compassion for daydreaming, thinking I am not doing it right, being restless, being sick, having excuses for not sitting, etc., etc., etc., etc. I could go on…

Patient endurance: The foremost austerity. — Dhammapada 184

Patience is best known as one of the paramis (khanti) or perfections. The Buddhist translation of khanti is to forbear or endure and even to accept and embrace. It is the virtue that appears in the absence of hatred, repugnance and malice. It is an attitude that arises from Bodhichitta rather than from any guidelines imposed from outside. I’m still working on the accepting and embracing….

Overview of paramis The perfections are the 10 wholesome characteristics that lead to enlightenment. They can be cultivated both in daily life and on retreat.

Khanti is the 6th parami - It is the invitation to accept things as they are.

What if I don’t want to accept things as they are? Ever been there? Notice who is suffering when we don’t accept things as they are! Explore what the resistance feels like in the heart, body and mind. Notice what arises with impatience; not only anger and aggression, but also self- pity, despair, blame and loss of humor and joy. Can we bring in self-compassion when this suffering arises? What would patience look like right now?

Patience is an act of self-compassion because it is we who suffer when we are impatient. This act of self-compassion is a gift to us that eventually gives rise to equanimity, which results in peace and well-being.

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Aware of Subtleties Impatience can be extremely subtle, so bring your awareness to that situation when you have a subtle feeling of being delayed or annoyed, which gives you a clue that you are impatient.

Andy Puddicombe describes how to eat a piece of chocolate mindfully. He suggests breaking off a piece of chocolate from the bar, taking a few deep breaths, and appreciate where the chocolate came from and how many people were involved in bringing you the piece of chocolate you have in your hand. Then he says, “Before you begin to eat, pause to notice if there’s a feeling of impatience…” Does the delay in eating the chocolate create impatience? So subtle….

Just so our hurry and distracted lifestyles create a feeling of impatience. We feel that we need to be at another place or be doing something other than what we are doing. We simply want it to be different than it is!

There are three aspects to patience. 1. gentle forbearance or gentle perseverance 2. calm endurance of hardship 3. acceptance of the truth

Gentle perseverance This gives us time (a pause) to restrain ourselves long enough to determine how to respond skillfully, rather than reactively. Pema Chodron suggests that this is a form of courage because we allow the de-escalation of aggression and suffering to occur.

Gentle forbearance is the spirit of forgiveness. Injury is forgiven and the occasion is used as an opportunity to reveal the essential harmony of all beings.

Examples– An exhausted parent of a child having a fit or a family member once again saying something hurtful.

Endurance of hardship All of life is difficult, but being with it all.

An example is chronic pain. A student had a diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome (formally known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy) where chronic arm or leg pain develops after injury, surgery, stroke or heart attack. It has no cure, isn’t well understood but may involve abnormal inflammation or nerve dysfunction. This student’s right arm was affected (she is right-handed) and her initial reaction to my suggestion to start to make friends with the arm, which she had dissociated herself from, was complete disbelief. But with time, she started to engage with the arm that at one point she couldn’t even look at.

Basho says (having taken shelter during a storm in the rude dwelling of a frontier guard) while he was on pilgrimage:

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 18 Fleas, lice, The horse pissing Near my pillow.

Translated this koan/poem means “and these things too.” In other words, this is suffering too and it is part of life. Let it happen. Dukhha is resistance to suffering. It is the anguish we feel when we don’t want to suffer. Not wanting to accept the way it is right now. [Not wanting to wait to eat chocolate, not wanting to bother with the extremity that caused pain.]

Patience is motivated first by an acceptance of and compassion for our own suffering rather than a desire to eradicate it. Can gratitude and acceptance arise, rather than resistance? Can we work with RAIN to find this more accepting place?

Acceptance of the truth A MBSR student came to each class with her story of how her mother was not spending money on her own grandchildren, but buying gifts for her partner’s grandchildren. This woman said it affected all the relationships in her family. She took this matter on as her mission. When she told her mother that it wasn’t fair and created problems, her mother agreed, which confused and deepened this woman’s suffering. I asked her if she could just accept the situation and she said no. I asked her if her mom was suffering and she said that she seemed comfortable with the situation. I asked her how she felt and she described the physical sensations that accompanied her anger and confusion. I asked her who was the one that was suffering….

When we want life to be other than it is, we suffer. Patience allows us to accept things as they are. Our experience is constantly changing. We sometimes think that impermanence is difficult, but it can be our friend too because everything changes. To recognize this requires profound wisdom and compassion and the knowledge that we are here for the long haul.

There is great power in patience because it cuts through arrogance and ingratitude. It is the path that lets us move from resistance to acceptance and spontaneous presence. Holding on to our judgments about others and ourselves is a major cause of impatience. Repeating softly to ourselves “may I be happy just as I am” and “may I be peaceful with whatever is happening” is the act of self-compassion. We can then accept our vulnerabilities, imperfections and losses: chronic physical and emotional pain, the death of loved ones, and the end of a job or relationship.

Ajahn Succitto talks about acceptance without expectation. He says, “patience deals with checking emotional reactions, but it’s not a denial of emotional intelligence.” In dealing with the suffering he suggests creating some space around the suffering (the pause I mentioned earlier), then remember that we can let go of the suffering. Then investigate to see if you can find the hook that got you there. “This takes patience. Patience holds us present with the suffering in a spacious way, encouraging the mind to open. And an open mind both feels more peaceful in itself, and more readily sees into the cause of its suffering.” CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 19

He continues “Pure patience is the kind of acceptance that acknowledges the presence of something without adding anything to it or covering it up. It is supported by the insight that when one’s mind stops fidgeting, whining and blaming, then suffering can be understood.

Closing

Gil Fronsdale adds, “The ultimate perfection of patience does not come from endurance or a re-evaluation of a situation. Rather it comes from the absence of our habitual, automatic triggers and reactive hooks to the challenges of life. Fully mature patience is effortless; it is not a doing at all.

…. the opposite of impatience is not patience but rather contentment. By not chasing after the whims of the ego, we have the chance to discover deep contentment that manifests in our life as great patience.”

BIO

Priscilla is a mindfulness meditation instructor who integrates her 30 years experience in the health care field as a nurse (oncology, critical care, nurse anesthetist), medical editor and most recently, epidemiologist with her commitment to meditation for well- being, health, and insight. She started meditating in 2005 and began practicing in the Insight tradition in 2007. She teaches Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and other mind-body workshops in corporations, for groups and individuals and has a weekly meditation group that she facilitates in Newport, Rhode Island. In addition to sitting multiple retreats at Spirit Rock and the Insight Meditation Society, she was accepted into the Community Dharma Leaders Program, a two-year program that trains and supports the committed Dharma practitioner to teach Insight (Vipassana) Meditation. Her primary teacher is Anna Douglas.

OUTREACH PLAN (intended audience)

This workshop is appropriate for experienced meditators, those with some experience and everyone in-between.

This “blurb” will be sent out to the yoga studio’s email list, posted in the studio, sent out with my monthly newsletter, posted on my site, posted at health food stores in town at the two local universities, Unitarian church, nearby hospital community boards and caregiver sites. .

REFERENCES Patience – The Art of Peaceful Living by Allan Lokos The Issue at Hand by Gil Fronsdale Finding Patience – How to survive a traffic jam – on the road, or in the heart by Michele McDonald [http://www.tricycle.com/practice/finding-patience]

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 20 From The Practice of Perfection: The Paramitas from a Zen Buddhist Perspective by Robert Aitken In Buddhism, Patience is an Act of Self-Compassion that Gives Rise to Equanimity by Toni Bernhard [www.elephantjouranl.com/2013/11/in-buddhim-patience-is-an-act-of- self-compassion-that-gives-rise-to-equanimity-toni-bernhard/

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 21

Amy Selzer

DESCRIPTION- A TASTE OF HAPPINESS AND PEACE

What would it be like for us to stop in our busy lives and take time out to practice with sangha while sitting, walking, sharing our experiences, in order to end feeding the negative conditions of our mind? Let’s come together on this daylong retreat to experience - A Taste of Happiness and Peace. Beginning with a brief description of The Four Noble Truths and then emphasizing the Third Noble Truth – the cessation of suffering, we will explore the one common understanding of what frees the mind: liberation through non-clinging. Throughout the day we will discover how we can work with non-clinging in our formal practice and in our daily lives to decrease our stress and open more to the moments of release that become available to us. The day will be a combination of sitting and walking meditation, interactive exercises, dharma talks and time to meet with the teacher. The fee for the day is $25.00, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

RETREAT SCHEDULE (10:00 – 5:00) A TASTE OF HAPPINESS AND PEACE 10:00 Welcome/Introduction Introducing myself. Welcoming the group to the retreat. We want to connect to ourselves and others and we will begin by reaching out to the person next to us. Turn to the person next to you and share with each other for a few minutes what your intentions are for this daylong. (open conversation) 10:15 Opening remarks to include a short bio, the schedule for the day, noble silence except for times when we come together in small or large groups for comments, reflections, questions, answers and dyads. A short description of the theme of the day and our exploration of non-clinging that leads to liberation. 10:30 Noble Silence – a brief description of and why we refrain from speaking. 10:3O-11:05 Sitting meditation guided with a body scan, noticing tension, tightness, ease etc. in the body. Looking at what is arising in the mind/heart and coming back to the breath or object of our attention without commentary of judgement. Developing a friendliness and gentleness with ourselves.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 22 11:05-11:35 Walking meditation/Interviews/Bathroom break and walking instructions for those that may be new to meditation. 11:35-12:10 Sitting meditation 12:10-12:45 Dhamma Talk – Introduction to The Four Noble Truths beginning with the Dhammacakkappavattana sutta- Setting the Wheel of Dharma in Motion. Included in this talk are The Four Noble Truths as the Buddha’s first teaching and how they are understood as experiences and NOT beliefs. Our focus will be on the Third Noble Truth, the cessation of dukkah. I will be using Thanissaro Bhikkhus’s explanation of upadana to describe clinging and how it relates to feeding the habits of the mind. I will also include the teaching of the Three Characteristics in order to abandon craving and how we may practice with that. 12:45-12:50- Dana Talk 12:50-1:00 - Eating as a meditation to emphasize the benefits of eating and giving it our full attention. Maintaining Noble Silence at lunch. 1:00-2:15- Lunch-Noble Silence 2:15-2:35- Walking meditation (outdoor walk as a possibility), Bathroom break. 2:35-3:00- A short Dharma Talk on Nibbana/Nirvana, Here and Now. It will begin with a definition of Nibbana. I will use the metaphor of “extinguishing the fire.” Included will be a passage from Ajahn Chah about Nibbana. I will end with how Nibbana is accessible to us as householders moment to moment with our practice and meditation. 3:00-3:30- Sitting meditation – directions will be given to notice any suffering in the mind and body. The focus will be on impermanence, attitude of mind and the breath. Some instructions will be given in order to see what is arising, allowing it, investigating it in the body and seeing what is needed in the moment. I will offer examples like patience, compassion, energy, etc. 3:30-4:15- (a) Break up into dyads or triads depending on the size of the group. Take turns sharing what was arising during the meditation. How did they investigate it and what did they discover they needed. (20 min.) . Include that they should share as much as they feel they are comfortable with. (b) Opening it up to the group as a whole for further sharing and comments. 4:15- 4:45- Questions/Reflections 4:45-5:00- Metta and Sharing of Blessings

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 23

DESCRIPTION OF DHARMA CONTENT 1. The dharma content begins with the background story of the Dhammacakkappavattana sutta: Setting the Wheel of the Dharma in Motion. I will include a summary of the Four Noble Truths ending with a deeper exploration of the Third Noble Truth. 2. Understanding “upadana”, the Pali word for clinging, clinging of the mind to an object. I will illustrate this with Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s essay, The Karma of Questions. 3. Before lunch, a description of mindful eating and its benefits. There will also be a description of Noble Silence. 4. A teaching on the Three Characteristics. This includes sense pleasures, impermanence and no solid self. I will be using some of my own experiences throughout the talk. 5. A look at Nibbana, the Pali translations (to blow out, quenching the thirst) and how that relates to greed, hatred and delusion. We will look at its unchanging nature which is already within each of us. I will include The Eight Fold Path that as our way to Nibbana. We will examine how it is accessible to us in small moments as Householders, and what we can look for. 6. Ending the day with Metta and The Sharing of Blessings

BIO Amy Selzer has been practicing meditation since 1995 and has been a student of Buddhism since 2003. She taught children with special needs for over 25 years and worked with premature infants and their families as a Special Instructor through Downstate Hospital. She leads several sitting groups, one in Park Slope Brooklyn, and a few at NYI- The Living Urban Dharma Group, The Dedicated Practice Group and the Orientation Group. Amy is presently participating in the CDL5 Community Dharma Leader’s Program. Her passion is sharing the dharma in many communities and connecting to others through the dharma with warmth and kindness.

OUTREACH From my experience participating in and leading sanghas, I see that many people are interested in exploring the end of dukkah which is usually what brings them to the practice. Since we all suffer to some degree we want to learn ways that may help us reduce our stress, pressure, anxiety, etc. in order to experience more happiness in our lives.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 24 This would be an event for practitioners at all levels of practice. The experienced meditator can benefit from reminders, review and reinforcement of the dharma. At different times on our Path we experience the dharma in new ways that were not available to us previously due to either internal or external conditions. For the newer meditator, the structure, small and large group interactions and meetings with a teacher, offer support and the opportunity to listen to and share experiences related to the topic, which helps to deepen one’s practice. From my own experience I can say that I often learn the most listening to and sharing with other practitioners.

The outreach for the retreat would be posted on our Brooklyn Google group, in which a monthly newsletter is posted to include special events. It could also be announced in the other sanghas that I lead and participate in. It could possibly be posted at NYI on their bulletin board and passed along by word of mouth. Last but not least – Facebook. The venue might be The Brooklyn Zen Center, St. Augustine’s church or possibly the space used in Park Slope for Brooklyn NYI weekly meditations. I envision 15-20 to attend since that is the number that generally attends our retreats. Each of the spaces I mentioned above could accommodate that number.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 25

Andrew Chapman – Against the Stream Nashville

(1) Daylong Description with Topic

HalfDay Mindfulness Meditation Retreat - April 2nd - 10AM-2PM Where: Against the Stream Nashville (3816 Charlotte Ave) Date & Time: April 2nd, from 10am-2pm Suggested $30 Donation Description: The Buddhist path offers us practical and applicable tools for our real, everyday lives. The practices of mindfulness and loving-kindness can and should become a way of life. In order to truly live the teachings we need to dedicate periods of time to intensive formal practice. This day-long retreat is an opportunity to do just that. Together we will explore the four foundations of mindfulness with an emphasis on loving-kindness in a distraction free and supportive environment. ATS group facilitator, Andrew Chapman, will be leading the HalfDay Retreat. The day will be held in silence and instructions will be offered throughout. Light snacks and drinks will be provided. This event is appropriate for anyone who is interested. No experience is necessary, pre- registration is very helpful…but feel free to show up the day of the event if needed. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Link to pre-register (type into web browser): https://www.paypal.com/cgi- bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=SLQU7833GKWLG

(2) Retreat Schedule*

10AM – Introductions / Overview of Retreat 10:15 AM – Attunement Exercise + Brief Mindfulness Overview 10:35AM - Stretch Break 10:40AM - Body/Breath Awareness – Sitting Meditation 11:10AM - Walking Meditation + Short Break 11:40 AM - Sitting Meditation 12:10 PM - Walking Meditation 12:35 PM – Snack Break 12:50 PM – Metta Introduction 1:00 PM – Metta Sit 1:30 PM – Check-ins 2 PM – Closing

• 5-10 minutes extra have been allotted for “Check-ins,” in case time is running short.

(3) Outline of Dharma Content

10AM – Introductions / Overview of Retreat (1) Check-in - What sparked your interest in coming today? Have you practiced before/ sat a retreat before?

(2) General Overview: CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 26 Schedules are posted (Short Day, Mostly Practice w/ Instructions – Experiential) - Ring bell between sits, walks, and breaks

Snacks

Maintain Silence (Phone, etc)

10:15 AM – Attunement Exercise + Brief Mindfulness Overview

Attunement Practice (10 – 15 Min)

Brief Mindfulness Overview: - Start to train our attention - Groundedness - dropping beneath compulsive thinking and emotional reactivity into a more direct experience of feeling and sensation (FOCUS TODAY – Body) - Beginner’s Mind – Simple ordinary awareness - Trust your own practice. I will offer light instructions. - Work on building concentration - Later, developing insight – impermanence, impersonality, reactivity (craving/aversion)

- Working with a kind attitude

10:35AM - Stretch Break

10:40AM - Body/Breath Awareness – Sitting Meditation

Sound + Body Scan… Calming the Mind + Softening the Body

THEN, Work on Breath Awareness (short, long, labeling, counting, YOUR choice)

11:10AM - Walking Meditation + Short Break

Helps to cultivate concentration; when we are tired or sluggish, foot sensations can be more interesting than breathing

Helpful after meal or long periods of sitting… More relaxing during times of intense emotion or stress.

Pick a path, Find a pace that gives you ease, gaze at ground (nothing in particular), letting the BODY TAKE YOU FOR A WALK

Lifting, Moving, Placing

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 27

11:40 AM - Sitting Meditation

Body + Change. Embodying change in sensations, tightening + softening, parts of body.

12:10 PM - Walking Meditation / Movement

12:35 PM – Snack Break

12:50 PM – Metta Introduction

Softens resistance and let’s in whatever needs to be known

1:00 PM – Metta Sit

May I be at Ease May I be Kind and Gentle towards this experience May I be Happy May I be Free from Suffering

1:30 PM – Check-ins

Open Format

2 PM – Closing

“May any goodness that comes from our practice today be shared with all of the beings in this world. May each one of us do what needs to be done to free ourselves from suffering and may our practice be an offering to all beings everywhere.”

(4) Facilitator BIO

Facilitator BIO: Andrew Chapman has been engaged in Buddhist practice over the past several years, studying under empowered Against the Stream teacher, Dave Smith. His practice has been supported by several training and retreat programs focused on early Buddhism, Buddhist psychology, secular mindfulness, and through his work as an addictions and mental health counselor. He will complete Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leader program in spring of 2017, and he will be receiving his licensure in Social Work in the spring of 2016. Andrew currently manages operations at Against the Stream Nashville; he also facilitates weekly groups, day retreats, and other monthly events. Andrew is also actively engaged in the thriving Refuge Recovery community in Nashville.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 28 (5) Outreach Plan

a. Email: A good starting point for outreach would be to send the retreat flyer to the Against the Stream Nashville mailing list. b. Facebook: Also, it would be a good idea to post the flyer to both the Against the Stream Nashville and Refuge Recovery Nashville pages on Facebook. c. Being Conscious of Intended Audience: The intention behind this HalfDay retreat is to offer a very introductory retreat experience, focusing on the primary tools and techniques associated with developing a mindfulness practice. In this regard, the intended audience would be for persons who are both new and experienced. We will be working with “Beginner’s Mind” and “Kind Mind” applications towards cultivating Body + Breath awareness. d. Intention behind creating the event: The intention of this event is to give ATS participants a welcoming environment in which they can practice together. This is an “experiential” practice period with light instruction. The hope is to assist folks in their own “way into” Dharma practice. I will offer techniques and suggested methods for body/breath awareness, but will encourage folks to use the skills and practices that are most accessible and useful.

Please see the attached flyer (below) for more information regarding Half Day Retreat details.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 29

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 30 Sara Van Zutphen Oakes

* beginning Meditation Daylong for Teens, (ages 15-19) in the East Bay

In this daylong we will cover the basics of mindfulness meditation including sitting posture, what is mindfulness and how to apply mindfulness on and off the cushion. We’ll also explore a movement or Yoga practice as another way of practicing mindfulness. Throughout the day we will be building connections, practicing wise speech and creating a safe and caring space together.

* schedule/content outline

9-9:30— arrive, say hello, settle

9:30-10—— 5 min guided meditation, teacher intro, precepts, orientation to the day

10-10:45—- name game, lightning rounds, candle and intention setting for the day

10:45-11—-snack break

11-12:15—- posture basics, 20 min guided practice, body scan and anchoring to breath, dharma talk on mindfulness, q&a.

12:15-1:30— lunch, invitation to eat together, potluck

1:30-2——- get to know you game, mindful movement

2-3:15——-short intro to walking, alternate guided walk and sit

3:15-3:30—break

3:30-4:15— loving kindness practice and talk

4:15-4:30 walking meditation or qi gong depending on group energy

4:30-5 short closing sit, reflections, questions, closing talk and ritual

5-5:30, music, hangout, goodbyes.

* bio … Sara has been practicing Insight Meditation since 2004 with teachers in India, Burma, Europe and the U.S and has been sharing these teachings with teens since 2012. She’s a graduate of the Dedicated practitioners Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and is currently in the Community Dharma Leaders Program. Sara lives in Oakland and has a

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 31

private practice in the healing arts combining Craniosacral Therapy, Somatic Experiencing Trauma Resolution and Organic Intelligence.

* outreach…. include announcement in my healing arts newsletter, 300 people mailing list, facebook, tag iBme, Spirit Rock teen Sangha, East Bay Meditation Center Teen sangha, Fliers at Berkeley High, Berkeley Bowl, All east bay yoga studios where parents who have teens may see this.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 32 Carolyn Kelley

PROGRAM PROPOSAL

Program title:

LIVING WITH A BRAIN ON FIRE: A Day of practice and respite for people who think too much

1. Please describe the program, including its content, theme, and purpose.

Passionate engagement with art, work, ideas, is one of the great joys of life. It can also be a source of suffering, stress, imbalance and even ill health. Join us as we practice watching our thinking minds, and learn ways to cool the fires that can burn us out. Julie Speed Help My Brain is Burning

2. Please give a schedule of the day’s events with amount of time allotted for various activities, including meditation periods.

9:00-9:30 Gathering, introduction to the place, each other and the theme 9:30-10 Silent Meditation 10-10:15 Movement 10:15-11 Guided Meditation on mindfulness of thinking 11-11:15 Movement 11:15-noon Discussion

noon-1 Lunch

1-2 Experiential exercise in pairs 2-2:30 Discussion 2:30-3 Experiential exercise in small groups 3-3:15 Movement 3:15-4 Closing talk and discussion

3. How many people might reasonably be anticipated to attend?

No more than 20

4. In what month and year do you propose the program occur (or start)?

January or February 2017

5. What would be the program’s venue? (Example: Community Hall, church, library, home, office, etc)

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 33

Local retreat center with lovely outdoor environment

6. How would the teacher(s) be compensated for leading the program (Example: “Dana” or fee-based)

Dana, with a fee to cover costs

7. What background and experience prepares the teacher to lead or teach the program?

I have been practicing insight meditation for 25 years, after ten years experience in contemplative Christian communities. During that time, I was also developing my landscape architecture design practice, engaging in social justice work and raising a family.

8. Why do you want to present this program?

I am learning to live mindfully and passionately with all that life presents, and am aware of the tendency to speed up and heat up that is so easy to slip into, and can cause such suffering. I was specifically moved by the recent early death of the great architect Zaha Hadid.

9. Is there any other information that would help us review this proposal?

Outreach: I would like eventually to reach out to the local artists and designers in Austin through landscape architecture and architecture schools and professional organizations. For the first go-round, I would use the Mariposa sangha mailing list. This has been a topic of interest and discussion in the sangha.

Dharma topics: Within the general topic of mindfulness of thought, I would like to explore, especially in guided meditation and experiential exercises, the following:

Viewing thinking as process, rather than content Experiencing spaciousness in thought The experience of ‘Flow’ and how it relates to mindfulness, concentration and samadhi Thinking and self-compassion

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 34 Bob Agoglia A Workshop for Dharma Leaders and Guiding Teachers

This day long workshop is an introductory overview effective leadership and governance practices of dharma organizations. We will examine highly regarded secular leadership, management, and governance practices and how to integrate them with the unique culture and needs of dharma organizations.

The workshop will include periods of contemplative practice, presentation, and discussion. Participants will deepen their understanding of the roles of governance, guiding teacher, and executive director, and how they can work together to create a vibrant multicultural organizational environment for the dharma to flourish.

The workshop will be led by Bob Agoglia and ??? (a real-life guiding teacher, preferably a teacher of color). Bob’s career included serving as Executive Director of the Insight Meditation Society and co-founding a national consulting firm that primarily serves the home health and hospice sectors. He has been and continues to be active on the boards of non-profit organizations. His 36 years of meditation practice has been cultivated and deepened by many retreats at IMS. He is currently a student in the Community Dharma Leader program.

Guiding teacher bio goes here.

This workshop is most relevant for board members, executive directors, and guiding teachers of community/urban dharma organizations. It would be most beneficial for organizations to support attendance by sponsoring a participant in each of these roles. Participants should bring their organization’s mission statement, if one exists. Registration is limited to 20 participants. The registration fee is $150/person (includes lunch).

Topics that will be covered include: • The centrality of mission and the four questions mission statements should address • Ten key organizational elements that should be considered when envisioning future directions • Three standards of conduct and ten responsibilities of an effective governing body • The unique role of guiding teacher and its interface with governance and management • Why we should care about diversity in our sanghas: The long journey of transforming predominantly white organizations toward true multicultural diversity, inclusion and equity

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 35

Workshop Schedule

8:30am Welcome and sitting 9:00am Introductions and overview of the day 9:15am What is a mission statement: presentation on the four questions all mission statements should address • Small group exercise: using the four questions, analyze your organization’s existing mission statement or create an outline for a mission statement followed by whole group discussion 10:15am Creating a future vision: presentation on the ten elements for envisioning future directions 10:30am Break 10:45am Small group exercise: defining the questions for each element that your organization should explore followed by whole group discussion 11:30am Presentation and discussion on the role of the governing board 12:15pm Lunch 1:15pm Exploration of the guiding teacher role: participants from each organization describe the role of their guiding teacher(s) followed by whole group discussion 2:15pm Break 2:30pm Transforming predominantly white organizations toward true multicultural diversity, inclusion, and equity: presentation and discussion 3:30pm “Take aways” from the day: reflections on what you learned and how you might act on it 4:15pm Closing sit and dedication of merit 4:30pm End

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 36 Michael Malotte Equanimity: A Day of Practice

Equanimity is a stillness and stability of mind that allows us to be with things just as they are. It is a state of being calm, balanced, and also completely engaged, especially in the midst of action and difficulty. Developed equanimity helps us avoid the near miss of indifference and its opposite habitual reactivity. This practice is a necessary support of the other boundless positive mental qualities such as loving kindness, compassion, and appreciative joy.

Throughout this daylong of practice we will explore equanimity through talks, guided meditations and quiet reflection. It is suitable for anyone interested, from beginning meditation students to advanced practitioners.

Daylong Equanimity Schedule

9:00 Sit

9:30 Welcome and Talk

10:30 Break

10:45 Meditation instructions

11:00 Meditation: Equanimity for neutral person

11:30 Q + A

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Meditation: Equanimity for dear one and self

1:30 Walking Meditation

2:00 Meditation: Equanimity for difficult person and all beings

2:30 Walking Meditation

3:00 Discussion, Q + A

3:30 Closing remarks

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 37

Outline of Dharma content: Equanimity Daylong

A. Didactic portion:

1. Welcome remarks

2. Short definition of equanimity and utility of it in formal practice and daily life

3. The brahma viharas a. Definitions of the brahma viharas b. Far enemies c. Near enemies d. Interrelationships of the brahma viharas, now they support, need and include each other

4. Detailed description of upekkha

5. Supportive quotes a. Upanishad quote about two birds b. Steven Mitchel’s Tao Te Ching quote c. Eternity by William Blake d. Looking on life with quiet eyes quote e. Joseph Campbell quote f. Nyanaponika Thera’s commentary

6. True upekkha as opposed to indifference

7. Specific ways upekkha functions to support the other brahma viharas

8. Value of upekkha in our busy and difficult culture and time

9. Place of upekkha in multiple Buddhist lists and why

10. Importance of cultivating upekkha with Mother Theresa prayer

11. Classic upekkha phrases

12. Play song from John Prine and Doris Day

13. Explain progression of upekkha meditation: neutral person, self, dear one, difficult person, all beings, etc.

B. Meditation Session Content:

1. 10:45 am general guidelines and instructions for equanimity meditation

2. 11:00 am guided meditation on equanimity for neutral person

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 38 3. 11:30 questions/comments

4. 1:00 pm guided meditation on equanimity for dear one and self

5. 1:30 pm short instructions for walking meditation

6. 2:00 pm guided meditation equanimity for difficult person and all beings

7. 2:30 pm silent walking meditation

8. 3:00 pm suggested questions for discussion then questions/comments

9. 3:30 pm summary, closing remarks and dedication of merit

Outreach Plan: Equanimity Daylong

This daylong would be sponsored by our local sangha in San Luis Obispo, the White Heron Sangha. It would be on our website schedule. A blast email would go out to all members. Another blast email would go out to a list serve for the larger Buddhist community in our area. The intended audience for this daylong would be those who are interested in Buddhist practice including all levels of experience.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 39

Kitty Costello

CHI GUNG & MINDFULNESS OF THE BODY Proposal for a Daylong Class/Retreat by Kitty Costello

1) Program description: content, theme, purpose

This workshop will give teachings and experiential practice with each aspect of the First Foundation of Mindfulness. We will practice mindfulness of breath and body in stillness, and using Chi Gung movements, we will practice “off the cushion” with various aspects of body awareness, especially postures, activities, and elements.

2) Schedule & Dharma Content

See attached.

3) Attendance

This daylong is intended for adults. It could be taught to a group as small as 5 or to a crowd of more than 50 people.

4) When

Depends on the venue, space availability, approval, etc. In Tucson, some time between November-March, 2016-2017. In San Francisco, maybe early 2017.

5) Venue

In Tucson at the Shaolin Kung Fu Academy where I am a guiding teacher. In San Francisco at San Francisco Insight or Against the Stream.

6) Teacher compensation A fee charged as needed to cover costs associated with rent, registration, etc. and dana offered separately by participants to the teacher.

7) Teacher background/bio I have been a Vipassana meditation practitioner since 2000. I have studied and taught Shaolin Ssu, a Chan Buddhist martial arts form, since 1978, earning a 7th degree black belt and the title “Si Po,” feminine for “Master.” I have deep knowledge and experience with mind-body awareness and psychophysiology—from long study and teaching of biofeedback and various Chi Gung and Tai Chi forms—and I’ve gravitated toward dharma teachers who relish the nitty- gritty aspects of body awareness. I am a psychotherapist and offer a mind-body/mindfulness focus in my work with clients. For many years I have taught/led groups for people with chronic pain and serious illness, and I am particularly attuned to helping people safely mobilize and rest their bodies, cultivating a 100% non-harming approach. I have taught Chi Gung in the Insight community since 2004, including on residential retreats. I love integrating Dharma practice with Chi Gung, offering a safe and joyful way for people to experience their bodies in stillness and motion with greater clarity and kindness.

8) Why present this Some aspects of the First Foundation of Mindfulness aren’t taught very often or are mostly

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 40 taught in stillness. This daylong gives an opportunity to learn about and get an experiential taste of each aspect: breath, postures, activities, elements, 32 parts, and Maranasati. Practicing mindful Chi Gung in tandem with meditation is an easy and pleasant way to experience greater awareness during simple activities, and it builds a bridge between mindfulness in stillness and mindfulness in motion that can help to carry awareness into all aspects of daily life.

9) Outreach Plan

In Tucson — The students at the Shaolin school in Tucson are accustomed to my teachings when I visit, so posting a flyer at the school and asking other teachers to make announcements is all that is needed. I would also do outreach and send flyers to a CDL4 graduate who lives in Tucson and to the Tucson Community Meditation Center.

In San Francisco — If I teach a daylong at SF Insight or Against the Stream, I would rely on their web postings, live announcements, and flyers distributed at their regular sits, and I would send email announcements to my own list of Chi Gung students and other colleagues and friends.

10) Other helpful info

One of my central intentions for being in the CDL is to bridge my Theravada meditation practice with my Chan Buddhist practice of Shaolin. Deeper study of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness has given me rich insights into the connections between these two divergent approaches. I am excited to offer sutta-based mindfulness practices to the martial arts students I work with and to bring the wisdom of mindful movement to Insight practitioners.

CHI GUNG & MINDFULNESS OF THE BODY DAYLONG: SCHEDULE AND DHARMA CONTENT (Dharma content is included in brackets. Specific teachings are in caps & italicized.)

9am: WELCOME, ORIENTATION, NOBLE SILENCE, REFUGES—15 minutes. [Overview of the day’s practice. Refuges and Noble Silence explained and invoked, with special attention on relinquishing electronic devices.]

9:15: 1st GUIDED MEDITATION, SEATED—30 minutes. [1) Instructions for Seated Posture, and 2) guidance using language from Mindfulness of Breathing for a breath-focused meditation.]

9:45: 1st CHI GUNG—30 minutes. [Incorporate language from Mindfulness of Activities during movements. Focus on breath awareness and do moves that highlight the Air Element, internally and externally.]

10:15: 2nd GUIDED MEDITATION, LYING DOWN—30 minutes. [1) Introduce Lying Down Posture and 2) Body Scan Meditation, including some language from the 32 parts.]

10:45: 2nd CHI GUNG—30 minutes. [Moves that focus on body awareness, on solidity and the Earth Element.]

11:15: 3rd MEDITATION, SEATED—30 minutes. [Mindfulness of Body in Seated Posture.]

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 41

11:45: TALK BEFORE LUNCH—15 minutes. [Talk about mindfulness during all Activities and specific Mindfulness of Eating instructions. Encourage continuity of practice during lunch “break.”]

12 Noon: LUNCH—1 hour in silence.

1pm: 4th MEDITATION, STANDING/SEATED—30 minutes. [Instructions for Standing Meditation, asking practitioners to try standing for 10 minutes or more before sitting back down. General breath and body awareness with a little bit of guidance about heat and coolness, the Fire Element.]

1:30: 3rd CHI GUNG/WALKING—35 minutes. [Do some rigorous moves to more strongly evoke the Fire Element (and counteract afternoon drowsiness). Explain and practice Walking Meditation.]

2:05pm: 5th MEDITATION, STANDING/SEATED—30 minutes. [Option to Stand and/or Sit. Guidance including awareness of the Water Element, flow and cohesion, in the body and externally.]

2:35: 4th CHI GUNG/WALKING—35 minutes. [Do moves that evoke flow, the Water Element. Walking Meditation.]

3:10pm: DHARMA TALK—35 minutes. [Brief overview of Four Foundations of Mindfulness. Review of First Foundation practices we’ve been doing in stillness and motion throughout the day. Read a bit from Satipathhana Sutta and elaborate on 32 Parts and on Maranasati. Q&A.]

3:45pm: 6th GUIDED MEDITATION, LYING DOWN—20 minutes. [Lying Down, “corpse pose” meditation, pacifying each of the 6 Sense Gates. Guidance will include awareness that each of these senses is impermanent, not me or mine.]

4pm: FINAL MEDITATION, SEATED—10 minutes.

4:10-4:25: TRANSITION—15 minutes. [Reflection on how to bring greater awareness from the cushion and out into Activities. Use Mindfulness of Speaking in pairs as a way to practice.]

CLOSING & DEDICATION OF MERIT—5 minutes. [Brief Metta for self and others.]

Throughout the day practitioners will be encouraged to notice the shift from the cushion into other postures and activities, mindful of transitions.

They will also be encouraged to notice each time we shift from straightforward mindfulness into other modes such as contemplation or visualizing (as with the 32 Parts, 4 Elements, and Maranasati). Chi Gung moves, while using mindfulness, often encourage an intentional shift into a more optimal state, which is different from simple mindfulness. Bringing careful attention to these shifts can help practitioners learn skillful options and notice their underlying intentions, shifting consciously rather than out of grasping or aversion. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 42 Julie Novas Program Title: Metta Retreat: A Journey into Loving Kindness

1. Please describe the program, including its content, theme and purpose. One day retreat to support practitioners in encountering and exploring Metta. Throughout the day participants will start with sending self Metta and gradually expand to all sentient beings.

2. Please give a schedule of the day’s events with amount of time allotted for various activities, including meditation periods. The daylong program will be held from 10:00am – 5:00pm. The detailed schedule is as follows: 10:00am – 10:15 am Welcome and Introductions 10:15am – 10:20am Agenda review 10:20 am – 10:30am Dedicating the practice 10:30am – 11:00am 1st sit – Metta for Self 11:00am – 11:30am Debrief & Brief talk on Metta 11:30am – 12:00pm Stretch & Standing in Metta Meditation 12:00pm – 1:00pm Communal Lunch 1:00pm – 1:30pm 2nd sit – Metta for Benefactor 1:30pm – 2:00pm Walking Metta Meditation 2:00pm – 2:30pm 3rd sit – Metta for the Neutral person 2:30pm – 3:00pm Walking Metta Meditation 3:00pm – 3:30pm 4th sit – Metta for the Difficult Person 3:30pm – 4:00pm Walking Metta Meditation 4:00pm – 4:30pm 5th sit – Metta for All Beings 4:30pm – 4:45pm Reading from the Metta Sutta & Reflections, 4:45pm – 5:00pm Dedicating the Practice and Closing

3. How many people might reasonably be anticipated to attend? Reasonably, I would anticipate between 5 and 15 participants.

4. In what month and year do you propose the program occur? I would like to offer the daylong in February 2017 as a celebration of love.

5. What would be the program’s venue? Ideally, it will be at a community organization but worst case scenario I can host at home.

6. How would the teacher(s) be compensated for leading the program? Compensation for teachers would be fee-based with a sliding scale.

7. What background and experience prepares the teacher to lead or teach the program? I have been a Vipassana practitioner since 2004 and I am, amongst other things a Holistic Health Counselor, Interfaith Minister, Social Worker, Mental Health Therapist and Attorney.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 43

8. Why do you want to present this program? I want to present this program to be a stand and a clearing for loving kindness. We live in a society that, particularly in the month of February holds very a highly a particular manifestation of love. Through this daylong I want to support the new and seasoned practitioner to expand further and land into love as their birthright and innate way of being as a way of furthering peace on the planet.

9. Is there any other information that would help us review this proposal? No.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 44 Bill Scheinman Lovingkindness: Training the Heart to Open

Description: This all-day intensive explores the Buddhist meditation practice of metta, or lovingkindness , in various forms and flavors. Traditionally it is said that the Buddha taught lovingkindness as an antidote to fear, but the practice is also used as both a concentration practice and an insight practice. Above all, lovingkindness is a powerful way of accessing the radiant intelligence of the heart. The day will include practice sessions of the core forms of lovingkindness and will also include periods of walking meditation, inquiry and discussion. A talk on the benefits of lovingkindness as validated by research will take place before lunch. Required: Some previous experience with meditation.

Schedule: 8:30-9:00 Sign In & Arrival 9:00-9:15 Introduction to Lovingkindness & The Brahma Viharas 9:15-9:30 Mindfulness of Breathing 9:30-9:50 Lovingkindness for Benefactor with Debrief 9:50-10:10 Lovingkindness for Self with Debrief 10:10-10:30 Introduction to Walking 10:30-10:40 Break 10:40-11:00 Lovingkindness for a Good Friend with Debrief 11:00-11:20 Lovingkindness for a Neutral Person with Debrief 11:20-11:30 Walking 11:30-11:50 Lovingkindness for Difficult Person or Enemy with Debrief 11:50-12:10 Lovingkindness for All Beings with Debrief 12:10-12:25 Slideshow Talk: Benefits of Lovingkindness 12:25-12:30 Instructions for Lunch 12:30-1:30 Lunch 1:30-2:00 Radiant Lovingkindness with Debrief 2:00-2:10 Walking 2:10-2:50 5 Stage Lovingkindness with Debrief 2:50-3:00 Walking 3:00-3:45 Small Groups & Full Group: Takeaways, Integration, Next Steps, & Sharing 3:45-4:00 Closing Ritual

Dharma Content: The day is conceived as an intensive introduction to lovingkindness meditation from the perspective of Buddhist practice and teachings. Metta and the other brahma viharas will be introduced in the morning conceptually, including their place in Buddhist meditation and Buddhist psychology. Scientific evidence attesting to the effectiveness of lovingkindness as a practice will be presented in a brief slide show lecture just before lunch. Practice periods will be short – about 15-20 minutes each with time for debriefing and discussion after each one. Practice will start with a period of mindfulness of breathing, and then will proceed with sessions of lovingkindness for various categories CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 45 of people, starting with the benefactor and proceeding to lovingkindness for self, a good friend, a neutral person, a difficult person, and all beings. Participants will be encouraged to cultivate lovingkindness during their lunch hour. The afternoon will include a period of radiant lovingkindness, and a comprehensive 5-stage practice bringing together most of the categories of people. Throughout the day periods of walking meditation will be spaced out between sitting practice, with possibly the chanting of sabbe satta sukhi hontu (“may all beings be well and happy”) during one of these periods. During the end of the day participants will break into small groups and share their key takeaways as well as how they intend to integrate the practice of lovingkindness into their lives. The key takeaways and the setting of intentions will then be shared with the large group. A closing ritual will end the day. The day will be open to the general public, but requires that participants have some experience with meditation. Notices will be sent to my existing network of secularly- minded practitioners, as well as to other Buddhist and Insight meditation communities as deemed appropriate. The day is thought of as a fee-based day, with a sliding scale of $50-$150.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 46 BETH SHOYER

Program title: Mindfulness of the Body. Spend the day bringing your awareness out of your head and into your body.

Please describe the program, including its content, theme, and purpose. This program will introduce and deepen participants’ practice of the first foundation of mindfulness. It will progress through the five contemplations and bring together traditional sources and practices with contemporary writings and dialogue. It’s purpose is twofold; deepen practice and inquiry into body awareness, and increase awareness of relative and absolute body experience. The latter will open the door to acknowledging aspects of this relative human physical experience that affect first foundation contemplations. This might be recognizing the impact of being discriminated against because of a physical attribute, recognizing the impact of being differently abled and/or recognizing the impact of past trauma or other psychological experiences. Since it is a daylong, it will purposely be a general introduction into these latter aspects and an invitation to explore further following this day’s experience.

Please give a schedule of the day’s events with amount of time allotted for various activities, including meditation periods.

• 8:00 – 8:30: Check-in and Getting settled. • 9:00 – 9:45: Welcome. Introduction, ground rules, structure, Mindfulness of Breathing • 9:45 – 10:15: Walking meditation including instruction for those who need it. • 10:30 – 11:00: Four Postures: four postures meditation • 11:00 – 11:30: Mindfulness of Activities with Instruction for Mindful Eating • 11:30 – 12:15: Silent Mindful Lunch • 12:15 - 12:45: Mindfulness of Bodily Parts • 12:45 – 1:15: Yoga • 1:15 – 2:00: Four Elements; Walking Meditation including instruction • 2:00 – 2:30: Cemetery Contemplations – Guided Imagery • 2:30 – 3:00: Walking Meditation • 3:00 – 4:00: Dharma Talk and Q & A • 4:00 – 4:30: Breaking the Silence: Dyads, Quads, Group

How many people might reasonably be anticipated to attend? 15 to 20. I will advertise the retreat on our sangha listserv which consists of people who have requested to hear about sangha events. I will also list the event on our webpage and post it on our Facebook page.

In what month and year do you propose the program occur (or start)? May, 2017. This will be prior to when many people leave town and during a time when walking outside may be possible.

What would be the program’s venue? Showme Dharma is a Vipassana Sangha in Columbia, Missouri. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 47

How would the teacher(s) be compensated for leading the program? The retreat will be offered on a Dana basis.

What background and experience prepares the teacher to lead or teach the program? Beth Shoyer has been teaching mediation at Showme Dharma since 2001. She has been practicing meditation for approximately 17 years. Her main Vipassana teacher was Ginny Morgan. She has trained in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction with Jon Kabat- Zinn, Saki Santorelli, Florence Meyer, and Melissa Blacker. She has trained in Insight Dialogue facilitation with Gregory Kramer. She is currently participating in Community Dharma Leader training through Spirit Rock Insight Meditation Center and the Insight Meditation Society. She is being mentored by Phil Jones. Beth has taught in community settings including university campuses and medical settings. She currently works and teaches at an eating disorders treatment center.

Why do you want to present this program? A day of practice focusing on Mindfulness of the Body can be a wonderful awakening experience for beginners and advanced practitioners. It can provide fundamentals for beginning a practice and a beginner can leave with a felt sense of mindfulness, important insights, and tangible practice instruction. Advanced practitioners can receive new perspectives and entries into deepened contemplation. Mindfulness of the Body can be rich with new insight, inspiration, and healing opportunities. A day of practice and inquiry in this are can make a true difference.

Outline of Content

Welcome. Introduction, ground rules, structure, Mindfulness of Breathing: • Introduce topic of retreat • Ground rules (e.g., custody of eyes, silence, mindful listening and speaking during Q & A) • Explain schedule and flow of the day • Read sutta • Meditation: Begin with instructions for focusing on sensation of each breath eventually move to instruction for mindfulness of the body breathing

Walking meditation including instruction for those who need it: • Attention to the body moving, feeling the feet on the ground.

Four Postures: four postures meditation: • Read sutta • Awareness of the body in action. • Aids in a balanced and detached attitude towards the body (e.g., a product of conditions) • We can meditate in all four postures and each may be more skillful under certain conditions • 5 minutes sitting, 5 minutes walking, 5 minutes standing, 5 minutes laying down

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 48

Mindfulness of Activities with Instruction for Mindful Eating: • read sutta • Benefits of seemless awareness • All activity being grist for the mill • Instruction for mindful eating

Mindfulness of Bodily Parts: • Read sutta • Meditation on Mindfulness of the 32 Body parts • Noticing impact of focusing on unpleasant versus focusing on glorifying or beautifying

Yoga: Gentle hatha yoga with awareness of sensations in the body.

Four Elements; Walking Meditation including instruction: • Lifting foot – lightness or fire element • Moving foot forward – motion or air element • Putting foot down – heaviness or water element • Pressing foot on ground – hardness/softness or earth element

Cemetery Contemplations – Guided Imagery: • Read sutta • Larry Rosenberg or Joan Halifax imagery/meditation

Dharma Talk and Q & A:

• Satipatthana “direct path” to Nibbana, A set of detailed descriptions or meditation instructions • Contemplation of the Body – A progressive sequence leading to further refinement that becomes a vehicle for further refinement of mind. • Attachment to body vs body as a vessel for awareness • Introduce the idea that suffering lies in the relative truth, in how we are embodied. If our bodies ae sources of suffering then we need to acknowledge and work with that to be able to find freedom. We have to acknowledge and explore these bodies to experience the absolute truth. Zenju Earthlyn Manuel • Q & A

Breaking the Silence: Dyads, Quads, Group: • Turning to a neighbor, begin talking in a quiet voice about your bodily experience of the day. • Join another dyad and in a regular voice begin talking about your bodily experience in this moment. • Joining together as a whole group, speak out popcorn style what feels left to say about the day.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 49

Trauma & Spiritual Practice: Daylong Retreat with Sean Feit Oakes

(1) daylong description with topic

Title: Trauma & Spiritual Practice: Skillful Tools for When Mindfulness Doesn’t Work

Description: Central to the Buddhist path is a profound inquiry into suffering (Pāli: dukkha) and its cause: habitual contraction around both pleasant and unpleasant experience. The medicine for this suffering lies in our ability, with training, to remain alert and vibrant through both ease and difficulty. In Buddhist meditation, the practices of mindfulness (sati), skillful attention (yoniso manasikāra), and loving-kindness (mettā) depend in large part on the practitioner being able to settle the mind and heart in the present moment, focused on experiences as they arise. Many modern practitioners, however, find even this most basic aspect of meditation very difficult, and may spend years wrestling with anxiety, self-doubt, regret, and overwhelming emotions in meditation. In many cases this difficulty stems largely from unresolved trauma and early life distress.

This daylong retreat will introduce the basic principles of Organic Intelligence®, a mindfulness and compassion-based clinical protocol and map for healing that integrates beautifully with Buddhist practice. Restoring healthy nervous system function and cultivating resilience, OI strengthens the ability to be relaxed, embodied, and present, deeply supporting meditation and other spiritual practices. This way of working can shift stuck habits in meditation for even long-time practitioners, and can be transformative for those both with and without “trauma”.

We will practice meditation, gentle yoga, and conversational exercises that everyone can do, learning to decrease stress and build the ability to be present with difficult experiences without overwhelm. All bodies and minds are welcome.

(2) retreat schedule

time activity topic

10 Welcome, Talk 1 nervous system basics, Fight-Flight-Freeze, “orientation” & “blue”

10:45 Basic Skills “orientation” exercise, discussion “orientation to blue” exercise, discussion

11:15 Meditation using orientation & blue

11:30 Discussion

11:45 Break social, snacks

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 50 time activity topic

12 Talk 2 titration & body sensation; modifying mindfulness

12:30 Meditation orientation, quick body scan, orientation

1 Walking outside silent wandering, exploring the landscape

1:30 Discussion

2 Lunch talking lunch, music in background, social time

3 Talk 3 pleasure, meditation, & the nervous system

3:45 Movement gentle yoga working with orientation, pleasure, choice

4:30 Meditation self-guided: orientation, pleasure, internal-external attention

5 Discussion

5:30 Meditation mettā and compassion for self using pleasurable image

5:45 Closing Talk further resources & closing invocations

(3) detailed outline of dharma content

1. Orientation to the environment through the senses = external mindfulness A. External is less activating than internal B. Trauma conditions loss of the ability to be in the here-and-now C. Perception of safety in the present as #1 condition D. Why “mindfulness” can be challenging: it’s too likely to court sensation-trigger-overwhelm

2. Orientation to pleasure (“blue”) to counteract negativity bias (“red habit”) A. Vedanā is conditioned by trauma B. How to pull the attention away from habitual threat-perception (“red habit”) C. Strengthening ability to stay with pleasurable vedanā as skillful means D. Importance of titration

3. Nervous system states of Fight, Flight, and Freeze parallel 3 Roots: Grasping, Aversion, and Delusion A. Deactivation of F-F-F states necessary before mind will settle B. Meditation depends on stabilization of calm, alert NS state C. Deactivation is more important than “mindfulness” when dealing with traumatic stress D. Deactivation conditioned by safety & contact with pleasurable vedanā

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 51

(4) short bio

Sean Feit Oakes (SEP, E-RYT500) teaches Buddhism, Haṭha Yoga, and Organic Intelligence with a focus on the integration of meditation, philosophy, and self-inquiry with trauma resolution and social justice. He has studied in Zen, Tibetan, and Theravāda Buddhist lineages, including time as a monk in Burma, and is authorized to teach by Jack Kornfield. Other primary teachers include Anam Thubten, Sayadaw U Janaka (vipassanā), Eugene Cash and Sylvia Boorstein (Insight Meditation), Alice Joanou (yoga), and Steven Hoskinson (Somatic Experiencing/Organic Intelligence).

Sean teaches at Spirit Rock, East Bay Meditation Center, and Yoga Tree SF, and is core Teacher Training faculty for Piedmont Yoga and Yoga Garden SF. He also works with teens through Inward Bound Mindfulness Education. At Spirit Rock he completed the Dedicated Practitioner’s Program and the Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training, and is a member of the Community Dharma Leader program. Sean is a PhD candidate at UC Davis, writing on Buddhist contemplative practice and experimental dance, and lives in Oakland with a beautiful family and community. Website: nadalila.org

(5) outreach plan

Online promo: 1. My personal website & website of hosting center or studio 2. Facebook event (1,700 “friends”), status update weekly till class, & posting on several FB groups 3. Local email lists: BAYAS, SFI, IMCB, SE (Somatic Experiencing) 4. OI website & email list 5. Feature in my monthly email newsletter (800+ people)

The day is oriented toward practitioners with trauma in their histories & anyone who has experienced difficulty in practice. Beginners welcome. The folks who tend to come to these classes, which I’ve done before, tend to be dedicated beginner-intermediate practitioners who have found standard meditation and mindfulness instructions challenging or triggering. Teachers and facilitators, especially yoga and mindfulness teachers, have also found benefit.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 52 Yong Oh Mindfulness on the Mountain: Daylong Retreat in Nature

Nature can be our most profound teacher, as we practice with the sounds, the beauty, the bugs, the heat, the branches, the roots, the rain. We will have an opportunity to slow down, connect deeply with the activity, beauty and wisdom of the natural world through the cultivation of our meditation and mindfulness practice. Our retreat will be held in silence and will include guided and silent meditations, walking meditation, instructions and reflections, qi gong and time for quiet contemplation.

We'll be gathering at Rising Fawn Gardens located in Rising Fawn, Georgia. This beautiful 600-acre farm is nestled between the natural boundaries of Lookout Creek and the western slope of Lookout Mountain. Fertile pastures surrounded by hardwood forest, clean flowing water, and abundant wildlife form a unique habitat rich in history dating back thousands of years. www.risingfawngardens.com

This retreat is suitable for all levels of practice, however some meditation experience is suggested. We will start the day at the Yoga House on the northern section of the farm. We will hold practices indoors as well as outside - creekside, in the forest, on the trail - and will partly be based on the day's weather. Bring a lunch, water/drinks, blankets or cushions for sitting meditation, and appropriate clothing for spending time outdoors.

Registration for this meditation retreat is $45 and is limited to a max of 20 participants. A portion will be donated to the Lookout Mountain Conservancy. Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive detailed instructions and directions and a short form to complete.

Retreat Schedule: September 2016

7:00 AM-8:00 AM Sunrise/Bird Chorus Meditation (Optional) 8:00-8:30 AM -- Arrival/Check-In

8:45-9:00 -- Qi Gong Breathing Warm-up 9:00-10:00 -- Morning Instructions/Talk, Guided Meditation 10:00-10:30 -- Walking Meditation 10:30-11:10 -- Sitting Meditation - Partial Guided 11:10-11:40 -- Walking Meditation 11:40-12:00 -- Meal + Afternoon Instructions

12:00-1:00 -- Lunch

1:00-2:00 -- Open Period: Walking Meditation/Mindful Hike/Contemplation 2:00-2:15 -- Qi Gong - Metal Element/Fall Preparation 2:15-3:00 -- Sitting Meditation - Partial Guided 3:00-3:30 -- Walking Meditation 3:30-4:00 -- Sitting Meditation - Silent 4:00-4:30 -- Closing/Discussion/Reflections

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 53

Content Outline - This particular retreat will primarily be a 'secular-oriented' mindfulness offering with, considering the still nascent dharma community in Chattanooga. - Themes and instructions will focus a good deal on bringing mindfulness to the body, including the breath and 4 elements. - Discussion will cover the value of practicing in nature, connecting with our senses, and appreciating our connection with the natural world. - Part of the plan is weather dependent, so a certain amount of flexibility and intuition in working with the elements as well as the experience levels of the people attending

Bio Yong Oh, licensed acupuncturist at Om Acupuncture Center, has been living and practicing in Chattanooga since 2006. In addition to his work in Chinese Medicine, he offers meditation and mindfulness instruction throughout Chattanooga and its surrounding areas. He regularly leads classes and workshops at Yoga Landing, the Center for Mindful Living, and the Chattery. He co- leads the Chattanooga Insight Meditation group and started the Chattanooga Outdoor Meditation Group. Yong is a participant of the 2-year Community Dharma Leaders Program offered through Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California, and is currently a board member at the Southern Dharma Retreat Center in North Carolina. Yong spends his free time hiking and exploring the Southern Appalachians and the nearby Chattanooga outdoors. www.omacupuncturecenter.com

Outreach Plan Primarily via social media/word of mouth - the Mindful Chattanooga Facebook group and personal page, sharing with the Insight Meditation sangha, posting on the Chattanooga Community Yoga meetup.com network page where I create and post events for the Chattanooga Outdoor Meditation Group.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 54 Ian Challis Part I – Daylong description with topic

Sustaining and Nourishing your Meditation Practice

How do we support and sustain a meditation practice? How do we hold both its joys and challenges? In your practice you may have experienced moments of great peace and clarity, and you may have experienced days when questions arise: Is this working? Am I enjoying my practice? Why does my mind still wander, after all this time? Does this really happen to everyone?

In this daylong practice retreat, we will learn techniques to keep our practice fresh and interesting. Through practice periods and discussions we’ll explore ways to support the habit of practice, how the Buddha taught us to work with the “troublesome” mind-states, how to use the qualities of investigation and curiosity, and how to listen to our inner wisdom to teach ourselves when the going gets rough.

This retreat will be most helpful to those who have some previous meditation experience. Whether you have a regular practice, an occasional one, or whether you are hoping to develop a practice, you will find this day useful and inspiring.

We will alternate seated practice periods, with walking, movement, lunch and discussions. Please bring a thoughtfully chosen lunch that will support your well-being.

Part II – Retreat Schedule

9:30 Welcome, orientation to the space and overview of the day. (Arriving, grounding. Acknowledging the goodness of our intents and aspirations. Setting the container: The five precepts as they pertain to creating a safe supportive space for today’s practice.) 9:45 Short discussion of what supports and doesn’t support practice. Instructions. (See Part III) 10:00 Sitting practice (choose to return to object with a sense of joy) 10:45 Sharing what’s in the room (encourage people to use the last sit to identify what comes up for them) 11:00 Walking meditation 11:30 Sitting practice 12:00 Intro of eating practice and silent Lunch 1:00 Sitting Practice 1:30 Dharma Talk (see Part III) 2:10 Silent break/mindful movement 2:20 Sitting Practice

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 55

(noticing the quality of mind as you return to the object of mind, and the quality of mind just before) 3:00 Small Group discussions (What came up for you? What was helpful? What was challenging? What would you like to remember? 5 minutes/person. Quality of spiritual friendship.) 3:15 Full group discussions/questions 3:45 Closing comments (Recap of key concepts. Invitation to experiment.) 4:00 Dedication of Merit and End of Retreat

Part III – Detailed outline of the dharma content

A. 9:45 Short discussion of what supports and what doesn’t support practice. Instructions § What brought you here today? What inspired you to begin a meditation practice? § Bringing Energy and a spirit of Investigation to the day, Vicaya. What is happening now? What is this? Bringing this curiosity to the day and allowing it to show us what we need to see. ◦ Why do you practice meditation? (interactive) ◦ Where does practice feel difficult (interactive) § Discuss benefits of practice: ◦ Greater awareness of the moment resulting in more choice/freedom ◦ Creating wholesome habits that can replace old patterns ◦ A pleasant abiding/refuge ◦ Generating concentration – clear seeing, leading to insight and wisdom. § The Buddha taught these supports: ◦ Intention/Resolve ◦ Sila – morality/virtue ◦ Guarding the sense doors. Non grasping. Renunciation. ◦ Mindfulness in our actions ◦ Having the four requisites = food, clothing, shelter and medecine ◦ A “solitary lodging” § Invitation to sitting practice now: Coming to that “solitary lodging”: Simply working with mindfulness of the breath as though for the first time. Without judging or changing, simply noticing what happens as you stay on the breath or bring attention back to the breath. Every time you come back to the breath allow yourself to feel joy, (rather than any sort of judgement).

B. 1:30 Afternoon Dharma Talk Introduction: § “The long and winding road.” ◦ My own experience. Why practice? Wider view. The Buddha’s simile of the Ocean Shelf – gradual training, progress. ◦ The reality of the practice holds challenges (even for senior teachers). Among the challenges that arise: resistance; boredom; doubt; blind habit. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 56 ◦ Balancing of effort and resolve (supports) and gently allowing unfolding of wisdom and joy (the fruit). Being our own friend and teacher.

Returning to the cushion (Aspiration and Habit) § Even for the most experienced meditators this can be a challenge. (examples) The perfect is the enemy of the good. Showing up. (Chuck Close: Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.) § Making a clear choice, a commitment: Right Resolve – “the exertion of our own will to change”. Revisiting your aspiration often. Examples from simple to complex. Allow yourself to refine it over time – a living thing. § Supporting our practice by what we do off the cushion: Sila, Mindfulness, Compassion. Remembering our aspiration. Creating a feedback loop. § Remembering the benefits, the fruits of practice. § Relieving ourselves of decision points. Choosing a regular time, place, setup. ◦ Routine. Value of a kind of “retreat container” in creating ease and calm. Setting up your own retreat even if it is for an hour or less a day. ◦ Recognizing the power of habit, the fact that we are great at creating habits, but most of them are unconscious. ◦ A sense of the sacred if helpful. Honoring our intention toward liberation. § Recognizing that a feeling of wanting or not wanting (to sit) is temporary and is less powerful than our aspiration. § Honoring your intention as closely as is possible: if too tired, can you take a step in your direction of intention? (dragging myself out of bed and laying on the floor, etc.)

How to take care of ourselves on the cushion, working with difficulties (Compassionate Wisdom) § Preliminaries ◦ Preliminaries: something you read, a chant, listening to the metta sutta, making an offering, beautifying the space in some way. ◦ Taking your seat intentionally, mindfully, with self-respect. ◦ Arousing joy and energy (both factors of enlightenment): Gratitude, Aspiration, Determination, Metta. (This is “gladdening the mind”). § Working with the Hindrances or Nivaranas – coverings/obscurations. The Buddha called them “overgrowths of the mind”. Notice them, See into them, Work with them. ◦ Sensual Desire. Wanting, fantasizing or craving stimulation. ▪ Strategies: Returning to the present, realizing the enoughness of this moment, contemplating impermanence, and (esp. off the cushion) working with mindfulness of sense doors. ◦ Ill-Will. The gripe fest of the mind. ▪ Strategies: Refrain from fanning the flames. Arouse compassion, lovingkindness. ◦ Sloth and Torpor. Sluggishness of body and mind. ▪ Strategies for tiredness: move, open eyes, perception of light, stand, and (esp. off the cushion) note what contributes to this: time of day, diet, etc.

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▪ Strategies for mind: Present moment curiosity, (what is this?) Remembering your aspiration, the unique value of this moment. Brahm: doing and knowing are functions of the mind, calming one and not both. ◦ Restlessness and Remorse. Again physical and mental. ▪ Strategies for body: Investigate the restlessness, see if you can watch it pass. Focus on where there is comfort. ▪ Strategies for mind: Appreciation of the moment. Contentment with unfolding exactly as it is. Remembering your commitment to Sila/harmlessness. Awareness and acceptance of emotions. (example of memory, shame literally causing me to leap off the cushion). ◦ Doubt. “Telling ourself stories that sap our confidence”. ▪ Strategies: Remembering the benefits of our practice, the Buddha, our teachers, archetypes, the universality of the dharma, spiritual friends and mentors. Our deepest aspirations. ▪ Note: Also be sensitive to the uses of doubt, is this a story or is there something here I need to investigate? ◦ Working with Hindrances as a practice. Not just an obstacle to be overcome, but as a rich ground. We start to see our habits of mind. Seeing them with mindfulness we gain insight as to what may be going on when we are not mindful. There is a general antidote: “the more you pay attention, the more it wears itself out.” § Self Compassion ◦ Balancing effort with kindness to self and the process. Remember the gradual training/ocean shelf. Patience with the process and ourselves. ◦ Recognizing the universality of the experience of the hindrances. (Mogallana and sloth, the Buddha tempted by Mara: Sensual desire, doubt, etc.) ◦ Valuing the practice, (again gladdening the mind) and ending your sit with recollection, awareness of impermanence, resolve to practice off the cushion. ◦ Noting insights and remembering them. They are never forgotten, but it helps to review them, (Ayya Khema). ◦ Companionship of spiritual friends and sangha.

Keeping Practice Fresh – Beginner’s Mind and Teaching Ourselves (Curiosity) § The most effective tool in making the practice alive for ourselves is cultivating Beginner’s Mind, or shoshin. “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” (Suzuki Roshi) ◦ Intentionally looking freshly, with an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions. ◦ Curiosity, investigation, vicaya (another of the 7 factors) (what is this? What is this now?) ◦ Expert’s mind or beginner’s mind ▪ Experts carry a lot of “shoulds”. Beginners luck is a misnomer. Creating a map and confusing it with reality. ▪ What is more fun: to think we know everything or to be learning everything?

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 58 ▪ Being open to what is new or defending knowledge? “Fixed views” are opposite of flexibility and the unfolding nature of the universe, they lead to dukkha. ▪ Always learning. Enjoying being a student. Reminding yourself of the wonder and improbability of it all, a sense of awe and openness. ▪ Let the emphasis be on the investigation, the learning. We are starting over endlessly. Literally. We let wisdom arise on its own, we don’t need to “do” it. Like a seed germinating it can’t be forced or easily stopped. ▪ Letting go of where we think we should be and letting the process carry us as though walking that ocean shelf. § Being your own teacher, owning your wisdom ◦ The Care & Feeding of the Mind (Ajaan Lee) “It's like knowing how to look after a small child. If the child starts crying, you know when to give it milk ... when to take it out for some air, when to ... give it a doll to play with. The mind is like a small, innocent child. If you're skilled at looking after it, it'll be obedient, happy, and contented, and will grow day by day.” ◦ What have you learned through your own investigation that works? What leads to wisdom, peace, equanimity? ◦ Getting interested however you can. (Teacher: the breath is much more interesting than you think). Appealing to whatever it is that gets you interested, you will know this better than anyone. ◦ Contemplate what you may need. Mix it up -- we have many tools: postures, the way we experience the breath, the objects of mindfulness we use, the practices of metta, forgiveness, etc. ◦ Ayya Khema, “Whatever works.” Allow yourself to be inspired, think of new ways of practicing. (Examples: metta tea, seeing the breath as ocean, external breathing.) ◦ Allow creativity to inform your practice not out of boredom, or restlessness but when there is a feeling of stuckness. When your wisdom informs you the moment requires a response.

Concluding thought: § Let go of expectations. Trust the gradual training of mind and heart. Be kind to yourself and the process. Use the hindrances as a practice. Release judgement or attachment of a particular experience in favor of the whole – the gradual movement toward liberation. (Joko Beck) “We don’t need to judge our sittings as good or bad. There’s just, “I’m here and at least I’m aware of some of my life.” And as I sit …. that percentage tends to go up.”

Part IV – A short bio with a description of your qualifications or experience that might draw people to your event.

Ian Challis has sustained a committed dharma practice since 2005. He has sat retreats and studied with Rodney Smith, Narayan Liebenson, Leigh Brasington, Santikaro, Larry Yang, Joseph Goldstein among many others. He works as an artist and product designer and offers service to his community. After living in Seattle for many years he and his husband David now CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 59 make their home in the California desert. He is a founding board member and past president of Insight Community of the Desert in Palm Springs and leads the Desert Meditation Group in Rancho Mirage. Ian is currently participating in the two year Community Dharma Leader training at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.

Part V – Outreach Plan

Content is appropriate for anyone who has an interest in sustaining and deepening a meditation practice, so I would cast a wide net within local meditation communities, but might not promote beyond the community of practitioners. § Prepare materials for promotion: Description, bio, photo. § Create flyer as a leave behond piece. § Ask sponsoring sangha to distribute flyer, offer announcements, email to their mailing list. § Use my own mailing list, facebook, meetup group and other sitting groups that I have led.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 60 Chris Charles

Program title: Unleashing the power of heart

1. Please describe the program, including its content, theme, and purpose.

This day of mindfulness will be offered to ages 14-99+. The program will not The program will include traditional day of mindfulness activities as well discussion and other interactive activities that draw on the many heart practices that support exploring and feeling the strength and wisdom within. The primary focus of this day will be on gratitude, friendliness (Metta), & compassion (Karuna). The purpose for exploring these practices together as a community is to be to see each other as a mirror to see the strength in ourselves and those in our practice community. The room will be setup in a circle.

2. Please give a schedule of the day’s events with amount of time allotted for various activities, including meditation periods.

Time Description Duration 9:30am- 9:45am Arrive and registration 15-25 First short sitting period - 10:00am settling in 15 Community Agreements (precepts of non-harm). Community members will be asked what helps them feel supported in a mindfulness community. Council practice will be offered if needed. 2 Check-In 10:15am - words: In this moment ______& 10:30am ______is present 15 Invite the community to dedicate the day of practice to an ancestor 10:30am - and to a quality that they would 11:15am like to bring forth - 45 11:20am - 11:30am Mindful Break 11:30am - Sitting Period - Friendliness With 12:10pm Guidance 40 Short Discussion & Lighting Rounds Lightning rounds: 12:10pm - - What did you notice? 12:30pm - 20

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12:30pm - 1:15pm Mindful Lunch Break 45 1:20pm - Sitting Period – Compassion guided 1:50pm meditation 30 1:50pm - Walking Meditation with 2:20pm instructions for 5 minutes 30 (25) 2:20pm - 2:35pm Short sitting period 15 Wisdom Talk – How opening up to the unsatisfactory qualities of life 2:40pm - and embracing Compassion and 3:20pm Friendliness Saved My Life 40 3:25pm - 3:45pm Mindful Movement Chi Gong 20 3:45pm - 4:00pm Mindful Break 15 (10)

4:00pm - Tiered Sharing 4:30pm What would be a way that you can 30 (25) 4:30pm - 5:00pm Friendliness & gratitude 30 2 Check-out words Gratitude Circle – offering gratitude for one of your valuable qualities and for the ancestor you practiced with or dedicated 5:00pm - practice to 5:15pm - sharing the merit 15

Community clean up and ride 5:15pm – 5:30 coordination 15

3. How many people might reasonably be anticipated to attend?

10 -30

4. In what month and year do you propose the program occur (or start)?

The proposed start date would be a weekend in November 2016

5. What would be the program’s venue? (Example: Community Hall, church, library, home, office, etc.)

The proposed venue will either be Seattle Insight Meditation Center or the Highpoint Neighborhood House (I have co-led and managed day long retreats and other CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 62 mindfulness events at both locations)

6. How would the teacher(s) be compensated for leading the program (Example: “Dana” or fee-based)

There would be a $5 suggested donation and the opportunity to give any $ that you feel moved to offer. No one is turned away for not being able to offer the donation. Regardless of monetary offerings all will be invited to pay the friendliness, compassion, gratitude, and steadiness forward to those in their lives..

7. What background and experience prepares the teacher to lead or teach the program?

I have experience teaching teens and adults to practice mindfulness. I am committed to supporting people find the wisdom that and the friendliness that is always with them, although it may seem buried at times. I come from a background where I have had a struggle to see these strengths. I have come to see that once the heart has a little space

8. Why do you want to present this program?

I want to present this material because I have found these many practices to be incredibly supportive to my practice and have opened up my life to the possibility really experiencing and living my life.

9. Is there any other information that would help us review this proposal?

The recruitment plan for this program is to advertise to the different Sanghas that I am a part of as well as to the teen class and mindfulness circles that I teach in. I also plan to expand recruitment to the different Indigenous and social justice communities of which I’m a member.

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Brian Simmons

Mindful Fitness: Social Emotional Learning for 21st Century Educators Mindfulness has recently become a buzz word in Education. But what’s behind the buzz? This intensive day long workshop is designed for Educators looking to implement proven Mind/Body strategies in the classroom to lower stress and boost performance for students of all ages. High stakes testing, increased performance expectations and rigorous teacher evaluations have created an environment of unparalleled pressure for teachers and students. Missing from this equation has been a path forward that energizes rather than depletes. Join us for a day of practice that will provide a practical framework for awakening joy and calm on the road to success in the classroom and in life.

Schedule: 10-10:20 Welcome –What is Education? 10:20-10:40 Know Thyself – 20 minute sitting meditation 10:40- 11:00 Dyads- What did you Learn about the Mind? 11:25-11:30 Learning from the Inside Out- Inhabiting the Body (Yoga) 11:30 – 12:00 Body Scan 12:00 - 12:30 Working with Difficult Emotions in ourselves and others 12:30 – 12:40 Eating Meditation (brief introduction) 12:40 – 1:30 Lunch (mindful eating in practice) 1:30 – 2:00 Learning through Sensing (eyes open meditation- choiceless awareness) 2:00 – 2:30 Mindful Communications- Dyads- Listening to Prompts and Mirroring Back to a Partner 2:30 – 2:50 sharing 2:50 – 3:10 Walking Meditation 3:10 – 3:30 Using Technology Mindfully in the classroom and in life (Lecture)- Practical tips for kids and teens 3:30 – 4:00 Data- How to Gather Mindfulness Data to Quantify Student Growth and Win Over Skeptical Colleagues, Administrators and Parents. 3:45 – 4:30 Multi-Media and Mindful Mini-Lessons for Everyday Classroom Use 4:30 Final Tips, Q&A and Loving Kindness Close

Attendance: 10-30 people Program schedule for June 2016 Hosted at NY Insight Meditation Center Fee-Based Presented by Brian Simmons

Brian Simmons is a former award winning Writer/Producer for Comedy Central and is currently a High School English teacher in NYC. Brian created and currently teaches an accredited Mindfulness Course for High School students, the only one of it’s kind in NYC. He has introduced Mindfulness to the Department of Education and will be teaching Mindfulness to Freshman students at Baruch

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 64 College in July 2016. Brian was trained at UMASS Medical Center and has been practicing daily mindfulness since 1999.

Mindfulness in Education is a hot topic, but not much material is available from Educators who have created an accredited course, and are actively implementing it with students on a daily basis. I have innovated a successful curriculum, gathered compelling results data and earned hard won lessons along the way. This treasure of trove of experience will be beneficial to educators looking for practical strategies that have been successful in a NYC Public School. If you can make it here…

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Gina LaRoche Title: Cultivating a Forgiving Heart

Description: Take the opportunity for a daylong silent mediation retreat focused on forgiveness. You will have an opportunity for meditation practice in a group setting and work through a process of forgiving yourself and others. The retreat is from 9AM to 4PM and is open to all levels of practice. Please come prepared to stay the entire day. There will be a silent lunch with eating mediation instruction. Location at 1253 Whitney Avenue, Hamden CT.

Schedule: See Enclosed Facilitator’s Agenda

Dharma content: Reflections from Khama Sutta, Jack Kornfield’s “Letting Go” chapter in Living Buddhist Masters, Stories from Sharon Salzberg’s A Heart as Wide as the World and The Dhammapada

Biography: Gina LaRoche is an organizational leadership consultant, facilitator and executive coach. She is a co-founder of Seven Stones Leadership Group. Seven Stones works with individuals, executives, teams and corporate systems that want to create a culture of community, trust, purpose, love, wisdom, joy, and commitment. Gina is a teacher and leader at an Insight mediation community in New Haven, CT. Her interest is how to bring mindfulness and meditation into our work and our organizations. She deepened her meditation practice in 2010 by attending her first residential mediation retreat at Insight Mediation Society (IMS) in Barre, MA. She has subsequently participated in many retreats including IMS annual People of Color retreat. Gina Sharpe, Larry Yang and Sharon Salzberg are her main teachers. She will graduate from the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders Program in 2017 and has completed MBSR training.

Additional Information This retreat will be offered to the New Haven Insight Community. I have been asked to host more retreats and have been asked a few times to talk about forgiveness. We will be marketing this day through our 700+ list serv and the new dharma list serv maintained by New Haven Public Library. We would also post information on the New Haven Insight and Your Community Yoga websites. We would create flyers to hang especially at Yale, Edge of the Woods Market, Westville Alliance and Fresh Yoga. We would expect 30 participants. I would not be compensated all Dana would be split 50% with the venue and 50% donation to the teachers of CDL5

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 66 Facilitator’s Agenda Cultivating A Forgiving Heart A Daylong Retreat

Time Topic 8:30AM Ask people to arrive to set up seats and be ready to begin

Volunteer to ring the bell outside after each walk 9:00AM-9:30AM Welcome set up the day and topic, introduce ourselves & 15-minute sit Intention: • to settle in and take time to unwind from what it took to get to the retreat • to distinguish retreat and noble silence • To introduce the 5 precepts and agree to them as ground rules as the container for safety.

9:30AM- Opening Exercise 10:00AM Paired Share Introduce self Person A – Asks B what brought you here today? What is there to say about your practice in this moment? Switch

Group Introduction (only if less than 20people) – if larger than 20 people then run the paired share 2 additional times with a different partner.

Share the ground rules of group sharing

Introduce yourself and share what brought you here today and to say anything about your practice. (Passing is welcome)

If large group, then open the floor to reflections

Intention: • to get present to why we are here today • to establish a conversation about “practice” • to give the facilitator an opportunity to see how the participants are doing • sow the seeds of community – participants meeting each other and connecting.

10:00AM- Walking Mediation + Break 10:30AM Those new to walking mediation can stay for instruction and anyone

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that as question about their practice can ask the facilitators

Intention: • to learn how to take our meditation off the cushion • to establish a walking practice • to give participants a chance to check in and ask personal questions

10:30AM- Dharma Talk: Cultivating Forgiveness I – Forgiving Self 11:15AM Personal stories and reflections from Khama Sutta, Jack Kornfield’s “Letting Go” chapter in Living Buddhist Masters, Stories from Sharon Salzberg’s A Heart as Wide as the World and The Dhammapada

Self -Forgiveness mediation as heard by Larry Yang on IMS retreat • May I forgive myself • For the ways I have caused harm to myself knowingly or unknowingly in thought word or deed may I forgive myself • With tenderness and love • If I cannot do so now, may I do so in the future

Intention: • to start the conversation for forgiveness • to learn how to cultivate a forgiveness practice • to give the participants an opportunity to forgive themselves

11:15AM- Walking Meditation 11:45AM Anyone that as question about their practice can ask the facilitators

Intention: • to learn how to take our meditation off the cushion • to practice self forgiveness while moving – to give the body a felt sense of forgiveness • to give participants a chance to check in and ask personal questions

11:45AM-Noon Introduction to Eating Meditation Intention: • to learn how to take our meditation off the cushion and into our everyday life • to prepare to practice mindful eating

Noon – 12:45PM Silent Lunch Intention • to learn how to take our meditation off the cushion and into our everyday life • to practice mindful eating

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 68 • to extend noble silence though a lunch period

12:45AM- Q/A Practice Reflection – Large Group Share 1:15AM • an opportunity to reflect on and share insights and learnings from the morning • to give the facilitator an opportunity to see how the participants are doing

1:15PM-2:00PM Dharma Talk: Cultivating Forgiveness II – Forgiveness for the harm I have caused others Personal stories and reflections from Khama Sutta, Jack Kornfield’s “Letting Go” chapter in Living Buddhist Masters, Stories from Sharon Salzberg’s A Heart as Wide as the World and The Dhammapada

Forgiveness mediation as heard by Larry Yang on IMS retreat • May I forgive myself for the harm I have caused others • For anyway I have caused harm to you knowingly or unknowingly in thought word or deed may I ask for your forgiveness • May you accept me for my imperfections and mistakes • May you allow me to learn from my actions • And if you cannot do so in this moment, may you be able to forgive me in the future

Intention: • to continue the conversation for forgiveness • to practice cultivating an open heart through forgiveness practice • to give the participants an opportunity to forgive themselves for the harm they have caused in the world. • give participants an opportunity to be accountable and take ownership for their actions and the impact it has on others

2:00PM-2:30PM Walking Meditation Anyone that as question about their practice can ask the facilitators

Intention: • to learn how to take our meditation off the cushion • to practice forgiveness of self for causing others harm while moving – to give the body a felt sense of forgiveness • to give participants a chance to check in and ask personal questions 2:30PM-3:00PM Dharma Talk: Cultivating Forgiveness III – Forgiving Others Read “Forgiveness” from Consolations by David Whyte

Forgiveness mediation of others as heard by Larry Yang on IMS retreat • May I forgive for any harm caused by others • For anyway you have caused harm to me knowingly or unknowingly

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in thought word or deed may I have forgiveness for you • May I accept you for your imperfections and mistakes • May I recognize your humanity in the midst of my pain • May my forgiveness soften my injury or sense of harm or fear • And if I cannot forgive you in this moment, may I be able to forgive you in the future

Intention: • to continue the conversation for forgiveness • to practice cultivating an open heart through forgiveness practice • to give the participants an opportunity to forgive others for the harm they have caused us personally • give participants an opportunity to see all of us as human and imperfect

3:00AM-3:30PM Q/A Practice Reflection – Large Group Share • an opportunity to reflect on and share insights and learnings from the morning • to give the facilitator an opportunity to see how the participants are doing

3:30PM-3:45PM Dana Conversation an opportunity for all participants to reflect on generosity and make a financial investment in the dharma and our sangha.

3:45PM-4:00PM Closing Exercise and Dedication of the merits Paired Share Person A asks: What are you leaving with today? Person B responds… Person A asks: What commitments are you willing to make after our day together Person B responds… Switch

Final acknowledgements and Dedicate the Merits of our practice

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 70 Sashi Gabrielle Kimball

Title of Proposal: Being With What Is and Impermanence

1. Content, theme and purpose:

Too often we subtly resist what is happening in our moment to moment experience, wanting or wishing for something else, thereby resisting what is. In this daylong, we will practice relaxing, opening, deepening and cultivating our awareness of what arises in the moment and meeting it with friendliness, interest, curiosity, and non-resistance, as well as exploring the characteristic of impermanence (annicca). Opening to what is allows us more freedom and joy in our lives.

The purpose of the content and theme of this daylong is to cultivate more friendliness towards our experience and meet it just as it is. By bringing awareness to how things are in this moment, and understanding that all that arises also falls away, we can meet experience with more curiosity and less attachment. This workshop is for all levels of experience.

2. Schedule:

If possible, to sit in a circle (even if large). Brings a sense of inclusion, and an archetypal feeling of belonging and interconnection. Builds Sangha.

All times are approximate 8:30-9:00 am Arriving 9:00 am Invitation to sit for 10 minutes to settle the mind before we begin; a gently guided meditation for the first minute or so 9:06 am Introductions – myself and attendees (ask what has attracted/brought them to this daylong if 20 people or less) 9:16 am Introduction to the theme of the daylong and a little mini talk about how we often meet experience (aversion/craving), and how we will be practicing relaxing into what is. Give some practice techniques. 9:30 am-ish Sit (guided for first few minutes) (30 minutes) 10:00 am Walk (first few minutes directions) (30 minutes) 10:30 am Comments/Questions – Dhamma Exploration (15ish minutes) 10:45 am-ish Sit (35 minutes) 11:20 am Walk (30 minutes) 11:50 am Gather in again. Sit (35 minutes) 12:30 pm Eating meditation directions 12:35 pm Silent Eating Meditation – Lunch 1 hour 1:35 pm Gather back 1:40 pm Sit (40 min) 2:20 pm Walk (35 min) 2:55 pm Gather in/Dhamma/Comments, Questions (20 min appox) 3:20 pm Sit (40 min) 4:00 pm Walk (35 min) 4:05 pm Sit (20 min)

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4:25pm Dhamma/Comments, Questions, Closing (20 min approx) 4:50 pm Closing Sit, Dedication of Merit 5:00 pm End

3. Attendance Approximately 20 people might reasonably attend according to our last classes and daylong attendance

4. When July Summer 2016 or after a fall class ends in early October 2016

5. Venue Still Water retreat center; 25 minutes outside of Austin

6. Compensation Small fee to cover expenses ($30 per person) plus Dana for teacher

7. Background of Teacher Sashi Gabrielle Kimball, LCSW is a psychotherapist in private practice in Austin, Texas. She has been practicing in the Buddhist Insight Meditation tradition for the past 11 years, and has been engaged in other spiritual traditions since 1992. She is currently a participant in Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leadership program, and enjoys sharing the Dharma in both English and Spanish.

8. Why this program? Purpose: To deepen acceptance, curiosity and interest in being with what arises moment to moment, and a deepening of knowing impermanence.

9. Other information to consider May be co-taught with another facilitator

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 72 Bruce Pardoe

FEELING CLEARLY TOUCHING THROUGH SUFFERING TO EMBODY FREEDOM

DESCRIPTION: “You’ve got to feel it to heal it” so the saying goes. Like most basic wisdom we resonate at an innate level with the truth of this message. What is the path of liberation other than healing the basic misunderstanding or wound of a sense of separation, isolation, loneliness and abandonment that compels us into a stressful, neurotic relationship with life? This healing does not happen through intellectual understanding, it has to be experiential and lived. Experience is gained through direct contact and feeling. You’ve got to feel it to heal it indeed.

In this daylong retreat we feel clearly the root cause of our suffering through 1) embodied exercises that can be performed seated or standing, 2) music and 3) practical teachings. We feel suffering so thoroughly and clearly that we touch through it to the simplicity, balance and naturalness of the freedom that it has obscured. A taste of liberation is available in a moment, not after years of practice. But a taste is not the full meal. The second half of our day focuses on sustaining our freedom in wondrous and fresh ways. Whether you are brand new to meditation or highly experienced, this day is designed to inspire and illuminate your practice.

SCHEDULE: Arrival & Registration 8:45 AM Introduction & Intention Setting 9:00 Guided Sit: Feeling as Sensation 9:10 Talk/ Q&A: Feeling & Movement 9:50 Walking Period: Feeling & Movement in Practice 10:20 Break 10:45 Talk: Feeling Clearly - Separation to Suffering 11:00 Exercise with Q&A: FeelingClearly -Thru Suffering to Liberation 11:30 Sit: Feeling Clearly Suffering & Liberation 12:00 Mindful Lunch Break 12:35 Movement into Sitting 1:30 Walking Period: Feeling Liberation in Movement 2:00 Exercise, Talk with Music & Video: Feeling Wonder 2:30 Sitting: Feeling Ordinary Wonder 3:00 Break 3:30 Talk: Wonder to Continuity of Liberation 3:45 Sit: Feeling Clearly 4:10 Exercise to Music with Q&A: Feeling Clearly - Dancing As Life 4:40 Close with Intention 5:00

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DHARMA CONTENT OUTLINE:

Introduction & Intention Setting 9:00 Intro: Review the agenda and types of activities. Emphasize that all exercises can be done seated or standing and that any exercise that is not comfortable for any reason can be missed.

Intention: Inclusivity - “I hope that all of who you are feels welcome and safe here today – your age, gender, sexual orientation, race, economic situation, weight, physical ability, hair color, clothing, movie preference – all of you.” Participation – Your presence here is enough. There is no need for you to fabricate anything. Our intention is to touch into what is unfabricated, authentic and free in ourselves. Participate at the level that seems right for you and open to your lived truth, but know that this is a safe non-judgemental container and you are invited to join in. Purpose – Today we open to our freshness dropping out of our stories into feeling clearly the possibility, wonder and immediacy of our lives and inherent freedom. Dharma Content – All of the materials presented today are grounded in the ancient, well articulated spiritual traditions of Vipassana, Advaita and Devotion which have collectively led millions to freedom. Embodied exercises are also informed by the disciplines of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement, Hakomi Body-Centered Psychotherapy, and Contact Improvisation dance. Dedication – Today’s practice is offered for the well-being and benefit of ourselves and the web of being of which we are. May our intention to share our joy, discovery and growth augment and amplify the beneficial energy that by default extends into that web due to our wholesome actions.

Guided Sit: Feeling as Sensation 9:10 Drawing on the first foundation’s fifth reflection of the elements, yogis have a direct experience of their bodies as a collection of sensations. We explore a fifth element of spacious awareness as the container for these sensations and open to the flow of experience.

I start with a brief verbal, eyes open intro by using the metaphor of a clear vase with silty water. If we simply set it down we can see clearly after the silt settles. If we try to move one piece down maybe with chopsticks we just muddy the water more. A few words on mindfulness – non-judgemental, non-reactive attention with an awareness that experience is being known – self-reflective at some level. There is a caring, kind element to attending to our present moment experience in the same way we would be tender with a child. What do children really want after all? Our loving attentiveness. That is what our lives want too.

Establishing mindfulness of breathing by counting the breaths is offered in the first five minutes. With the attention a little more settled, we open to sensation in breathing for a few minutes. Then we open to the body and go through the sensations and how to label them in a direct manner. The question of the space in which the sensations arise is CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 74 introduced. The last 20 minutes are spent in silence with 1 or 2 suggestions to return to the breath if the attention has wandered.

Talk/ Q&A: Feeling & Movement 9:50

This is basic, standard 1st foundation of feeling as sensation and movement instructions that you would hear on any retreat, and that I use in the Intro to Meditation course that I’ve been teaching at Mountain Stream for the past few years. Given time constraints, I will not elaborate it just now.Questions are invited from the yogis and posed to them.

Walking Period: Feeling & Movement in Practice 10:20

Building on the Feeling & Movement talk, yogis are given walking instructions that extend mindfulness of the elements into movement.

Break 10:45

Talk: Feeling Clearly - Separation to Suffering 11:00

Vipassana is often translated as “Seeing Clearly”. I’m an intellectual type and have needed to develop my felt sense of life. I’d been using the conceptualizing power of mind to try to create a sense of safety since I was a child. After I had a basic framework of understanding the dharma, I needed to let it go and actually feel the experience it was pointing to. The finger pointing to the moon is not the moon and you can study honey all your life and never truly appreciate it if you haven’t tasted it. That is when “feeling clearly” as a definition for Vipassana arose. Seeing was too close to the head I had been over-using. Feeling clearly dropped my attention down into the body and heart, and I’ve started orienting to experience from there more and more.

The core wound - how a sense of separation arises: Based on Chogyam Trungpa’s description of ego formation in “Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism” I offer the following… Imagine a very young infant that has no words, no concepts, no history, no baggage. Sound cool? They are completely fresh and this is one of reasons we are so amazed by them. Have you noticed how, with a newborn, people become quiet. With a sense of wonder and awe, and in a breathless way they often say things like “Oh my god, it is so precious.” Why? Here is a being purely alive. Experience simply being known with no clinging. Purity. Openness. Fluidity. Guess what? We’ve all been there. In fact we are all there at some level right in this very moment. Today is about that.

At some point, though, something scary or painful arises that gets stuck in the system. A reflexive contraction that does not release is formed and with it the message “Protection is needed.” Suddenly there is an ‘out there’ and an ‘in here’. Fear is born. Individuation has now begun leading to separateness, the root of all misery.

In a world with experiences that run the gamut from enjoyable to excruciating, how is protection attained? The only apparent strategy available is to get more of what is

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 75 likable, and keep out what is objectionable. Wanting more and less. A mind and being that moves towards and away from experience. It sets up a neurotic seesawing.

Remember that for most humans, this is their very first concept. Preverbal. At the very root of conditioning. All experience in some way accretes or relates to this one basic misunderstanding and all the suffering of this world is born. A frightened, “me” appears that needs constant attention drowning out the joy, spontaneity and ventilation of life.

“How was I? How am I? How will I be?” As the neurotic star of our own movie, we relentlessly move from one hopefully pleasant moment to the next, craving ever more as if we were drinking saltwater to quench our thirst, and bemoaning the inevitable challenges and pain that a body feels. Of course, there are genuine moments where all this drops and we feel at peace. Relaxed. Natural. Full. Content. If there weren’t, we would all go insane.

Feeling the 2nd Noble Truth Vignette

On an idyllic early summer day in 2014, I returned to my childhood home at the mouth of the Rappahannock River. In this rural area of Virginia known as Tidewater, life used to be slow and paced like the tides themselves.

After 30 plus years, I didn’t know what I’d find. Surprisingly, the beauty of the area was largely intact. My wife and I crept our rental car down the dirt road to the tip of Mosquito Point where the old house had been perched. Would it even still be there? Was it ok to do this? Would we be chased off?

With relief I noticed from the name on the mailbox that the next door neighbors - summer visitors from North Carolina - still owned their house. With no car in their driveway, I pulled in and we crunched to a stop.

There it was through the bushes; unchanged, almost as if it had been trapped in amber. Home. Or what had been. Now, though, there was a stranger’s minivan next to the house.

Somehow I felt timid, as if I were an impostor - a voyeur - out of time and out of place. But there was my old friend the river, and the neighbors sun swept dock beckoned with warmth and safety.

My wife and I mounted the wooden planks leading out onto the water. With each step, my tension drained through the cracks between the boards. By the time we reached the end, I was deeply moved. I had lived for years by this river, and yet I was meeting it for the first time. Fresh. Not lost in thought, agenda, story. Thank you Buddha. Thank you practice.

An osprey floated above with a small fish in it’s talons and two rays glided by like water- bound spaceships, their uplifted wingtips slicing the water. A gentle breeze caressed our skin and the sound of the wavelets washing the dock pilings cradled our hearts. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 76

In the face of such overwhelming beauty, we laid down and let it all in. Drawing a long deep breath, I felt into a simple and natural enoughness; a sense of completeness, of ease, of not needing anything else. We all recognize these moments of safety and okness to one degree or another. Nothing to do, nothing to be. For a moment, maybe longer.

In this instance, my system melted. Literally. An innate, unseen sense of separation collapsed like a kicked tent, revealing lightness and fluidity. Experience just happening and being known. Life flowing of it’s accord. The physical feeling of this experience was exquisite and distinct. Open. Ventilated. Untethered. Yum.

Seemingly moved by life itself, without thought and yet intensely aware, I rolled to my side and kissed my wife’s cheek. Looking over her smiling face, I saw my childhood house. That is when it happened.

All over the globe, people fish using throw nets. Casting one out, it opens into a beautiful, flat wide circle. When retrieved it pulls up from the circumference thru a hole in the center forming what looks like a snarled upside down pinecone.

In the moment after I kissed my wife and saw the house, the thought arose, “Wouldn’t it be nice to walk over to the old place and see it up close?” With the speed of hummingbird wings, the open net started pulling in on itself and the pinecone began forming. That one seemingly insignificant and innocent desire drew other thoughts and energies to itself. “Was there anyone home? What would I say if there was?” A whole verbal rehearsal started. My hands clenched. My jaw tightened. An “I” was becoming who wanted something more. My mind and my being leaned towards the object of desire. A stress and struggle around an agenda to get more of what I liked had appeared.

Then the next remarkable thing happened. My system recognized that it wasn’t as open and relaxed as it had been a moment ago. In a flash the pinecone was the open net again which then dissolved into the day.

Whoa. Wow. Cool. How obvious. How basic. That is exactly the second noble truth. Tanha; thirst. Moving towards. It causes suffering. Stress. Dis ease. Becoming something. And if it is so for moving towards, it is also true for moving away. Liking. Disliking. To see it. To feel it. What an incredible gift. If attachment had more deeply happened, think of all the suffering that could have happened. “I might be creeping through the bushes right now” I thought.

The desire popped up again. There came the pine cone. “Let it go!” joyously arose and it flattened out. Bwoop. Swoosh. Bwoop. Swoosh. Thar she comes! And thar she goes!

Next I noticed that I had become the one who was playing the bwoop and swoosh game and started having an avalanche of thoughts about this remarkable experience and what it all meant. Good old proliferation at a wildly abandoned pace. Too funny. Next I CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 77 desired to be nothing again and there was the suffering of wanting again. “We’re all just Pinocchio’s being danced around,” I mused, “but it’s an interesting spectacle when we show up for it. Illuminating too.”

With mindfulness we see this stressful process unfold in myriad ways, yet with the basic core simplicity around wanting less or more, over and and over again. The mere act of awareness shining on the suffering and feeling it clearly reduces its power and we begin to know the pull to balance and freedom. We gradually verify the authenticity of our innate capacity to be present and let go. Faith stokes our interest in our right to be free and know the end of suffering. The end of suffering comes by knowing and feeling clearly that very same suffering as intimately as any lover. Neem Karoli Baba said “Suffering is grace.” Indeed.

Exercise with Q&A: Feeling Thru Suffering to Liberation 11:30

At this point I offer an exercise for pairs which I have utilized very successfully in the Intro to Meditation series at Mountain Stream and at Your Place Too. I demo it with a volunteer first and show how it can be done seated or standing. Anyone uncomfortable with this level of contact is invited to opt out. Anyone who has an injury or limitation in movement is reminded not to move outside their healthy and comfortable zone. The effect of this exercise can be achieved with remarkably little range of motion.

Participants are advised to find a partner who is roughly their height. They select who will be the initial wanter and who the not wanter. We stand or sit facing each other at an arm’s distance apart. People standing have one leg forward and one back which creates a stable stance and they first agree on which leg will be which. Next they each place the hand from the opposite arm of the forward leg on the center of each other’s chests. The arm should be fully extended without a significant bow They ask each other “Is my hand in an ok position for you?” Next the free hand is placed over the hand on the chest solidifying the connection and shared stance.

Seated people sit to the side of their chair so the back does not impede movement. They then determine which arms they will use to place their hands on each others’ chests. Based on this selection, they position their chairs a little to the side of each other. This is facilitated by volunteers helping to move the chairs and assist the participants with movement and ample time is allowed for it.

When the participants are in place I ask them to drop their attention into their bodies. Notice thoughts or stories about what is happening only in order to let them go. When you notice the attention has wandered, drop it back down into the body. Be curious. What sensations are present? How does the body feel? Is it relaxed or tense? Try to settle in and open to any relaxation that might be available. Feel your contact with the earth. How is your weight balanced over your hips and flowing into the earth which holds it? How is your spine? Your neck? Is your jaw relaxed? How about the eyes? Feel the contact of the hands. Notice the breathing. Can you relax and open the breath?

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 78 When there is a sense that folks have become more embodied I ask the wanters to lean forward with their arms still stretched out and in contact with their partners. The not wanters lean away. The pairs do this to the extent they are able without losing balance, contact or comfort. At this point I ask them to maintain their positions of leaning toward and away. Drop the attention into the body. Be curious. How does this feel? Feel your contact with the earth. How is your weight balanced over your hips? How is your spine? Your neck? Is your jaw relaxed? How about the eyes? Feel the contact of the hands. Notice the breathing. Is it deep or smooth, shallow or ragged? ? Do you feel relaxed or stressed?

I let the participants hold the position as long as seems useful and then have them come back to uprightness while maintaining their hands on each others’ chests. They are advised to breathe deeply and slowly and reground attention in their bodies. Next, they switch roles and do the exercise again.

The third and final posture is one in which both participants drop their roles as wanters and not wanters. They become connecters by agreeing to meet, contact and connect with experience without forcing anything. In this posture they simply both allow their body weight to shift into connection with each other with an equal amount of pressure and they hold each other up.

Without doing it yourself, it is hard to imagine how profound such a transition can be. People have teared up as they felt their partner gently, securely meeting them; holding them. They often enter a place of balance and ease. It is so clear. Leaning toward and away was very stressful. Being in direct balance is peace and freedom from the rocking back and forth. Freedom from the bondage of a strategy that imprisons us.

There is then an extended Q&A. Some people didn’t get the exercise or felt uncomfortable, but I have never experienced the lack of a majority who did not get the intended message. Dharma around freedom being the cessation of this struggle often comes out as well as connection and oneness; non-separation and meeting life just as it is without a me agenda. Cool.

Sit: Feeling Suffering & Liberation 12:00

With lunch approaching, yogi’s are invited to integrate the exercise into the silence and explore how the mind moves towards and away especially as regards lunch - how good the food will be, how nice it will be to have free time or to go on a walk, any pain in their body they want to get away from, whatever. When they notice the mind caught moving toward or away they should pay particular attention to any related sensation in their bodies; is the jaw tight, how are the shoulders, the forehead, eyes, tummy, hands. Is there any sense of contraction or vibration in the torso? Importantly, though, those moments when the mind stops bouncing around are to be noticed. What does that feel like in the mind?:In the body? Can we open to the liberation and basic sanity or enoughness of those moments?

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Mindful Lunch Break 12:35

Instructions are offered on mindful eating and maintaining the silence as well as the invitation to continue to notice the movements of mind and body.

Movement into Sitting 1:30

Starting with several repetitions of the Qigong movement of Gathering Heaven’s Qi, we transition into sitting and invite the silt to settle in the clear vase of our beings. The intention is offered to continue to notice movement in the mind and moments of balance, and there is a reminder that the afternoon will focus on maintaining our freedom.

Walking Period: Feeling Liberation in Movement 2:00

During this walking period, yogis are advised to notice balance as an embodied experience. How can they open to balance. To remember the feeling of liberative balance from the pre-lunch exercise, they can assume the same posture used with their partner and lean into a wall or tree. Notice balance in standing and then in entering into movement. How is their breathing? Are their shoulders released? Their necks? Their hips? Ankles? Feet? Jaws? Eyes? Hands? What is balance in the mind? What is the feeling in the mind? Spacious? Tight?...

Exercise, Talk with Music & Video: Feeling Wonder 2:30

When we stop moving toward and away from experience, we become open and balanced. With us as it’s instrument, life plays it’s own unique notes. Two years ago I was struck by such a clear example of this quality in an article in the New York Times about the artist Lonnie Holley. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/26/magazine/lonnie- holley-the-insiders-outsider.html ) This guy is just wide open to the flow of creative energy.

During an interview at a diner, he took a cigarette butt from an ash tray, ripped the paper off the filter, pulled apart the fibers at one end and impaled it with a toothpick at the other creating a makeshift brush. He then poured some water in the ashtray stirring the ashes into a sooty ink and began painting on his paper place mat, all while talking a blue streak.

What an amazing being. His art is represented by leading galleries in NY selling for significant sums, yet he is as natural to himself as ever. Neither wanting or not wanting, he flows seamlessly with life. He finds creative materials wherever he is – from a storm drain, a junkyard, an inner city lot, nature, whatever. He also sings stream of consciousness music with a synthesizer that he has never formally learned to play and yet from which he generates an otherworldly beauty. Let’s take a look at this clip from his song A.R.T. All Rendered Truth. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDh_GyrMU4A ).

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 80 What is it like to be a Lonnie Holley? What would it feel like to be this open and undefended? This trusting? This fearless? What compels all of these qualities? When I feel for an answer, one word comes to mind – Wonder. A captivating, consuming, compelling wondrous being with life. Wonder, we will see is an extension beyond interest into the realm of magical freshness. It is the ultimate motivator, and, amazingly, ever present and easily accessible when we are willing to open to it.

At this point I offer an exercise that James Baraz used in a talk. You allow your mouth to open and look up as if in awe. The forcefulness and ease of doing this is incredible. We have a few brief comments about this practice and a short Q&A if there are questions.

Wonder is always there. It is part of who we are. It’s access point is freshness. When we open to life in it’s immediacy everything becomes wondrous. Ryokan captured this beautifully in his lines:

What can ever be lost? What can be attained? If we attain something, it was there from the beginning of time. If we lose something, it-is hiding somewhere near us. Look: this ball in my pocket: can you see how priceless it is?

We don’t attain wonder, we open to it. It has been there since the beginning of time. And when we appreciate the freshness of beingness, we allow wonder to blossom in our heart and the ball in our pocket becomes priceless. Every moment is a totally fresh manifestation from the core of the universe no matter how mundane it might appear. Wonder can never be lost, it is sitting right by our side. People like Lonnie Holley live this. We can too.

Sitting: Feeling Ordinary Freshness and Wonder 3:00

In this guided meditation, the breath is used as a vehicle of freshness to access wonder. We regulate the breathing at intervals for several minutes giving the yogis a sense of what it would be like to lose the breath. We feel clearly it’s urgency and it’s life. Our life. Fresh in every moment necessary and mysterious. What a wonder. What do we feel when we feel wonder?

Next we do the Joseph Goldstein breath exercise with an emphasis on feeling the sensations of wonder as it unfolds. Imagine you are being born. You come out the chute and draw deeply your very first breath. Can you be with that? Drop into the feeling. Now imagine you have lived a full life and are on your deathbed. Somehow you know this will be your very last breath. Can you be with that? Feel it. And the next? Feel it. And the next? Feel it. What a wonder filled way to sustain our practice. What do you feel as this unfolds?

We stay with the breath for the sit exploring it’s subtleties and freshness as if we were discovering breathing as a wondrous new part of life. We see if opening to the wonder helps to sustain our connection to the breath. Yogis can also do the upward gazing and CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 81 mouth open exercise with their eyes closed if that helps them connect with the feeling of wonder.

Break 3:30

Talk/Q&A: Wonder to Continuity of Liberation 3:45

This section begins with a Q&A about the experience of wonder from the last sitting. Were people able to connect with it? Do you resonate with the idea of wonder? How was the breath regulation? Joseph’s exercise? How was the mouth open upward gazing exercise while sitting? What doubts might folks have about sustaining wonder or their capacity to open to it, or whether it is an innate part of their beingness.?

Every tradition from Vipassana to devotion to Advaita to Christian mysticism to… emphasizes continuity of hereness or isness to end suffering and inhabit freedom. It is a basic necessity of any path. We do not overcome wanting/neurotic movement thru willpower, we do so because we have tasted peace and know it to be the highest happiness. There are extreme sports such as skiing off of vertical cliffs that are wildly exciting. Wow. We, however, are becoming afficianados of extreme peace. Wow squared. We are ultimately motivated by a force beyond the mirage of individuality to realize our true nature. The fuel of this journey is our natural ability to connect with the innate wonder of our beingness.

I remember being on my first month-long retreat at Spirit Rock. One afternoon after a lovely, connected sitting, I got up to walk to the food hall and every step was if I’d never walked before. I arrived at the food line and marveled at the extraordinariness of eating. I was going to take lumps of matter and stuff them into my head and if I didn’t do that regularly, I’d die. I was almost overwhelmed with the absurdity of it. What freshness fueled wonder.

In devotion there is the idea of every moment being offered in a wondrous surrender to the magnificence of the guru. From the realm of Advaita, Nisargadata advised his students to imagine that every moment was a puja or ritual offering to the absolute. Ramana Maharshi admonished his followers to inquire “Who am I?” until they felt the magnificence of the “Self’ or pure consciousness and then to stay relentlessly focused on that through it’s wondrous “amness”.

Ultimately, these are all just pointers to something that has to become clear to you at a felt and embodied level. It is up to you to find your very own sense of wonder that will fixate the attention in the present moment, awed by it’s freshness and mystery.

Sit: Feeling Clearly 4:10

You’ve had a very full day. At this point let the words and exercises fall away. Their impact has been made. In their wake, what is there? What mystery presents itself? Offer this sitting period to yourself as a gift. Mindful, alert and relaxed, allow it to unfurl

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 82 it’s wondrous dance within you. Feeling clearly, you rest in your wholeness and your right to be in balance with life.

Exercise to Music with Q&A: Feeling Clearly - Dancing As Life 4:40

Brief comments are invited and any questions. Answers will be short and participants will be asked to keep their queries short given the time of day.

After about 10 minutes of discussion, I share comments about the dance form known as contact improvisation. This is when two or more people are in direct body contact often leaning on each other while moving in all manners from standing to rolling on the floor to everything in between. It is a remarkable experience. Every moment is fresh and unrehearsed yet requiring the most complete present attention. You cannot predict how your partner will move but must remain engaged in a field of openness, allowing the dance to blossom not through you, but as you. You literally become the music, the movement, the contact, the flow. When there is a sense of individuality or separation or loss of focus the whole thing falls apart.

Just so, contact improve can be done with a piece of music itself. You open to it fully and become it – dancing as life. The sense of music and you vanishes and there is a wholeness unfolding itself. Feeling clearly, wonder and innocence maintain the connection to the freedom of an already merged beingness. As this piece of music plays, allow your body to move without any fetters other than awareness of the space and non-harming. Or remain in stillness if that is the authentic expression that emerges. Whatever. Be free and one, feeling clearly and dancing as life. Then I play “I’ll Take You There” by the Staple Singers ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K9xgx6fA5E )

Close with Intention 5:00

TEACHER BIO:

Bruce Pardoe has practiced Vipassana meditation for the past ten years with numerous 1, 2 & 3 month retreats at Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock where he is currently enrolled in the 2 year Community Dharma Leader program. In addition, he has been on pilgrimage and practiced in Asia, and sat numerous extended solo retreats. Bruce expresses his wonder for awakening and dharma in direct, joyous and experiential teachings. His focus on sensorial feeling to convey wisdom derives from his years of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement and Hakomi Body-Centered Psychotherapy experience. He also draws extensively upon his deep experience with both Advaita and the path of devotion to complement and enrich his offerings.

OUTREACH PLAN:

Where: Your Place Too Sangha, North San Juan When: Saturday, November 12, 2016

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Actions: 1) Mentions and posting at area sanghas including Your Place Too, Mountain Stream in Nevada City, Rockland & Auburn, True Nature Zendo in Nevada City starting 10/3 2) Posting on the Your Place Too Facebook page and directly asking friends and Mountain Stream to post and repost the flier on their pages 3) Radio interview with Michael Stone on his community radio show on KVMR on 11/7 4) Fliers at the 14 usual high foot traffic locations in North San Juan, Nevada City and Grass Valley 5) Fliers at the healing arts centers and at the practitioners listed in the local registry of wellness and counseling service providers 6) Separate emails to the Your Place Too list 10/17 and 10/31, and included in the weekly group email starting 10/3 7) Personal outreach to individuals and colleagues who can post fliers at their offices

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Tara Mulay DAYLONG TOPIC & DESCRIPTION

The topic of this half daylong is “Letting Go into Compassionate Awareness.” I am preparing this for a specific half daylong that I will lead at Against the Stream in Nashville on June 18, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. I wanted to use the opportunity of this homework exercise to prepare for a specific event that was already scheduled, which happened to be a half daylong, rather than a full daylong. Since this is a half daylong rather than a full daylong, the dharma talk portions will be short or compressed to make sure to leave plenty of time for practice. Each element of the schedule could be expanded for a full daylong on the same topic. Beginners will be welcome at this event. As a result, this will be a general Vipassana half daylong, and I wanted to focus on cultivating awareness and compassion rather than on conveying a lot of technical dharma. Here is the description I will provide:

Setting aside time for intensive mindfulness practice allows the teachings to suffuse our lives and to deeply transform us. It creates the conditions for the awakening of wisdom and compassion in our hearts. During this half daylong, we will focus on letting go into the present moment with loving awareness, touching on each of the four foundations of mindfulness taught by the Buddha. Together, we will cultivate a clear, loving mindful presence that we can take into our daily lives. The day will be held in silence and instructions will be provided throughout. This event is appropriate for anyone who is interested. No experience is necessary. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

RETREAT SCHEDULE

10:00 to 10:30 Introduction of myself and topic 10:30 to 11:00 Sitting with guidance 11:00 to 11:15 Question and Answer Period 11:15 to 11:40 Dharma Talk 11:40 to 12:00 Break/time for snacks and refreshments 12:00 to 12:40 Sitting with Guidance 12:40 to 1:10 Question and Answer session and Dharma Talk 1:10 to 1:50 Sitting with Guidance 1:50 to 2:00 Closing, Dedication of Merit, Dana Talk

DHARMA CONTENT

10:00 to 10:30 Talk & 10:30 to 11:00 Sitting:

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 85

During the period in which I introduce the daylong topic, I will explain that the Buddha taught that we can create the conditions for liberation from suffering and that one of these conditions is cultivating an attitude of letting go of clinging in our daily lives and in our meditation practice.

I will briefly discuss the mind’s habit of clinging to the pleasant, pushing away the unpleasant, and being unaware of the neutral (vedana). I will also briefly touch on the hindrances, emphasizing greed and aversion as our responses to unpleasant and pleasant vedana. I will explain that mindfulness itself involves letting go into awareness of present experience and dropping the mind’s habit of reacting with greed, hatred, or delusion. I will explain that by letting go of habitual reactions, we are able to see deeply what causes suffering and what leads to the cessation of suffering in any given moment. Also, when such habitual reactions or hindrances are occurring, we respond with compassion, noticing them as the object of our awareness so that we let go of reaction to the reactivity and understand the suffering that occurs in a state of reactivity. The first sitting meditation instructions will focus on this theme of letting go of our habitual responses to the ever-changing phenomena that arise in our experience.

11:15 to 11:40 and Sitting 12:00 to 12:40

During the second dharma talk period, I will focus on letting go of viewing our experience through a conceptual lens, rather than directly in its true nature. Letting go of concepts about our experience allows for intimacy with and compassion towards our experience. I will explain that it is helpful to start with mindfulness of the body in developing non-conceptual meditative awareness, because the mind itself creates concepts. I will briefly discuss the four elements, and the sitting guidance will focus on awareness of the four elements.

12:40 to 1:10 Talk & 1:10 to 1:50 Sitting:

During the final talk before the final sitting, I will discuss how to cultivate non-conceptual, compassionate awareness of thoughts and emotions. I will discuss various approaches for letting go when being mindful of the mind: noticing a story line when it has taken over our thought processes and dropping it; letting go of judgments of our thoughts and emotions; letting go of fear of strong emotions and developing the courage and compassion to be present with them, in part by noticing how emotions manifest in the body; noticing the tone and texture of emotional reactions rather than seeing them through concepts. The sitting instructions for this portion of the daylong will focus on mindfulness of thoughts and emotions.

BIO

Tara Mulay has been practicing insight meditation and lovingkindness since 2003. In recent years, she has devoted herself to intensive retreat practice and has practiced in both the United States and Myanmar. She has taught a number of meditation courses with Mission Dharma, her home sangha in San Francisco, and has been mentored by CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 86 guiding teacher Howard Cohn since 2011. She will complete Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Community Dharma Leaders Program in 2017.

OUTREACH PLAN

This half daylong is planned for Against the Stream in Nashville on June 18, 2016. Against the Stream in Nashville will advertise the course on its website, at its center, and I believe on its mailing list as well.

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Karen G. Williams PROGRAM TITLE: “Making Your Whole Life the Zone”

DAYLONG DESCRIPTION WITH TOPIC

Are you an athlete who practices meditation? Do you want to improve your mental performance? This workshop provides an opportunity to explore how mindfulness can increase your performance and ability to make your whole life the zone.

The way that we approach our daily lives is interconnected with our play on the court, on the track or on the field. We will explore ways to integrate mindfulness into our lives to increase our ability to be in "the zone." In particular we will examine three aspects of the eightfold path: wise speech, wise effort and mindfulness. This daylong will include sitting mediation practice as well as Augusto Boal’s transformative movement practices. We will also engage in small group discussions and sharing. This workshop is geared towards current and former athletes, sports lovers, and people who are interested in cultivating mindfulness into their daily practice.

RETREAT SCHEDULE OF THE ENTIRE DAY *Note: A simpler version would be printed and posted for participants

Time Activity Main Points Leader 9:00 – 9:55 Registration Staff & Volunteers 10:00 – 10:15 Welcome Introduce the program, speakers Staff and space logistics. Meet and great people around you.

10:15 – 10:50 Body scan and report back with Karen Q and A

10:50 – 11:30 Mindfulness of the Body Relate it to sitting practice, our Karen daily lives and while we play sports. Emphasize how we can work to stay present in the body throughout the day. Introduce techniques such as pausing and reconnecting with the breathe in the body.

11:30 – 12:00 Sitting Meditation Introduce meditation and Karen mindfulness of the breath.

12:00 – 12:30 The other three postures: Karen walking, sitting and lying down

12:30 – 12:40 Announcements, Dana Talk, Staff Lunch logistics

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 88 12:40 – 2:00 Lunch Encourage people to practice one of the three postures during lunch. Set aside space for practice.

2:00 – 2:15 Short body scan Scan the body to get a sense of Karen what state the body is in after lunch, in this afternoon. What is your attitude?

2:15 – 3:00 Movement Transformation. This Introduce Augusto Boal. Form a Karen (this may vary exercise is adapted from circle. Participants are encouraged depending on Augusto Boal. to perform a movement that the size of the represents their sport or a type of group) activity. For example a jump shot or kicking a ball. The person repeats the movement and shares X while repeating the movement. The person takes that movement to another person in the circle and transfers it. The next person picks up the movement and transforms it into a movement that represents their sport/play and answers the question. This continues until everyone has participated. If there are people with movement limitations, people can bring a chair to the circle and the person can perform the movement from the chair and select someone to transfer the movement to.

3:00 – 3:45 Making our Whole Lives: Wise Karen Speech, Wise Effort and Mindfulness

3:45 – 4:15 Triad Exercise and small group Self reflection, listening and Karen discussion witnessing. It will occur in three rounds: 1st person answers the question, What keeps your whole life from being in the zone, 2nd and 3rd person mindfully listens. The 2nd person reflects back, “I heard you say…” while the 3rd person witnesses and remains silent. Each speaking round will last two minutes. There should be a pause between each round to allow the stories to settle. The group will CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 89

have five minutes to discuss in their small groups.

4:15 – 4:25 Short body scan Scan the body to get a sense of Karen what state the body is in after the exercise. What is your attitude? What thoughts and feelings are arising?

4:25 – 4:45 Q & A and Sharing Reflect on how was it to silently Karen listen? To reflect back? To share your truth?

4:45 – 5:00 Merit & Closing Karen

A DETAILED OUTLINE OF THE DHARMA CONTENT OF WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO COVER.

v Body Scan Ø Scan the body systematically inside and outside. Ø Pay attention to the elements in the body. Ø Get a sense of what state the body is in at this moment, on this day.

v Mindfulness of the Body Ø Relate it to sitting practice, our daily lives and while we play sports. Ø Emphasize how we can work to stay present in the body throughout the day. Ø Importance of contemplating the body and “calming the bodily formations” Ø Read parts of the Satipattana Sutta, refrain, breathing, activities Ø Knowing the body in space and in motion Ø Techniques of reconnecting with the breathe in the body, pausing, and “relaxing the body, relaxing the mind”

v Sitting Meditation Ø What is meditation § Emphasize that it is about training the mind, the mind is a muscle, connecting moments of awareness

v Four Postures Ø This is more of a workshop feel where they try the four postures § If I want them to practice – make the time longer Ø Give an overview of the other four postures – read Sutta on posture. Ø Discuss how the four postures helps to sustain our practice throughout the day Ø Reflections: How can we implement these postures throughout the day to make our life the zone § Think about how you can use sitting or lying down when injured

v Dharma Talk -- Making our Whole Lives: Wise Speech, Wise Effort and Mindfulness CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 90 Ø Opening § Share personal story of sports § Introduce the work of Phil Jackson and George Mumford, read passages § What is the zone in sports? What makes it sweet? – it is sustained awareness, things slow down, inner calm, etc. How can we get there?

Ø Wise Speech § Elements of wise speech: timely, beneficial, spoken kindly, true, gentle § Wise speech is also about silence: getting “gappy” (Pema Chodron), listening to what isn’t said § Relate to playing the game – how one leads a team of players, workers, activists and § Relate to playing the game – doubt & self doubt and how we speak to ourselves

Ø Wise Effort § Using wise effort to prevent and work through unwholesome states: greed, hatred and delusion – to take our play to the next level § Energy/viriya - the power to do and let go § Relate to playing the game – letting the ego go and team building § Relate to playing the game – working with our edge and where we are stuck, over training/ under training

Ø Mindfulness § Introduce “bare attention” – read from Satipatthana Sutta and Bhikkhu Bodhi’s interpretation § Introduce the idea of “seamlessness” in our culture, moments of transition, mindfulness of thoughts § Discuss the difference between consciousness and mindfulness – in our daily lives § Relate to playing the game – how can wise speech and wise effort support our mindfulness practice § Relate to playing the game – being in the moment and seeing the game unfold (the “zone”)

Think about how to: v Integrate sports clips

A SHORT BIO WITH A DESCRIPTION OF YOUR QUALIFICATIONS OR EXPERIENCE THAT MIGHT DRAW PEOPLE TO YOUR EVENT

Karen G. Williams is a peer leader at NYInsight and a participant in the Community Dharma Leaders training program. She has practiced vipassana meditation since 2008 and regularly leads the NYInsight Brooklyn sangha sit. Karen is a long time athlete of volleyball and track and field. When Karen is not teaching at Queens College, she can be found playing roller derby with Gotham Girls Roller Derby League. She plays under the name “BackAlley Dred.” This is her fourth season on the track and her first season as captain of the Grand Central Terminators and co-captain of the Bronx Gridlock. Karen’s practice is rooted in cultivating a spirit of whole heartedness on and off the track. In addition to her love of sports and athleticism, she received her doctoral degree in cultural anthropology from the CUNY Graduate Center. Her research

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 91 examines strategies implemented inside correctional facilities to help incarcerated people return home to their communities.

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW YOU WOULD BRING PEOPLE INTO THE EVENT, I.E. AN OUTREACH PLAN

This event would be held in March 2017 or September 2017. I expect there to be 20-25 people at this event. I would use social media outlets and my current connections in the roller derby community to find participants. Within the derby community there are people who play other sports and/or are connected with other sports such as hockey, ice-skating, baseball, etc. I would reach out to those networks too.

This workshop could easily incorporate a co-facilitator. If so, I would make sure that the co- facilitator was also grounded in the dharma and athletic community. The co-facilitator would use their networks to bring people to the workshop.

Although this workshop is focused on athletes and how they can make their whole lives the zone, you do not have to be a current athlete to benefit from the daylong. The ideas and practices can be applied to non-athletes as well or people who are familiar with sports or other types of bodily/movement practices, e.g. yoga, Pilates, weight lifting, etc. Therefore, the hosting organization would also reach out to their communities to garner interest.

I could also reach out to local colleges and universities with athletic programs, yoga centers, local sports shops and amateur sports clubs, e.g. runners, bikers, triathletes.

As far as the actual images for flyers, web blasts, etc., it is important that the literature is diverse in terms who is represented and what sports are represented.

Lastly, I would do a trial version of this in the roller derby community (and with other athletes who do not regularly practice meditation) with about 12 skaters. I could get some feedback on what worked for them and what they might want to see integrated and talked about.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 92 Victoria Cary

(1) Title: Everywhere, in Everything, Everyday: The Integration of the Dharma into your Life-with Victoria Cary

Description: Everywhere, in Everything, Everyday: The Integrating of the Dharma into your Life is for practitioners, both new and those who have being practicing for a while and those who are interested in exploring the integration of teachings of the Buddha in their everyday lives.

(2) Schedule Overview: 9:00am-9:20am-- sit 9:20am-9:30am-- Introduction 9:30am-10:00am-- Guided meditation 10:00am-10:30am-- Dyads 10:30am-10:45am--Group Discussion 10:45-11am--Break 11:00am-11:45--Dharma Talk 11:45am-12:30- -Group discussion 12:30-1:00pm--Exercise, Lunch Homework 1pm -2:30pm --Lunch 2:30-3pm--Sit 3pm-3:20--Guided Meditation 3:20pm-3:40pm- -Writing Exercise 3:40-4pm-- Closing

(3) Detailed Retreat Schedule and Content: 9:00am-9:20--Guided sit 9:20am-9:30am--Introduction of teacher and the day 9:30am-10:00 am-- Guided meditation: topic: “a typical day”-Guiding participants thorough a typical day for them, Then guiding them through a day that includes noticing the places that they may already be integrating the Dharma, or have opportunities to integrate the Dharma. 10:00am-10:30---Dyads around “a typical day exercise” 10:30am-10:45--Group discussion 10:45-11am--Break

11:00am-11:45am--Talk --The 8 fold path, short overview, then focusing on Morality- Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood. Then moving into practice as service. 11:45am-12:30-- Dyad, and group discussion on talk. 12:30--1pm-Short talk on Generosity, mindful eating exercise, lunch practice instructions. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 93

1pm -2:30pm--Lunch 2:30-3pm-- Sit 3pm-3:20--guided meditation “a new typical day”. Opportunity to integrate the days learning into what a new typical day might look like. 3:20pm-3:40pm-- writing exercise covering what arose in the meditation 3:40-4pm- - Close-One take away

(4) Bio: Victoria Cary attended her first retreat in 2006; she has been practicing insight meditation and studying the Dharma ever since. She is a graduate of the first yearlong Commit2Dharma program taught by Larry Yang at the East Bay Meditation Center, and is currently enrolled in the 2-year Community Dharma Leaders program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She has been the Sangha Coordinator at Will Kabat-Zinn's Sunday evening sangha since it’s inception in March of 2012. Victoria holds her Bachelors degree in Psychology from Georgia State University and is particularly interested in the integration of the Dharma to everyday life. Under the mentorship of Will Kabat-Zinn she has been leading sitting groups since 2013.

(5) Outreach: This daylong program is designed to be an exploration of how the Dharma can be taken off the cushion and integrated more into our daily lives. It’s appropriate for all, but I think especially for folks newer to the Dharma.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 94 1 Day Mindfulness in Nature Retreat DRAFT Mary Haberman

In this retreat we will use our senses to open our awareness to the natural world. The retreat will include simple instructions in mindfulness meditation practices and will be highly experiential, with as we practice being fully present outside in nature. Beginners and experienced meditators are welcome. We will be outside for most of the day, so please bring appropriate clothing. (If it’s an extremely rainy day, we’ll go to Plan B with some inside or sheltered breaks.)

Schedule: 8:30-9 Register and get settled. 9-10:30 Introduction: Why nature? (15 minutes) Intro the day’s schedule and noble silence. Introduction of the teachers and students. Introduction of mindfulness meditation and a short meditation (15 mins) Introduction to using our senses and dealing with people we will come across while out Logistics: Where we will go and how we are walking or carpooling there. Pass out maps. Questions? 10:30-11 Getting to location. Snack? 11-11:30 Meditation on Seeing (First 5 or so minutes with instruction.) After each new meditation, open it up for a few share outs of experiences or questions before the next, so it’s really about 20 minutes of meditation. Standing, sitting or walking is ok. 11:30-12 Meditation on Hearing. 12-12:30 Meditation on Feeling. 12:30- 1:30 Lunch with eating meditation instructions prior and opportunity for a few questions. 1:30 to 2 Questions and Answers. 2-2:30 Pair up and take turns voicing what one notices or is aware of with all senses internally or externally as one walks in nature (seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling) 2:30-3 Individual meditation that’s open to any sense -- or participants can pick a segment to focus awareness on one sense and then switch it up to another. And add in: attitude (vedana) about what’s observed: pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. 3-315 Sharing, Questions 3:15-3:45 Pair up and do short walks and take turns voicing what one observes that is pleasant. Letting go of the unpleasant. 3:45-4. Final share outs and wrap up. 4-4:30 Get back to the hall if necessary.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 95

Purposes: ● To provide opportunities to expand mindfulness to off-the-cushion life. ● To draw potential new participants. ● Nature and outdoor activities are popular in our community. Combining that inclination to appreciate nature with mindfulness seems like a natural fit. Anticipated Participants: Some regular members of our meditation community and some new people. Maybe some who are older and not as mobile -- so a consideration for where we go and possibly we’d need to describe the activities so people could self select. This probably depends on where we end up doing the retreat. Dharma Content: Mindfulness of the Body and Vedana. Teacher Qualifications/ Short Bio: Still working on this. In addition to meditation experience, I have outdoor leadership experience and teaching experience to possibly include. Teacher Compensation: Small fee to our sangha, and maybe also to the teacher, or by donation. (I would like it to be affordable. And it might be generate some money toward CDL expenses too.) Location ideas: Start at our local Dharma Hall. Either walk to nature trails nearby or drive. We’d need a rainy day alternative so we can be in nature with some shelter perhaps or take shelter interspersed with walks out in nature. Another option might be the community college through Community Education program. In that case this retreat would be a class with a small fee. The college has grounds that would be relatively empty on a weekend day. It would be more accessible. But it doesn’t really have trails -- more sidewalks. Promotion: Within our sangha we have a built in potential base. For our weekend retreats we usually make flyers and distribute them in a few locales. We announce it face to face at our regular sits, have flyers in the entryway, put it on the website, and send it out over the listserv. If it were through the Community College it would be promoted by them. We could also link up with other meditation groups and MBSR teacher in down. We could promote it at local outdoor stores, through County Parks and Rec, the local environmental newspaper, the alternative weekly paper, facebook, hiking and climbing clubs, university outdoor center, university radio and flyers/posters at the university and community college.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 96 Kathey Ferland

Title: Investigation Points the Way

Teacher Bio: Kathey Ferland is a long-time vipassana practioner. She has studied extensively with Rodney Smith, Shaila Catherine, and Howie Cohn since 1987 and has completed several month-longs and one 6-week silent retreat. Prior to undergoing treatments for cancer in 2003, she taught aikido for 25 years. She brings her insights into understanding loss and change, and appreciating life, into her practice. She is a practice leader at the Mariposa Sangha and has taught introductory meditation classes since 2011. Currently she is in the Community Dharma Leader program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.

Daylong Description Investigation is one of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. We often hear about investigation, yet how do we apply this to our practice? How can we investigate without churning up thought and abstraction? How can we use investigation to deepen our practice? During this daylong meditation together, we’ll explore what investigation looks like in our own practice. Schedule: 9-9:20. Introduction to topic and structure of daylong. Include reading of short sutra on investigation. Standing stretch. Til 10:00 Guided meditation on the body for first five minutes. Silent meditation. Purpose: grounding in present moment and the body. Til 10:20 Walking meditation. Til 11:05 First Investigation (on the body). Short talk (10 min) followed by guided meditation (5-10 min, then silence for remainder of period (25-30 min). Til 11:25 Standing meditation outside. Exploring impermanence. Til 12:15 Second Investigation(of vedna). What is this? (talk 10 min, GM 5, silence 30) Til 1:00 Silent Lunch Til 1:45 Investigation (mind states). Understanding the connection between thoughts and emotions. Til 2:05 Sitting chi kung or walking meditation Til 2:10 Bathroom break Til 3:00 Fourth Investigation (the dhamas in our lives) Til 3:20 Walking

Til 4 pm closing meditation; Q&A and comments; Metta

Audience: People who have a regular meditation practice. People who have completed the Intro Class. Recruitment: email to MS mailing list; MS website; posting on Insight Timer Texas based meditation groups; MS facebook page; boost facebook post; send out to sister sangha close by.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 97

“Retreat in a Box” Program offered by Jan Rosamond

Description: “Retreat in a Box” is a daylong event that I have offered in St. Louis several times since October 2015. They have been very well attended. (We are always “sold out” within a few days of announcing the event.)

Although there are two Insight Sitting Groups in St. Louis, there is no established teacher closer than 500 miles and very few out-of-town teachers come to the area. I created this program to try to offer a retreat-like experience with nationally recognized teachers for practitioners in the St. Louis area, most of whom would not otherwise be able to attend such an event.

I call the program “Retreat in a Box” because it uses existing “pre-packaged” daylong retreats videotaped at Spirit Rock and made available to members of the Stewardship Circle (of which I am one). NOTE: I asked for and was granted permission by Spirit Rock to offer this program.

Schedule: These “Box Retreats” are held on a Sunday, starting at 9:00 am and continuing to 4:00 pm. I use the internet and a large-screen TV to stream one of Spirit Rock’s videotaped daylong “retreats” exactly as it was recorded, start to finish. (For example: Jack Kornfield’s “Introduction to Mindfulness,” Sharon Salzberg’s “Equanimity,” Phillip Moffitt’s “Daylong for Care Providers”.)

We keep silence the entire day, including lunch and other breaks. Attendees bring a bag lunch. Tea is provided. I start with a brief introduction and an overview of the day, including an explanation of how it is that I am able to offer the “retreat”. Since the group is small (less than 20), I also ask everyone to introduce themselves. At the end of the day, I close with the sharing of merit (unless the recording already includes this) and open the floor for discussion, comments and questions. I also ask for dana, explaining that 100% will be sent to Spirit Rock.

Number of Attendees: Because these events are held in a private home (where there is internet access and a basement room with a large-screen TV), the maximum number that can be accommodated is 18.

Dates: I have held these “Box Retreats” in October 2015, January 2016 and April 2016. The next one will be July 2016. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 98 Venue: We meet at the home of one of the members of our Sitting Group. Because this is a pre-recorded event available through Spirit Rock’s website, internet access and a large- screen TV is required.

Compensation: These daylong “retreats” are held on a dana basis. 100% goes to Spirit Rock.

Program Leader (Jan Rosamond): I am one of Spirit Rock’s Stewardship Circle members (which is how I have access to these taped daylong events.) I am a graduate of DPP4 and have practiced since 1998. I have sat more than 300 nights of retreat, including 6 weeks at IMS, 1 month at Dharmagiri (S. Africa), and 1 month at Spirit Rock.

Why This Program: Most practitioners in St. Louis have had very little retreat practice and very, very few have had the opportunity to attend an event led by teachers such as Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Phillip Moffitt, etc. We do have the opportunity to “attend” these Spirit Rock webcasts individually, but that doesn’t provide the retreat-like experience of sitting with other practitioners. Also, very few in St. Louis are aware of these webcasts.

Outreach: I announce these “Retreat in a Box” events on my website: dharmatown.org. I also send an email invitation to a mailing list I have accumulated of approximately 120 names. And I talk about these events at the Sitting Group and the KM group I co-lead.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 99

Helen Vantine Program Proposal: Introduction to Mindfulness

• The program is a daylong retreat that begins at 10:00 and ends at 4:00. • See the outline of the day’s scheduled events. • This retreat might have 30 attendees. To better facilitate question and answer periods, it is best with 15-25 people or even less. • Depending on the location it can be held any time of the year. Here in Atlanta the weather is mild enough even in the winter to allow for outdoor walking periods. Often on days where there is intermittent rain one can schedule an outdoor walk to coincide with a period when the rain has stopped. It is good to have an eye on the weather and work with the schedule because this silent walking period is often the best part of the retreat for the participants. • This type of retreat day can be held in a variety of venues. We often use a group shelter at a state park, but any venue that can hold 15-30 people with extra room for yoga will do. It is best if there is an outdoor area where people can walk in nature. I recently held a retreat (like the one outlined) in the conference room at a Country Inn that had beautiful gardens and nature trails. • This type of retreat is typically fee-based, but can be done with a suggested donation for the teachers instead of fees. An inexpensive venue, like a group shelter in a state park, is best for donation-only retreats. • Teacher background for this retreat would be training in teaching Mindfulness-Based programs such as MBSR or MBCT, or by someone who is a long-term practitioner of Vipassana meditation with some knowledge of Mindfulness-Based programs. • I have presented this program and would be happy to present it again. Many people are interested in Meditation/Mindfulness and are looking for shorter programs that can serve as introductions to meditation. Participants who take a program like this often become interested in joining a meditation group or a Buddhist Sangha.

Outline for a Day-Long Mindfulness Retreat

This assumes that the retreat will begin at 10:00 and end at 4:00. I recommend that it be a day of silence, with cell phones and reading materials set aside until the retreat is over. Since there is a lunch break people can check in, but the ideal is no distractions.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 100 10:00 - Gathering and short guided meditation.

10:15 – Short discussion with introductions and maybe a question about their experience with meditation and their expectations for the day. Rules for safety: No comparing, no judging, no fixed ideas.

10:35 – Talk on what mindfulness is and what it isn’t. Time for questions here.

10:50 – Body Scan meditation. (This is typically done lying down so we suggest people bring a blanket to the retreat.)

11:10 – Talk on the importance of mindfulness of the body for stress reduction/reactivity and being present.

11:20 – Instruction on Walking Meditation with some time to practice. (The practice is best done outside, but that depends on the weather.)

11:50 – Instructions on Mindful Eating using a raisin.

12:15 – Mindful LUNCH, followed by 30 minutes of walking in nature in silence.

1:15 - Guided mediation on the Breath.

1:35 – Talk on stress and the default mind plus questions and comments.

2:30 – Mindful movement (very gentle stretching/yoga/qi gong)

2:50 – Exercise on perception.

3:10 – Guided meditation on sounds with less guidance.

3:30 - Final discussion with questions and comments.

4:00 – End.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 101

Matthew Sockolov

Bio Matthew Sockolov has been teaching meditation in Southern California for over 3 years. He worked closely with his teacher and mentor, Noah Levine. Matthew now teaches under the guidance of Kevin Griffin, author of several meditation books including One Breath at a Time. Matthew is currently in the Community Dharma Leader program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, working with a community of teachers to investigate his role offering the dhamma. As a recovering addict himself, Matthew spends much of his teaching time working with recovering addicts in treatment centers and sober living homes and works hard with Refuge Recovery, a Buddhist-based path to recovering from addiction.In 2011 Matthew founded One Mind Dharma (www.OneMindDharma.com) with his now-fiancee, a meditation website and community offering guided meditations, reflections on Buddhist practices, podcasts, and more. Matthew may be found teaching at several treatment centers in Los Angeles and Orange County, leading the Teen Group and Dharma Den at Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society, and working one-on-one at his home with people wishing to develop a deeper meditation practice.

Daylong Schedule 9:30am - Brief introductory sit with concentration and coming into this experience 9:45am - Introduction to the day and schedule, including why practice in daylong, what we will be practicing, and etiquette of silence and sacred space - Group comments about experience with meditation - Short Dharma Talk about mindfulness in the body as present-time awareness, focusing on non-judgement, softness, and accepting whatever is present 10:30am - Guided meditation - Basic Mindfulness of Body -Bringing attention to posture and the breath -Slow body scan -Open awareness of whatever is arising in the body, tuning into the direct physical experience 10:55am - Questions and comments about experience meditating. What arose? What difficulties or hindrances? What was interesting? 11:10am - Ten minute break, in silence, with short explanation of why it is in silence 11:25am - Leave an extra few minutes for people to get back in and settle -Brief talk about mindfulness not just in sitting practice, but also in movement -Walking meditation instructions with simply feeling the feet on the ground 11:40am - Walking meditation focusing on the legs moving and the feet on the ground 12:00pm - Grouping up into dyads, 5 minute explanation of the practice -1 minute each to introduce yourself to your partner, including your practice -1 minute each to talk about why you came to this daylong -2 minutes each of answering repeated question: What is present in the body? -2 minutes to share experiences with each other 12:15pm - Group sharing about walking meditation and what we noticed in dyads -How did walking feel in relation to sitting? Anything new or different? -Any similarities in bodily experience in dyads? -How did it feel in the body to be listening during dyads? 12:30pm - Talk about mindful eating, chewing slowly, using senses other than taste, reflection on interdependence

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 102 -Lunch break 1:30pm - Return from lunch, begin with brief sit -Noticing the bodily energy settle -Feeling the breath move the body 1:45pm - Group questions and comments about lunch and mindful eating 2:00pm - Talk about Mindfulness of Body -Why practice with the body? -Learn about anicca -See the mind’s reactions to experience -Body always with us, can always practice with body -Help us investigate pain, emotions, and the physical role -What is the “goal” or “point?” -Being with present-time experience -Build knowledge of experience (Three Marks) -Can come back to the body in daily life -Introduce the postures from the Satipatthana Sutta 2:30pm - Walking meditation with instructions on feeling the body moving through space, not just focusing on the steps or legs 2:50pm - Silent ten minute break 3:05pm - Guided meditation -Focus on posture -Bring attention to breath -Awareness of sensations -Vedana of experience 3:35pm - Short introduction to vedana 3:45pm - Dyads with new partners -1 minute each to introduce yourself and how the daylong has been -2 minutes of “What is present in your _____?” -2 minutes of “What vedana is present and where?” -2 minutes of open question, “How could you bring awareness to daily life?” -2 minute wrap-up with partner 4:05pm - Questions and comments from group -Any ideas for bringing mindfulness to daily life? -Noticing vedana pop up? 4:20pm -Brief talk about bringing mindfulness of body to daily life -Using “triggers” such as sitting, phones ringing, walking at work or from car -Returning to breath -Notice heightened emotions (anger, anxiety, hunger) and turn toward body -Hunger, thirst, tired, exercise/movement -Returning to direct physical experience, not always the thoughts -Dedication of merit

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 103

Description with Topic

MINDFULNESS AND THE BODY During this daylong retreat, we will investigate mindfulness in the body. With periods of sitting meditation and walking meditation mixed in with talks and participation, we will explore as a group what it means to bring awareness to our experience in our bodies. The day will include guided meditation instructions, discussions on what it means to bring mindfulness to our experience, and space for questions and sharing. All are welcome at this daylong, regardless of previous meditation experience.

Outreach

I plan on this being an introductory daylong intended for people relatively new to meditation. I will be reaching out to places I have taught at, including mostly treatment centers and yoga studios. I will be leaving flyers at local meditation studios, yoga studios, treatment centers, coffee shops, and wellness studios. I also plan on utilizing social media, as my meditation site has 400,000 Facebook followers. I have a background in marketing, and will utilize images online, sharing my posts, creating event pages, and encouraging friends/followers to share the event.

When I do a daylong, I hope to have a co-facilitator to help with the mindful movement portions, to help answer questions, and give some new perspective. This will also be helpful in outreach, as I will have a co-teacher with a different base of followers.

Also included in my outreach will be space for scholarships; I do not want anyone to be turned away for lack of funds.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 104 Lulu Cook A Day of Refuge Day Long Meditation Retreat November 2016

9:30 - 9:35 Introductions -- Attendees check-in with name, brief intention

9:35 - 9:50 Sit

9:50 - 9:55 Logistics/Questions/Stretches

9:55 - 10:20 Three Refuges Overview, expansion on Buddha and Dharma

10:20 -10:50 Sit

10:50 - 11:20 Walking or Standing with instructions

11:20– 12:00 Sit

12:00 - 12:15 Q&A; Mindful Eating & Dana

12:15 - 1:00 Lunch

1:00 - 1:20 Sangha & Practical Applications of 3 Refuges

1:20 - 2:00 Sit

2:00 - 2:30 Group Inquiry with instructions

2:30 – 2:50 Walk

2:50 - 3:20 Sit

3:20 - 3:30 Refuge Chant

3:30 - 4:10 Sit

4:10 - 4:25 Discussion, Q & A

4:25 - 4:30 Dedication of Merit CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 105

Give Yourself the Gift Of Serenity

A day-long retreat with lulu cook

November 2016 9:30 am - 4:30 pm Local church, 111 Main Street; an accessible space

Find calm amid the holiday hustle with a day surrounded by the Triple Gems of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Talks will provide practical ways to use these teachings and there will be time for group inquiry and personal exploration through silent meditation. lulu cook leads the Oakland Against the Stream meditation group and is currently in the Community Dharma Leaders training program through Spirit Rock and IMS.

Please arrive 15 minutes early to get settled so we can begin on time. Tea will be provided. Bring a sack lunch and your own sitting equipment if you plan to sit on the floor. Plenty of comfortable chairs are available. Registration b y November 5 is requested.

This day-long is offered freely on a donation basis. There are facility rental fees for which your generosity is appreciated. All are welcome, regardless of ability to offer dana. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 106

Emily Carpenter

Daylong Description: Returning to Presence: A Mindfulness Meditation Daylong Retreat

This daylong retreat will be an opportunity to explore a more extended period of mindfulness meditation practice. It will be held mostly in silence and will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, as well as talks about the meditation teachings and opportunities for Q&A.

All are welcome. Retreat Schedule, 9am-5:15pm 8:30-9:00 arrival/registration 9-9:15 welcome and introductions 9:15-9:30 orientation to the day 9:30-10 guided sit 10-10:40 walking instructions and walking practice 10:45-11:15 guided sit 11:15-11:30 Dhamma reflection 11:30-11:45 Q&A/discussion 11:45-12:15 walking 12:20-12:30 silent sitting 12:30-1:30 lunch 1:30-1:50 vipassana out loud practice 1:50-2:20 guided sit 2:20-2:50 walking 2:55-3:25 guided yoga practice 3:30-4 silent sit 4-4:15 Dhamma reflection 4:15-4:30 Q&A/discussion 4:30-4:50 walking 4:50-5:05 short guided metta sit 5:05-5:15 closing

Outline of Dharma Content

Welcome and introductions Welcoming the group, emphasizing that everyone is welcome, regardless of background. Do a go around where people share their names and one other piece of info that’s valuable to them/they’d like the community to know.

Orientation to the daylong Guidelines for creating a safe/supportive community for practice: ask for group’s input - what helps to create safety/a sense of support? Agree on a few guidelines. Introduce silence and a non-harming attitude towards each other and ourselves.

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Establishing a wise attitude for formal practice – kindness, curiosity, beginner’s mind, we only need to be present in this moment.

Guided sit Arriving and settling, mindfulness of the body and breath, bringing a kind attitude to what we’re meeting in our experience, practicing beginning again.

Walking instructions and walking practice bringing mindfulness to movement (we spend much of lives moving), in walking meditation, we’re not going for a walk. Not walking to get anywhere. Bringing mindfulness to the sensations of feet and legs, sense of the whole body moving. Talk about speed of walking, pausing at the end of our path, feeling the body turn…

Guided sit Grounding in the body, turning attention to the breath, experimenting with finding the appropriate container to explore the experience of breathing (not too narrow a focus so we get tight, not too wide so we space out). Continuing to develop a non-judgmental attitude – if you notice you’re mind has wandered, gently coming back. Ending with a few minutes of metta for oneself.

Dhamma reflection – Mindfulness of the Body Why/how we practice it and how it supports us (these are just rough notes)

As a culture, we’re pretty disconnected from our bodies – we tend to live in our heads, some of us have experienced trauma that makes our bodies feel unsafe.

How mindfulness of the body helps: brings us into the present moment, our bodies are always in the present, which is where our lives are happening. Can't have yesterday's headache or tomorrow's pleasant sensation.

Helps us stay grounded, instead of being drawn out by every stimuli that comes our way. We often have a lot competing for our attention. Keeping some of our mindfulness in the body, gives us a choice in where we want to direct our attention.

We can learn about our state of mind by paying attention to our body.

Mindfulness of the body helps us create a more balanced attitude in relation to the body, not based on hatred of it or a fascination with its beauty and perfection or that of the bodies of other people.

We can explore some of the deepest meditation teachings through mindfulness of the body - that our bodies aren’t ultimately under our control, they aren’t ours.

Q&A/discussion

Walking Invitation to return to the simplicity of the walking, letting go any of the CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 108 conversation/questions, just being with our moment to moment experience as it arises.

Silent sitting

Lunch Give an orientation to mindful eating at the beginning of lunch. Do a mindful eating exercise: eating a raisin with mindfulness.

Reminder about continuity of mindfulness – practicing in all postures, whatever we’re doing.

Vipassana out loud practice Create dyads (give everyone the option to sit this out if they want to), give a short orientation to vedana, then alternate each person reporting out loud about unpleasant experiences that they’re having (could be just body or other experiences too), switch, then have each person report out loud the pleasant experiences they’re having.

Have group share about how the experience was for them.

Guided sit Settling after the interactive exercise, noticing how you feel after it awareness to breath and body, then shifting to awareness of moods and thoughts

Walking

Guided yoga practice Bringing some energy to the body at a point in the afternoon when it might be getting dull/fatigued Bringing interest to the movements, no need to get anywhere, see if you can give everyone in the community the space to do their own practice, no competition

Silent sit

Dhamma reflection Potpourri talk: Buddha’s teaching of ehi passiko - come and see for yourself – not taking the teaching on someone else’s word, really putting the teachings to practice in our own lives to see if they make sense/help us live with more ease. Trusting ourselves and having patience - opening to our own experience, both the easy and the difficult, meeting our edges and beginning to expand beyond them isn’t something that we do right away. It makes patience and commitment. Stay in touch with your own goodness – recollect it regularly. Find/create a safe and supportive community to practice with.

Q&A/discussion Creating space for people who haven’t yet spoken to make comments/ask questions

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Walking

Simple guided metta sit metta for self using phrases metta and appreciation for the group, the grounds, the other beings on the land dedication of merit

Closing Appreciating everyone’s practice Recommendations for going home: giving yourself whatever space you can, remembering self kindness, though the external conditions will have changed, we can still practice mindfulness. Talk about ways to stay connected Invite any comments/questions/feedback

Bio Emily Carpenter has been practicing lovingkindness and Insight Meditation since 1998 and is interested in exploring the meditation teachings both in the context of our daily lives and in our communities, as well as in retreat settings. She has an MSW and works in the nonprofit field in Austin. She also spends periods in silent retreat each year at the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts.

Outreach Plan • Announce it at other sangha events (ie, our weekly sitting group, other sangha retreats) • Do a few boosted posts on Facebook (so as to reach not only the sangha’s Facebook followers, but also their friends) • Send out a couple of emails about it to the sangha mailing list • Post flyers at various venues around town (yoga studios, community centers, other meditation centers)

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 110 Grace Fisher Women, Wisdom and Meditation

1. Description: “Our bodies know that they belong, it is our minds that make our lives so homeless.” – John O’Donohue So much of our suffering can come from a feeling of disconnection and separation— from ourselves and from the people and world around us. For many of us, this suffering is fueled by the stories we tell ourselves about our lives. This daylong is an invitation for women to come together to practice in community and begin to relax the hold of some of these stories. By quieting the mind and opening the heart, we can touch into our innate feminine wisdom and sense the truth of our deep belonging to the world. This day will offer periods of sitting and walking meditation, drawing from both insight and heart meditation practices. There will also be teachings, guided meditations, and time for focused discussions. New and experienced meditators who self identify as women are welcome.

2. 9:30-10:15: Introduction to the day, and sit 10:15-10:45: Walk 10:45-11:15: Sit 11:15-12:15: Talk and discussion 12:15-1:30: Lunch 1:30-2:00: Sit 2:00-2:30: Walk 2:30-3:15: Sit 3:15-4:15:Talk and Discussion 4:15: 4: 30: Short Sit & Closing

3. 30-40 women 4. November 2016 5. Spirit Rock 6. Dana—or the new fee structure at Spirit Rock 7. Grace Fisher is the lead teacher for the Thursday women’s group at Spirit Rock and has been part of the teaching team for almost a decade. While living in Colorado, she led a weekly women’s meditation group and several half day programs for women. She is also a psychotherapist in private practice and enjoys supporting women finding and then standing in their truth.

8. I feel that is it vital for women to have a forum to come together and practice; to be together in silence and in council. My hope that this daylong will offer women the opportunity to come together in a reasonably intimate setting to share the teachings and our collective wisdom. I also hope that women will come away from our time together with a deeper sense of connection to themselves, their guiding, heart wisdom, and a sense of greater belonging in the world.

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Justin Michelson

1) Daylong description. This day-long retreat is an optional culminating experience, positioned at the end of a 6 week introductory course (overview of 6-week course attached at bottom). The intent is to primarily to provide a space for beginning practitioners to synthesize the themes, theory, and personal practice of the previous 6 weeks - to allow them to deepen the roots of their growing wisdom and compassion, and plant strong intentions for their future practice. Hence, the concepts offered will be a weave of the previous six weekly themes (Four Noble Truths and Four Foundations), referencing key teachings we’ve already been working with.

2. Retreat Schedule: 8:30am: soft start time, settle in. 8:45am: Introduction to the day/logistics 9:00am: 1st sitting - Guided meditation on “setting of the intention” and 1st Foundation of mindfulness (breathing). 9:45am: Introduction to walking meditation - indoor, guided for the first 10 minutes on theme of 1st Foundation. 10:15am: 2nd sitting - guided meditation on the 2nd Foundation - “exploring our bodies” 11:00am: 2nd walking meditation - guided with 2nd Foundation theme for the first 10 minutes. 11:30am: Dharma Talk - an overview of the first 3 noble truths + Question and Answer 12:15pm: Lunch Break (bring your own) 1:30pm: 3rd sitting - guided meditation on the 3rd Foundation 2:15pm: Guided Qi-Gong Movement - guided with 3rd Foundation theme for the first 10 minutes 2:45pm: 4th sitting meditation - guided meditation on the 4th Foundation 3:30pm: 4th walking meditation - guided with 4th Foundation theme for the first 10 minutes 4:00pm: Dharma Talk - Overview of the Four Foundations + the Fourth Noble Truth. 4:45pm: Question/Answer + closing thoughts. 5:00pm: Departure

3. Outline of the Dharma Content. The previous six weeks was an experiential overview of the Four Noble Truths (1st week) and the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (the next five weeks). However, those two teachings are interpreted and offered from my particular style and approach to meditation. In the 6-week course overview attached below, you can see my conceptualize of what I see as essential themes, in a progressive order, ending with this day-long immersion experience. The course and day-long contents are not secular, but they will be paired with modern studies about mindfulness and neuroscience to make it accessible and relevant to the participants.

The day will mirror the previous weeks. We will open with setting our intention; then, each of the following meditations will be themed with the Four Foundations of Mindfulness - guided for the first 5-10 minutes of each sit and walk. There will be a Dharma talk and Q&A at the end of the morning, as well as at the end of the afternoon.

4. Short Bio. Justin Michelson began practicing meditation in 2000 in Seattle, WA, under the guidance of Rodney Smith. Over the past 15 years, his practice has led him CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 112 on travels through numerous meditation groups, retreat centers, and inspiring teachers and teachings. Regular meditation practice has been a cornerstone of his personal growth and maturation, offering countless opportunities for insight and a gradual deepening in inner peace. He is now part of a two and half year teacher training program, led by Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA.

5. Outreach Plan. I have attempted to run this six week course once in the past year, without enough sign ups. So, getting more skilled at outreach is particularly important for me. Previously, I advertised it on a small MeetUp group, on my personal Facebook page, at a regular dance event in town of like-minded folks, and put flyers up all over Eugene. I got a handful of interested people, but no one actually followed through and came to the first course, which was disappointing.

Looking into the future, I could start advertising earlier, talk it up more in person with my network, and increase the number of flyers (also the MeetUp contact list has grown). However, I’m beginning to share the Dharma occasionally at an Insight group in Eugene, and I hope that through this group I can attract some people to this introductory course, as well. In addition, for the next time I try it (sometime this year), I will use a more central location to host it in Eugene, and will spend more time advertising around the University of Oregon campus.

______

An introduction to Insight Meditation

A 6-Week Series ~ Tuesdays, 4-5:30pm October 20th - November 24th grow in wisdom ~ awaken compassion ~ explore your truth

Week 1: The Meditative Journey: an overview of the history, the practice and the path.

Week 2: At Home in our Bodies: finding wonder, intimacy, and belonging in our own skins.

Week 3: The Garden of Feeling: welcoming the myriad flavors, colors, and textures of our inner energies.

Week 4: Our Brilliant Minds: getting clearer on the processes, functions, and limitations of concept, views, and beliefs.

Week 5: Our Intrinsic Awareness: an exploration of Attention, Presence, and Mindfulness.

Week 6: The Nature of Experience: contemplating the patterns, processes, and fundamental truths of our inner and outer lives.

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Week 7: Day-long Silent Retreat (optional): a culminating journey to deepen the roots of our growing wisdom and compassion, and plant strong intentions for the fruits of our future practice.

$10-15/class suggested donation ~ Full participation strongly encouraged ~ Pre-registration required: Call 206-356-0354 or email [email protected]

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 114 Robin Boudette Title: Mindfulness in Nature Daylong Retreat

Description: We spend so much of our lives on autopilot missing the beauty all around us. Being in nature, an antidote to autopilot, can effortlessly bring us into the present moment to feel connected and alive. Mindfulness in Nature is a MBSR style retreat with guided meditations offered in noble silence in the misty woods and open meadows of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed. We will explore how meditation is supported by the stillness of nature and how, in turn, practicing in nature organically opens the heart and awakens states of wellbeing and insight. Experiencing the power of being present, we will reflect on the truths of impermanence and inter-connection within ourselves and the world around us.

Schedule: 10-10:25 Welcome 10:25-10:50 Transitional Meditation: Invitation to be present to what’s arising 10:50 – 12:00 Body Scan and Mindfulness in Motion 12:00 - 12:30 Reflection on impermanence and inter-connection within ourselves and the world around us 12:30 – 1:10 Intro to mindful eating and Lunch (outside) 1:10 – 1:40 Standing Yoga 1:40 – 2:10 Mountain Meditation (outside) 2:10 – 2:30 Walking Meditation (outside) 2:30 – 3:00 Sitting Meditation 3:00 – 3:25 Loving Kindness Meditation (reflection on connection) 3:-25 – 3:45 Breaking silence ritual 3:45 – 4:30 Open discussion and close with Metta

Attendance: 10-30 people Date: June 2016 Location: Stony Brook – Millstone Watershed, Pennington, NJ

This program is sponsored by Trinity Counseling Center, a nonprofit agency where no one is turned away for inability to pay. This retreat is offered on a sliding scale basis and teachers are paid by Trinity Counseling Center.

Presented by Robin Boudette with guest teacher Robin Boudette has been a student of yoga and meditation for more then 15 years. She has studied Vipassana meditation, completed three yoga teacher trainings and is a certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Instructor. Additionally, completed a doctoral dissertation on the therapeutic effects of Outward Bound.

Nature has always been a refuge for me, a place where qualities of mindfulness- presence, stillness, acceptance, spaciousness, - arise without effort. I would like to offer this experience to others who might be getting stuck. I can get bogged down myself by the content in MBSR. In nature, the content falls away. “Being” is transmitted by the surroundings rather then in words.

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Augusta Hopkins PROPOSAL for Day of Cultivating Mindfulness of Emotions 1. Please describe the program, including its content, theme, and purpose. This daylong program is designed to help us embrace our suffering more deeply. We will relieve suffering by exploring emotions.

• Have you been accused of not having emotions? • Are you accused of being too emotional?

• Are you unaware of your emotions? • Are you ruled by your emotions?

Befriending our emotions can help all of use, whichever side of the scale we find ourselves. For some of us, befriending buried emotions can help us find ourselves more fully. For others learning to care for our emotions can help us feel more stability.

2. Please give a schedule of the day’s events with amount of time allotted for various activities, including meditation periods. Daylong (Day of Mindfulness) will run from 10am - 5pm 10am - 11am: Arrival, introductions, deep listening and sharing from the heart, inspirations and aspirations for the day, do you identify as someone with strong emotions? or someone who would enjoy having greater access to their emotions? 11am - 1pm: Sitting meditation - to STOP, calm, arrive and settle Mindful movements - feeling into our bodies Body scan - exploring the sensations more deeply 1pm - 2pm: lunch, mindful meal, fully experiencing each bite - heightening our awareness and sensations of eating. 2pm - 3pm: Walking meditation - 30 min Sitting meditation - 30 min 3pm - 4pm: Offering children’s book Visiting Feelings, R.A.I.N., Pain x Resistance = Suffering, Pema Chodron on Maitri 4pm - 5pm: Guided practice of Metta, Karuna, Upekka, Mudita. Deep listening and sharing from the heart, “how was the day for you?” “joys and sorrows,” “next steps”; hugging meditation, standing circle, final sit, end with Metta

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 116 3. How many people might reasonably be anticipated to attend? Twenty (20) 4. In what month and year do you propose the program occur (or start)? June 12, 2016 5. What would be the program’s venue? (Example: Community Hall, church, library, home, office, etc) Yoga studio 6. How would the teacher(s) be compensated for leading the program (Example: “Dana” or fee-based) Dana for the teacher. Registration fee of $25 per person will go to the venue 7. What background and experience prepares the teacher to lead or teach the program? Augusta is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh and Insight Meditation. She brings these traditions together in a way that has been called “Zen with an edge.” She is a Philadelphia Native and tells it like it is. Though her values are more aligned with San Francisco, which she has called home for more than fifteen years. 8. Why do you want to present this program? Emotions have ruled my life. I grew up the child of an actively drinking mother and a manic depressive father. Again and again, I received the message that my strong emotions (if there were at all sad) were not OK. Today I practice being with my emotions, fear, grief, anger in a way that allows them to fully express themselves without overwhelming me. It is hard, every growing work, and I want to share it with others.

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Allison Shore “Sitting” with Chronic Pain: A Daylong for People Who Think They Can’t Meditate Because of Pain* 10am-4:15pm

*The title as well as much of this curriculum is adapted from/inspired by the teachings of Darlene Cohen and Beata Chapman. Please do not use these materials without permission.

Description For those of us living with chronic pain, illness, and/or disability, images of young, beautiful people sitting perfectly cross-legged on cushions can create an unwelcoming invitation to learn to meditate. And yet mindfulness meditation practice can be one of the most powerful tools in the toolbox for coping with and even thriving while inhabiting painful bodies. During this daylong, we will learn about the relationship between pain and suffering, explore alternative ways to “sit” and meditate, and investigate ways to use mindfulness to skillfully manage chronic pain. The day will include guided and silent meditation, gentle movement practice, small and large group discussions, and short dharma talks. Please come as you are – every body is welcome. Note: This daylong is intended for people living with pain rather than as a professional training experience for those wanting to teach to this population.

Schedule & Outline 10-10:15am Welcome and Overview of Day – what is mindfulness? Ground Rules and the C’s – comfort, confidentiality, compassion; no advice zone 10:15-10:45am Introductions – What brings you here? One thing you like about yourself 10:45-11:00am Brief Guided Meditation for settling in 11:00-11:20am Talk: Pain vs. Suffering and vedana; Quotes from Darlene and Beata; Using awareness to become intimate with pleasure and pain (why would we do this?); 10 things vs 100 things (Darlene); grief and identity (anatta); anger, fear/ terror; exhaustion and rest; Intro to Alternative postures; living from the body’s point of view; Q & A 11:20-11:25am Mindful Break – in silence 11:25-11:45am Experiential – Guided meditation - Stillness practice of choice 11:45am-12:00pm Discussion – What was that like? What worked/ didn’t work? Q & A 12:00-12:15pm Experiential – Guided meditation - Movement practice of choice (can envision) – walking, stretching, or chi gung 12:00-12:15pm Discussion – What was that like? What worked/ didn’t work? Q & A 12:15-12:30pm Introduction to mindful eating. Lunch will be in silence. 12:30-1:30pm Lunch/ rest – in silence 1:30-1:45pm Talk: Awareness of pleasure; endorphins/ ecstasy; finding comfort; meditations on delight; comfort (objects and experiences); skillful means – Q & A 1:45-2:00pm Inquiry/ repeating questions – 1) What brings you comfort 2) What brings you joy 2:00-2:10pm Large group sharing based on repeating questions 2:10-2:20pm Mindful Break – notice the pleasant, however seemingly small. In silence. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 118 2:20-2:40pm Talk: Informal meditation – meditation/awareness in daily life – walking, working, eating, waiting in line, etc. – Q & A 2:40-3:00pm Metta for self and for body, especially parts that hurt – introduce, then guided meditation in posture of choice. Importance of compassion/ self-compassion. 3:00-3:30pm Silent stillness practice of choice 3:30-3:45pm Small group sharing – how was the day for you? 3:45- 3:55pm Large group sharing 3:55-4:10pm Closing – final questions? Read poem (TBD); quotes from Darlene and Beata 4:10-4:15pm Dedication of Merit

Additional stuff: Create Resource list for participants, including book list (Darlene Cohen, Turning Suffering Inside Out, etc.), sufferinganddelight.net, etc.) Create some guided meditation .mp3s for participants to download

Instructor Bio Allison Shore, MA Allison has been practicing mindfulness meditation since 2003. A graduate of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher Training Practicum at El Camino Hospital, and a participant in the Sati Chaplaincy Training Program in Redwood City and the Community Dharma Leader Program at Spirit Rock, Allison has taught in a variety of academic, clinical, and community settings. Allison enjoys dance, photography, travel, and laughing deeply. Fibromyalgia and chronic nerve pain led her to mindfulness, which she is passionate about sharing with others. Outreach Plan – Places to Publicize BIN/ Heartwood Therapist offices Pain management and GP clinics, integrative medicine clinics Meditation centers/ sitting groups MBSR list serves Sati Chaplaincy Alumni list serves CDL list serves

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Janka Livoncova 1st component: Daylong description with topic.

This is a series of daylong and half-day retreats on Paramis that I will be offering at the Center for Mindful Living in Chattanooga, TN this spring and fall.

Calm Mind, Wise Heart: Series of Ten Mini-Meditation Retreats to Deepen your Spiritual Practice

Led by mindfulness instructor Janka Livoncova

Saturdays 10am - 4:30pm

This series will offer contemplative and meditation practices for those who are looking to deepen their spiritual practice. You will learn to: - Cultivate a mind of calm - Integrate heart, mind and body in the present moment - Develop and nurture qualities of mind and heart such as compassion, loving kindness and patience - Work with difficult emotions and insistent repetitive thought patterns - Discover an inner refuge of safety and balance

Each session will consists of guided meditations, instructive talks, group discussion and interactive mindfulness activities.

April 16th Loving Kindness: The Art of Happiness Loving Kindness is a practice that teaches us how to cultivate forgiveness, kindness, open-hearted friendship and love toward ourselves and toward others.

June 4th Patience: The Wisdom of Slowing Down

Generosity, Energy and Wisdom coming in the fall 2016!

It is recommended that participants have completed a MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) or equivalent program and have a personal meditation/contemplative practice prior to attending this offering.

2nd Component: Schedule for Loving Kindness Daylong Retreat

10:00 - 10:15 am Welcome, Orientation + Setting intention for the day 10:15 - 10:50 am Mindful Movement – softening, relaxing and befriending the body 10:50 - 11:00 am Bathroom break + transition to sitting in circle CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 120 11:00 - 11:50 am Essence of Loving Kindness + Guided Meditation 11:50 - 12:10 am Walking Meditation 12:10 - 12:50 am Guided Loving Kindness Meditation - introducing Loving Kindness phrases 12:50 - 1:30 pm Lunch (held in silence) 1:30 - 2:15 pm Sitting Meditation 2:15 - 2:40 pm Walking Meditation 2:40 - 3:10 pm Talk on Loving Kindness 3:10 - 3:40 pm Contemplating & Sharing in groups of three 3:40 - 4:10 pm Guided Loving Kindness Meditation 4:10 - 4:30 pm Closing circle - optional sharing, Q&A, suggestions for home practice

3rd Component: Outline of the dharma content.

My intention is to present this series in a way that people from all traditions can benefit from these practices. I am also intending to invite the participants and graduates from my secular based mindfulness programs, who are looking for a ways to deepen their practice.

1. The essence of Loving Kindness: cultivation of friendliness and good will toward all beings, including oneself. Reference: my mentor DaeJa Napier’s teaching and guidance & Visuddhimagga - characteristic, function, proximal cause, near and far enemies of Loving Kindness.

2. How is Loving Kindness present in every moment of mindfulness? How does the mind relate to what is happening?

3. The meaning of the Loving Kindness phrases. Reference: my mentor DaeJa Napier’s teachings and guidance & Loving Kindness by Sharon Salzberg

4. Why it is recommended to start the practice with oneself? If it is difficult, how to work with that? Reference: Rajan Sutta: The King (Ud 5.1) & Visuddhimagga

“Searching all directions with your awareness, you find no one dearer than yourself. In the same way, others are thickly dear to themselves. So you shouldn't hurt others if you love yourself.”

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5. Questions to reflect on and share in the groups of three:

- From your personal experience, what obscures loving kindness and goodwill? - What aspect of another person can you consider that would incline you to feel friendlier toward them? - Which points of view, reflections, or attitudes would help you to have more loving kindness toward others?

4th Component: Bio

Janka Livoncova has been practicing meditation and yoga since 1994 and teaching since 2004. Since 2007, Janka has been studying the dharma under her guiding teacher DaeJa Napier and with Thanissara and Kittisaro since 2010. Janka maintains a daily meditation practice and regularly attends meditation retreats with her dharma teachers. She has also completed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Mind- Body Medicine, professional training program under the direction of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and Dr. Saki Santorelli and leads the 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction courses at the Center for Mindful Living. She is currently enrolled in the 2 year Community Dharma Leader Training Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California.

5th Component: Outreach plan

1. Announce it in my quarterly newsletter that I send out to all graduates of my mindfulness programs including MBSR and all my current and past students/clients. 2. Promote it on Facebook, especially in Mindful Chattanooga FB Group. 3. Center for Mindful Living will promote it as well to their members and people on their mailing list.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 122 Andrew Chaikin

MMM! Mindfulness, Movement and Music OVERVIEW MMM! is a daylong program that integrates formal meditation with creative, somatic expression — improvisation of the body and voice — all in the aliveness of nature.

As the day unfolds, students progress from stillness to movement; from silence to expression; from individual to communal; from self to beyond-self to not-self; from suffering to joy and liberation.

Morning: Situated outdoors in a circle of trees, students will spend the morning in stillness — guided in traditional formal meditations: mindfulness of body and breath, and the Five Elements. We will explore the experience of the body as nature, the confluence of natural forces — solidity, flow, expansion / contraction, transformation, and emptiness.

Lunch: These inquiries will flow into instruction on mindful eating, as the students integrate their formal practice into the physical and emotional experience of eating a simple lunch in the outdoors.

Afternoon: We will first explore mindful, improvisational movement. Students will be guided through subtle, non-verbal prompts to move in their own unique way — playing, exploring and engaging in a dialogue with the natural landscape around them. In this way, we carry the themes of the morning’s sitting practice — mindfulness of the body and mind, natural forces and energies, attention to sound and sensation — into movement practice.

As the body awakens, students will then open their voices — first as individuals, playing with the sounds of nature around them. Gradually, they will be guided to come

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 123 together in circle-song, playing with rhythm, vibration and harmony — becoming a connected circle of heartful, joyful expression in nature.

SCHEDULE 9:30 Arrival / Registration. 10:00 Opening Circle. Overview, introductions. 10:30 Meditation: Mindfulness of Body and Breath. 11:00 Discussion / Q+A. 11:15 Meditation: The Five Elements. 12:00 Discussion / Q+A / Bio-break. 12:15 Instruction: Mindful Eating. 12:30 Lunch. 1:30 Mindful Movement in Nature. 2:15 Vocal Play / Circle-Singing. 3:00 Meditation: Mindfulness of Body, Emotion, Vedana. 3:15 Bio-Break. 3:30 Closing Circle. Sharing and integrating our experience. 4:00 Workshop ends.

DHARMIC THEMES * Abiding, accepting, non-judgmental attention to the experience of body and heart-mind. * The body as nature, as confluence of natural forces / energies: Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Space — solidity, flow, expansion / contraction, transformation / evolution, emptiness. * Mental / emotional activity as nature, natural forces / energies. * The self as the aggregate of these somatic, mental and emotional experiences. Clinging to the self-story = the source of suffering. * Liberation from suffering via non-clinging to these aggregates. * Mindfulness of activities: eating, walking, speaking, movement, vocal play, etc.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 124 • Mindfulness of vedana: feeling-tone as an aggregate and a source of suffering; mindfulness of vedana / non-clinging as a source of liberation.

• Cultivating joy — through liberated, mindful, improvisational expression of body and voice. Improvisation = non-attachment to outcome; letting go as a source of freedom and well-being.

LOGISTICS Location: Spirit Rock Center, Woodacre CA, or Roberts Regional Park, Berkeley CA. The space will be sunny enough to stay warm throughout the day, shady enough to not be bombarded by sun. Class Size: Up to 25 students. Pricing: Suggested donation of $40-$60, with no one turned away for lack of funds. To Bring: Comfortable clothes and shoes for movement. Bag lunch and snack. Meditation cushion or towel. Hat. Sweatshirt or sweater. Water bottle. Sunblock.

AUDIENCE The program is suitable for students at any level of practice. Ideally, the students would be a mixture of dharma / mindfulness practitioners and creative / somatic practitioners — singers, dancers, artists, poets, etc.

This cross-pollination would allow all the students to learn new modalities, challenge themselves, and grow in new directions.

OUTREACH PLAN I will promote the program to my existing mailing list of students via email; through social media (Twitter and Facebook); and possibly via printed flyers at various sanghas and conscious dance events in the Bay Area.

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TEACHER BIO Andrew Chaikin has taught meditation and mindfulness in a wide variety of settings: prisons, tech startups, the wilderness, even the U.S. Congress.

Andrew has taught adults, teens and kids at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and Insight Meditation Center. He is the Coordinating Teacher of the meditation / yoga program at the San Francisco County Jail — part of the restorative justice program RSVP (Resolve to Stop the Violence Project). He co-founded Heart of the Warrior, a teenage meditation / rite-of-passage / wilderness program. He leads a weekly sitting group in San Francisco called Heart Camp.

Since 2001, Andrew has practiced in the vipassana (insight) tradition — part of the Theravada lineage, the oldest surviving branch of Buddhism. He has studied with Jack Kornfield, Eugene Cash, Phillip Moffitt, Sally Armstrong, Richard Shankman, Noah Levine, Bhikkhu Analayo, Ajahn Poh of Wat Suan Mokkh, and many other teachers in the US and Asia.

A graduate of Spirit Rock's Dedicated Practitioners' Program, Andrew is currently training in Spirit Rock's Community Dharma Leader program. He is also a Certified Teacher of Search Inside Yourself — the mindfulness / emotional intelligence / leadership development program born at Google.

In the 2000's, he toured the world as a musician — singer, songwriter, beatboxer, producer — under his alter ego Kid Beyond, sharing stages with Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas, Imogen Heap, Keane, Steve Aoki, Michael Franti & Spearhead, and many more.

Since 1993, he has led workshops in vocal performance, songwriting, improvisation, music technology, creativity and play — at venues such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Tufts, Mills College, Manchester College (UK), Musik-Messe (Frankfurt), the Jazzschool, and Jazz Camp West.

He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University in Providence, RI.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 126 Alice Robison A DAY LONG RETREAT: 9:00 am-5:00 pm

(1) A daylong description with topic Anger. Aversion. Acrimony. It appears to be everywhere in the media and people are not afraid to express it, but is anyone listening? During this day long we will dive into what makes up anger, how we feel it, what to do with it, and how we can use Buddhist teachings to help navigate it. Another possibility: Love Your Enemies. A Daylong based on the book by Sharon Salzberg and Robert Thurman(would have to be two day longs or 4 progressive classes

(2) Retreat schedule of the entire day 9:00- 9:15 welcome precepts/handout,teach chant silent sit 9:15-10:00 intention for the day framework of the day long and why it is this way, walking, sitting 10:00-10:30: Intro to anger/aversion/Buddhist sutta? Story? Poem? does anger have an opposite? synonyms for anger introduce anger and neuroscience based on Rick Hanson’s work ignore it or indulge it not violence,rage, hatred yet Anger Buddhist practice Anger is energy Difference between anger and fear 10:30—11:00: break out groups work in 2,3 or 4s depending on how many introduce insight dialogue techniques 1 Pause 2 Relax 3 Open 4 Trust Emergence 5 Listen Deeply 6 Speak the Truth confidentiality question: What is your experience with anger? (something else) 11:00--11:15: silence to write in journals 11:15-11:30 group discussion 11:30-Noon- walking meditation with guidance noon-12:30: Q&A, commentary 12:30-1:30: lunch/silent/on the premise/walking

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 127

1:30-2:00: guided lying down meditation working with anger in the body 2:00-2:45 noon-talk R.A.I.N? anger as energy/show video?/read story 2:45-3:15-walking meditation 3:15-3:45 silent sit with guidance? Working with RAIN 3:45-4:15: break out groups/question: 4:15-5:00- group discussion, comments, Q&A, announcments, ending/silent sit ,read final poem

(3) a detailed outline of the dharma content of what you would like to cover defining anger Rick Hanson Buddhist definition of anger How to work with anger -In order to get out some of the pain that people feel inside themselves, they become violent or angry or abusive themselves. I feel counter anger is very wide spread for all victims of trauma. How can anger or hatred in the context of trauma be released in positive ways or healed? The idea of releasing or getting rid of anger is part of the Western idea that by releasing the energy the person will feel better and their life will be healthier. My approach is that it is not possible to get rid of energy and physics also teaches that we cannot create or destroy matter or energy. In traditional Native thought it is unthinkable to get rid of the anger, sickness, addiction and so on. What I ask patients to do is to make a conscious relationship with the anger. This requires that the patient introduce themselves to the anger and give it a gift. The gift in the Native American tradition usually is in the form of natural tobacco. Intent is more important than the actual form of the physical gift. The gift is a ceremonial form that allows our ego life to transcend and make relationship with spiritual entities. In Tibetan Buddhism it is also customary to give gifts to the Deities in the form of grain, butter lamps and such. Natural law dictates that the energy of anger must respond by introducing itself. Once the relationship has become conscious the person can ask anger what it is trying to teach them in this life time. Therefore, the anger becomes an ally that can help the person move into higher consciousness and not something to rid themselves of…especially since it is not possible to get rid of this energy. ~Ed Duran

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 128 Dalila Bothwell Program Title: Last Night a Brownie Saved My Life: Dharma, Food & You

1. After a particularly trying day sometimes it seems that brownie from the bakery down the street will make it all better. All the feelings will go away. Yet, our past experiences tell us that mindlessly eating our feelings in the form of a brownie won’t save us. How can we remember all that we are and that these human feelings will come to pass without numbing out on food?

During this daylong retreat we will explore through the three marks of existence: impermanence (everything changes – even our feelings), unsatisfactoriness (no amount of brownies will make the pain go away), and non-self (these feelings of desire, shutting down are not who we are).

2. 10am-5pm

10am: Invitation to co-create sangha – 5 minutes 10:05am: Introduction of topic and the three marks of existence – 15 minutes 10:20am: Sitting meditation – 30 minutes 10:50am: Dharmette: impermanence of feelings – 20 minutes 11:10am: Dyad: exploration on the changing nature of feelings/triggers – 20 minutes 11:30am: Group discussion – 20 minutes 11:50am: Sitting meditation – 25 minutes 12:15pm: Mindful eating instruction 12:30pm: Lunch: quiet conversation or silence, bell rung on occasion to bring present moment mindfulness 1:45pm: Walking meditation 2pm: Dharmette: unsatisfactoriness of life and food to change reality, second arrow suffering – 20 minutes 2:20pm: Dyad – 15 minutes 2:35pm: Group discussion – 20 minutes 2:55pm: Break – 10 minutes 3:05pm: Sitting meditation: 20 minutes 3:25pm: Dharmette: non-self – 20 minutes 3:45pm: Triads – 20 minutes 4:05pm: Group discussion – 25 minutes 4:30pm: Upekkha and Metta practice for self – 20 minutes 4:40pm: Dedication of Merit

3. 10 people are anticipated to attend 4. This program can occur at anytime of the year 5. Local meditation center 6. Teacher compensated by dana 7. The teacher has degrees in nutrition and food studies as well as Dharma training 8. I want to present this program to offer another angle of looking at the ways we interact with food – either mindfully or mindlessly.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 129

Dawn Haney Block, Build, Be: Liberating Ourselves through Collective Liberation

The Buddha taught that we each, in our fragile human bodies, have the opportunity to liberate ourselves from suffering. Liberation is also the goal of broad-based movements for racial, economic, and gender justice – liberation not just for individuals, but for all harmed by oppression and injustice. Join us for a daylong where we braid together these liberatory traditions. Strengthen your justice skills to block harm and build inspiring alternatives, while you steep yourself in the Buddhadharma’s deep practices of wisdom and compassion.

Retreat Schedule & Content 9am Welcome & Overview, Communication Guidelines

9:15 Block, Build, Be: Practicing Liberation at the Intersection of Buddhism & Social Justice

Exploring the tension between accepting the world as it is and feeling wrenched apart by injustice. Strengthening justice skills of blocking harm and building inspiring alternatives, through the lens of being a more wise and compassionate version of ourselves, steeped in Buddhadharma. Share example of a Buddhist blockade at the intersection of Block, Build, Be.

9:45 BE: Sitting w/ instruction – steadying power of mindfulness

10:15 Break

10:30 BLOCK: What is nonviolence? Spectogram activity Involves moving around in the room (with accessibility options) to indicate whether you believe a particular example of an action is violent / nonviolent, and appealing / unappealing.

Imagine you’ve been invited to...

• join a sitting blockade to stop a deportation bus • glue the locks to real estate developers’ offices • hack into an FBI database to steal surveillance files on Black Lives Matter activists • burn down a field of Monsanto GMO corn or sabotage a luxury condo construction site • climb and live in a tree to stop deforestation • sit meditation on train tracks where tar sands oil is being shipped from Alberta

11:00: BUILD: Nonviolence discussion using progressive stack - giving extra priority in conversation to people who are most impacted

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 130 As participants respond to scenarios, the group develops a sense of how different people define violence and nonviolence. Discuss nonviolence as a life commitment vs. diversity of tactics. How does it look different when we view the first precept on an individual vs. systemic level (e.g. is it more violent to smash a window or to pay taxes that fund US wars?)

11:30 Sitting w/ instruction – compassion practice for self & others

12:00 BREAK FOR LUNCH

1:00 Sitting w/ instruction – mindfulness of the body

1:30 BLOCK: Bringing our Dharma Superpowers into the Fire Identify personal strengths rooted in our dharma practice that help us be skillful activists

Partner share: What dharma superpower(s) do you bring (or want to bring) to your political liberation work? Bring that superpower into a “hassle line” where you practice being in a heated conversation with someone who is upset about the protest you are participating in.

2:15 BUILD: Caucusing – how do we work with anger as it arises? Break into identity-based groups to discuss anger (could be by race, gender, or other factors important to the group. Invite the group to “try it out” as one tool that’s been used in social justice movements to deepen analysis and build safety and intimacy. Notice what happens in the body and mind as we move into groups, as we participate in the groups, as we discuss afterwards. Give a brief overview of how our social identities affect our conditioning around anger, and how others perceive us around anger.

3:00 BREAK

3:15 BUILD: Discussion of anger & the experience of caucusing Practice again with progressive stack - giving extra priority in conversation to people who are most impacted. Staying connected to what is happening in the body and mind.

Bring in some Buddhist material on anger from Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, Ruth King, Thich Nhat Hanh.

4:00 BE: Sitting Meditation Feeling the suffering of anger; compassion for self

4:30 Closing Taking the refuges, dedication of merit, reflection on the possibility of collective liberation BIO: As Co-Director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Dawn Haney brings Buddhist- informed activism to social movements from climate justice to racial justice. She has been teaching and training for close to 20 years, on feminism, anti-racism, violence CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 131 prevention, and Buddhist social justice. A dharma student for the past 12 years, primarily in the Theravada tradition, she is currently in Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders training program.

OUTREACH PLAN: A first step would be deciding where to offer this daylong, and develop an outreach plan that would draw in participants from that sangha or community group, and their larger city or region.

Additionally, I would offer this daylong as part of my work at Buddhist Peace Fellowship, through which I can outreach a wide network of people across the US: - Dedicated website page where people can find information about the event - Email list of 8000+ - Facebook outreach to 10,000+

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 132 Huda Jadallah

1. Description of Topic: A daylong for parents of teen and adult children who struggle with drug and/or alcohol addiction.

2. Retreat schedule of the entire day: a. 10:00am – 10:15 – Welcome/Housekeeping/Overview of the day b. 10:15 – 10:30 – Mindfulness of Breathing Meditation (Refuge Recovery, pp 233-235) c. 10:30 – 11:30 – Large Circle – Introductions as part of community building; Questions: What is your name? What brought you here? d. 11:30 -11:50 – Dharma Talk (The four noble truths) e. 11:50-12:10 – Break into small groups. Questions: As parents of addicts/alcoholics, what attachments and cravings do you have that lead to your suffering and/or the suffering of those around you? Return to large group and share what came up in small groups. f. 12:10-1:00 – Lunch (this can be an opportunity for people to connect) g. 1:00 – 1:15 – Loving-Kindness Meditation (Refuge Recovery, pp261-265) h. 1:15 – 2:00 – Read passage from Refuge Recovery and have group discussion i. 2:00 – 2:20 – Walking Meditation or Chi Gong j. 2:20 – 3:30 – Closing Circle: Questions -How do we end our suffering? How can we be more compassionate toward ourselves and our loved ones who are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol? What is one thing we can commit to for self-care?

3. Detailed Outline of the Dharma Content: The four noble truths

4. Bio: Huda Jadallah sat her first ten day silent meditation retreat in 1997 and is currently an active member of both the Spirit Rock Meditation Center (SRMC) and East Bay Meditation Center communities (EBMC). She is currently in the Community Dharma Leader Training Program through SRMC and is on the leadership team at EBMC’s Alphabet Sangha, which represents the LGBTQI communities. Huda has an M.S. Degree in Community/Clinical Psychology, and an. M.A. in Sociology. Huda and her wife are the parents of three teens, one of whom is an addict.

5. Outreach Plan and intended Audience: Day long for Buddhists and non- Buddhists. I will advertise by word of mouth, on the Internet through EBMC’s various list serves, by posting flyers at various sites including Kaiser Oakland’s Chemical Dependency Recovery Program, and via flyer and word of mouth at Refuge Recovery meetings in Oakland. I want to reach Buddhist practitioners at all levels. No experience necessary. I also want to reach those who do not identify as Buddhist.

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Ronya Banks

Program title: Basics of Mindfulness Meditation

Please describe the program, including its content, theme, and purpose.

The Basics of Mindfulness Meditation daylong provides an excellent foundation for those who want to:

• Be more present with the people in your life • Establish a consistent daily mindfulness meditation practice • Invigorate a present mindfulness meditation practice • Learn to reduce stress and increase their ability to relax • Become more embodied with an increased ability to relax • Develop a healthier relationship with their thoughts • Increase their happiness and peace quotients.

Schedule of the day’s events with amount of time allotted for various activities, including meditation periods

Daylong: 9am – 5pm

• 9am – 10am Lecture (Setting Context for Mindfulness Meditation Practice) • 10am – 10:20am Guided Meditation – Mindfulness of the Breath • 10:20am – 10:30am Paired Sharing & Group Q&A’s • 10:30am – 10:45am Break • 10:45am – 11:15am Lecture (Mindfulness of the Body) • 11:15am – 12:05 pm Guided Meditation (Mindfulness of the Body) • 12:05pm – 12:15pm Q&A • 12:15pm -1:00pm Break for lunch (Include Mindfulness of Eating) • 1:00pm – 1:15pm Mindfulness of Body paired exercises • 1:15pm – 1:30pm Q&A • 1:30pm – 2:00pm Lecture (Mindfulness of Feelings) • 2:00pm – 2:15pm Break • 2:15pm – 2:30pm Guided Meditation – Mindfulness of Feelings • 2:30pm – 2:45pm Paired Exercises (Mindfulness of Feelings & Body) • 2:45pm – 3:00pm Q&A and Group Sharing • 3:00pm – 3:10pm Break • 3:10pm – 3:50pm Lecture (Mindfulness of the Mind) • 3:50pm – 4:00pm Mind Activity Group Brainstorming • 4:00pm – 4:20pm Guided Meditation • 4:20pm – 4:30pm Break • 4:30pm – 5:00pm Wrap Up Lecture, Q&A, Group Sharing

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 134 How many people might reasonably be anticipated to attend?

10 – 20 attendees

In what month and year do you propose the program occur (or start)?

May, 2016

What would be the program’s venue? (Example: Community Hall, church, library, home, office, etc)

Location: Asheville Insight Meditation Center, 175 Weaverville Road, Suite H Asheville, NC

How would the teacher(s) be compensated for leading the program (Example: “Dana” or fee- based)

Price: $89 - $159 Sliding Scale (scholarships available)

What background and experience prepares the teacher to lead or teach the program?

Teacher - Ronya Banks is a mindfulness meditation teacher, founder and guiding teacher of Asheville Insight Meditation. Ronya has been meditating consistently since 1985; She has attended over one-year of silent meditation retreats with over 30 different Vipassana teachers from around the world, and she has been teaching for over 8 years.

Why do you want to present this program?

I like to present this program because it provides folks with a great foundation for a strong daily meditation practice. It also leads gives them the information and skills they need to dispel previous confusion and get the most out of their meditation time.

Is there any other information that would help us review this proposal?

At the end of this program, I handout a Questionnaire to get attendees’ feedback. Their feedback tells me from their point of view what they got out of the daylong and what does not work for them. This questionnaire has been invaluable in helping me improve the design and content of this class.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 135

Max Airborne Nourishing our relationship to our practice

How are we relating to our practice? Do we feel the beauty and kindness of practice? Do we relate to it with impatience, self-criticism, boredom or obligation? Why do we practice? Does our practice resemble our life, or does it feel separate from it?

In this daylong for folks who have some experience with dharma practice, we’ll look deeply at wise relationship to practice. Like any relationship, the relationship we have with our practice needs care and feeding. We’ll look at some ways to nourish this important relationship, and create the best possible conditions for our practice to bring us deeper freedom.

Retreat schedule of the entire day - 9:30 am. Gathering, talk to neighbors about what brought you here - 9:45 am. Intro and Opening talk. Can we see the whole of practice as an offering of kindness to ourselves and to the world? - 10:15 am. Meditation - 11:00 am. Talk: Wise Effort - 11:45 am. Meditation and Reflection on Aspirations - 12:15 pm. Discussion - 12:30 pm Lunch - 1:30 pm Gathering - 1:35 pm Meditation – settling back in to the room - 1:45 pm Nourishing our relationship, cultivating skillful qualities - 2:15 pm Small groups on cultivating skillful qualities - 2:45 pm Large group share about qualities, and adding to list of qualities to cultivate - 3:00 pm Keeping it fresh and alive - 3:15 pm Meditation: trying something new - 3:45 pm Q/A - 4:15 pm Closing

Detailed outline of the dharma content

Opening – seeing our practice as a kindness Kindness. Cultivating kindness as a foundation for our practice. Not just during metta meditation, but as a general attitude and a lens. Seeing our practice as a kindness to ourselves and the world. Remembering/Sati. We often lose the sense of what practice is about. One of the jobs of mindfulness, Sati, is about remembering that we are on a path to liberation, and remembering what we’ve learned that will help us along the path. The importance of appreciation. Noticing kindness and other skillful qualities when they arise, and appreciating them will help those qualities grow.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 136 Wise Effort Shantideva’s 4 components of wise effort 1. Aspiration 2. Confidence 3. Joy 4. Rest

Bhavana Cultivating skillful qualities

Keeping it fresh and alive Taking risks in practice. Shaking up habits

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Short bio Max has been practicing at EBMC since 2007, has served on several EBMC committees, and participated in two year-long programs at EBMC (C2D and PiA). Max is devoted to liberation for all beings through creative, embodied dharma, social justice and community building, racial and disability justice, fat and queer liberation. Max began exploring teaching in 2014, and is a member of Spirit Rock's Community Dharma Leader training program (CDL5).

Outreach plan Intended audience is EBMC sangha members who have some experience with dharma practice. I’d use EBMC outreach channels.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 137

Kristin Barker

Responding to the Cries of the World EcoDharma Daylong

Topic/Description We learn and practice the Dharma to relieve the suffering of human beings. What does the Dharma offer to a generation of human beings facing ecological collapse? In this outdoor daylong, we’ll examine how the Buddhist wisdom tradition can help us face, understand and respond to climate change and other ecological crises that threaten countless lives and the viability of our biosphere. As both long time and practitioners new to Buddhist practice, we will explore at the common roots and remedies at the intersection of ecological and other social issues. Finally, participants will develop their own agency in a world that needs the conscious participation of every one of us.

Schedule • 9:00 – 9:10: Opening in Gratitude (10 min, Welcome, Teaching a Song) • 9:10 – 9:30: Grounding in Silence (20 min) o Silent meditation practice o Last 5 min: Inquiry, what brings you here? • Journey to this moment (30 min, triads, harvest) o What brings you here today? • Naming and appreciating gifts (30 min, talk) o 3 jewels § An awakening Earth § Truth, a love of truth, teachers who generously share their truth o 4 bramaviharas § Benevolence § Suffering with a suffering world § Joy amidst suffering § Equanimity – culminating and connected • Break (10 min) • This moment on Planet Earth (40 min, talk) o State of the biosphere: § Ecological: species loss, climate change, animal cruelty § Social injustice: wealth gap and poverty, race, immigration, weapons proliferation o 4 noble truths o 3 poisons individual and institutional forms • Noticing what’s here (30 min, triads, harvest) o What arises around these topics o How have you been responding (no judgement!) o How does your response express in your body? • Lunch and walking (1 hour) • Discerning the hindrences (30 min talk) CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 138 o How do we turn away: 5 hindrances o How Western culture undermines agency • Discerning Hindrances (30 min, triads and harvest) • Stage 4 Climate Change: the sickness is medicine (20 min, talk) • Opening to transformation and reframing agency (30 min, triads, harvest) o Gaia’s immune system o Antidotes to 5 hindrances o Working with doubt, reclaiming agency o Grief and praise • Short break (10 min) • Stepping Up and Letting Go (30 min group exercise) o What is emerging? Skillful means and updating our responses o Parenting the future and letting go • Nourishing the journey (30 min, talk, harvest) o Silence, Earth and Community o How do we help you? o Stay connected to these people • Closing (30 min) o Dana o Dedication of Merit o Song and Dance

Leaders

Outreach • Promote through 1ES website, fb page, twitter • DC Area Sanghas o Insight Medtiation Community of Washington, All Sattalite Sanghas o TNH Tradition and Earth Holders: StillWater, Circle Yoga o DC Shambhala o Baltimore Social Justice o DC SGI • DC Area Environment and EJ NP’s

Target Audience • Practitioners interested in engaging on ecological issues • Activists, no dharama expereicnce.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 139

Pam Pierce

Mindfulness for Healthcare Professionals in End-of-Life Care: Working with living and dying, working with fatigue and burnout, finding joy again

Description:

This daylong serves as first day of 6-part class that offer practices based in mindfulness to support professionals serving people with life-threatening illness, the complications of aging, or end of life. The daylong will explore what leads to fatigue in professional caregivers and how mindfulness and compassion practices can lead to greater resilience and ease in working so close to death on a daily basis. Five additional 2-hour evenings will expand on these themes. Medical and mental health professionals, chaplains, bereavement counselors, and home care workers who are at risk for burnout and compassion fatigue will benefit from this 6-week program. No experience with meditation or mindfulness is necessary. While some of the practices originate from Buddhist teachings, all faith traditions are welcome.

Schedule:

9:00 Opening and Welcome 9:15 What brought you here today? Introductions 9:30 Introduction to mindfulness: what is it, how it relates to suffering/the end of suffering/burnout and fatigue 9:45 Mindfulness #1: guided meditation 10:00 Q & A 10:30 Dyads: 2 repeating questions: -- What initially brought you to the work of helping/healing/serving others? -- What keeps you there today? (OR What is most difficult about your work today?) 11:00 Large Group Discussion: Introduce ideas of intention/expectations and how these shape our work world, remind ourselves what brought us here, is that still true today? Are there common themes? What did you notice? 11:45 Mindfulness #2: vipassana out loud 12:00 Q & A (Notice difference between bare attention, reactions, opinions, judgements. Where does the mind go?) 12:30 Lunch - offer silent lunch space, but also offer place for people to connect. 2:00 Introduction to the Four Noble Truths: suffering/grasping/aversion as it relates to illness, death and dying, and loss. 2:30 Mindfulness #3: silent meditation or walking practice 3:00 Q & A 3:30 Introduction to gratitude practice, finding a place of refuge internally and externally 4:00 What are you grateful for today? Done separately and then groups of four 4:30 Closing: Reflection on the day, outline of evening classes, dana, dedication of merit 5:00 End of Day

Outline of dharma content:

a. There are three talks in this day-long retreat: * Introduction to mindfulness: what is it? why do we do it? why is it helpful? what is it not? silent meditation vs mindfulness in daily life

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 140 * Introduction to the Four Noble Truths: what did the Buddha say? what does it mean in contemporary life? how do they relate to illness/death and dying/loss? what do they teach us about working with others? * Introduction to gratitude practice: learning from our patients/clients/colleagues, finding a way to leave the conversation, room, home, end of the day, review of importance of understanding our intention, committing to a simple gratitude practice. b. There are 3 instructional sessions: * Guided meditation * Vipassana out loud * Silent meditation or walking practice c. Topics for next 5 sessions: * Loving kindness/compassion/boundaries * Working with emotions/RAIN practice * Wise speech/non-judging/self-compassion * Impermanence/grief/non-self * Refuge/pulling it all together

Short bio: Meditation/Buddhist Experience: * began meditation in 1995 * retreat with Thich Nhat Han (1995) * retreats with Pema Chordron(1999, 2001-2005) * retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center starting in 2000 * Dedicated Practitioner Program (2011-2013) * Awakening Joy Program (2014) * Community Dharma Leadership Program, current participant * Taught classes for the LGBT community and for caregivers at the Mindfulness Care Center * Healthcare/Mental Health Experience: * Licensed Clinical Social Worker * Medical social worker in hospitals, home care, and hospice since 1995 * Clinical supervisor for hospice social workers and bereavement counselors * Supervisor/manager of multidisciplinary hospice care team * Zen Hospice Project Volunteer (previous) * Mindfulness and Compassion in Psychotherapy Certificate for post-graduate professionals, California Institute of Integral Studies * Personal experience with caregiving

Outreach plan:

My affiliation with the Mindfulness Care Center offers me a location to offer this program if not done at one particular agency/location. This will allow me to develop the program and refine it before offering it more widely.

Other places for outreach: Hospice network, bereavement network, End of Life Coalition San Francisco, Social Workers in Healthcare, Social Workers in Healthcare Leadership, Nursing in Hospice care, CAMFT. Outreach to palliative care programs at local hospitals and health care networks, Zen Hospice Project, schools of nursing, social work, medicine.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 141

This is an ambitious program that I imagine developing in pieces and eventually offering in total if I can find an audience/interest. It builds on a series I have offered for caregivers at the Mindfulness Care Center with several other teachers. It represents the intersection of my meditation practice and my work with death and dying. I have been inspired by the work by many in this field, including Stephen Levine, Joan Halifax, Frank Ostaseski on death/dying and Thich Nhat Hahn, Michael Carroll, and Sharon Salzburg on taking Buddhism to work. May I have the courage, humility and enough understanding of this unknowable subject to organize and offer these teachings.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 142 Paula Simon Title: Exploring the Heart of Generosity

Description: Exploring the Heart of Generosity is a daylong yoga and meditation event. The purpose of the event is to raise funds to provide access to yoga and meditation for the teenagers in the Circle Girls Group. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice yoga and meditation together with other yogis and create new possibilities for young people to learn these beneficial practices.

The daylong will take place at The Yoga Studio in Stamford CT. The day will begin at 9AM and end at 4:30PM. The day will include yoga practice, meditation and an exploration of Generosity. Please bring a yoga mat, meditation cushion and lunch. The event is open to all levels of practice.

Schedule of Events: (see attached schedule)

Outline of Dharma Content: Introduce theme with the words of Bhikkhu Bodhi “The practice of giving is universally recognized as one of the most basic human virtues, a quality that testifies to the depth of ones humanity and ones capacity for self-transcendence. In the teaching of the Buddha, too the practice of giving claims a place of special eminence, one which singles it out as being in a sense the foundation and seed of spiritual development.” Satipatthana: Looking at the internal and external forms of giving Caga (generosity) a quality of the heart – internal Dana (giving) -external -Reflections and teachings from Andrew Olendzki on Generosity; “ Reflect on your understanding of Generosity as a practice as it manifests in your life” “Generosity, kind words, Doing a good turn for others, And treating all people alike: These bonds of sympathy are to the world what the lynch-pin is to the chariot wheel (A 4:32) -Practicing generosity towards oneself and others Exploring the intention behind acts of generosity-Sharon Salzberg “The motivating force behind the action is thus considered the most important and potent aspect of the action” from “A Heart as Wide as the World”

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 143

Biography: Paula Simon is a yoga and meditation teacher. She has worked primarily with young people across the economic spectrum. She is interested in bringing yoga and meditation practices to teens who do not have the resources to explore these practices. She has focused her attention on teens who are in at risk environments and have experienced trauma. She completed the “Teaching Trauma Sensitive Yoga” program at Kripalu Center, Stockbridge, Ma, 2014, the Restorative Yoga Teacher Training , Kaia Yoga Center Westport, CT 2013, The Lineage Project , NY NY, 2011 in addition to the 200 hour Yoga certification. She has deepened her practice by attending numerous mediation retreats at IMS, the Garrison Institute, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Spirit Rock and other retreat centers. Gina Sharpe has been her main teacher and she has been very inspired by Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg and Larry Yang. She will graduate from the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders Program in 2017.

Outreach for the event: The majority of attendees would come from the yoga and meditation community around Stamford, Ct. It would be announced at a number of yoga studios in the area, along with other local groups concerned with helping to create more access to yoga and meditation. Domus a Stamford based organization that helps youth, the social workers and Family advocates who work with the Circle Girls Croup

9:00 AM Welcome and introductory remarks (15 Minutes) 9:15 15 minute silent meditation (setting intention for practice) 9:30 1 hour yoga practice – yoga as an act of generosity to oneself, In each pose reflect how you respond- both internally and externally. Do you offer yourself a generous spirit of kindness towards yourself and your practice? Reflect on how you respond to life- Yoga allows you to become aware of this body both internally and externally 10:30 restroom break (10 minutes) 10:40 – 11:15 sitting meditation with instructions (45 minutes) theme of cultivating a generous heart 11: Q & A about the practices so far) (10 minutes) 11:30 gentle yoga practice ½ hour 12:00- 1:00 lunch

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 144 1:00 -1:30 (break out into groups of 2 to discuss topic question/ includes instruction time and Q & A) To look at generosity internally and externally is to observe what happens to us internally and externally when we give and when we receive Ask the Question “ What does it feel like internally to give ? then repeat question over and over. Then switch to other person and ask same question. Break/ then ask what does it feel like to receive? 1:30 -2:45 sitting Meditation with instructions 2:45 (10 minute restroom break) 3-4:00 Talk about Generosity 4-430 Q & A and closing remarks

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Suzanne Colón Mindfulness and Self-Compassion as Tools for Emotional Resilience March 2016 Homework, CDL5

(1) A daylong description with topic:

When we are under stress or going through difficult times, we are often very hard on ourselves. Our culture has taught us to “tighten up and turn away” from physical or emotional pain, and yet these forms of resistance often make us feel worse. This silent, day-long retreat will offer the basic tools of Mindful Self-Compassion, which support us in “opening up and turning toward” our painful experiences. We can learn to be our own best nurturer in difficult times- to soften and soothe life’s woes, building emotional resilience and minimizing the suffering in life’s inevitable difficult times.

This day will include lecture, discussion, simple guided meditations and journaling exercises. It is appropriate for beginners to meditation and anyone curious about using the tools of Mindfulness to build emotional resilience. It draws on the Mindful Self-Compassion work of Dr. Kristin Neff, Dr. Christopher Germer and Tara Brach, among others.

(2) Retreat schedule of the entire day,: 9:30 am – 4:30pm

9:30 – 9:45 Welcome, Setting the Container (interactive, popcorn style) and How To Be Here… 9:45 – 10:00 Opening Talk: Intro Mindfulness & SC as Means/Tool of Resilience 10:00 – 10:20 (stand and stretch first…) Guided Mindfulness Meditation (1) 10:20 – 10:40 Discussion, Q&C, end with a poem 10:45 – 11 BREAK 11:00 - 11:15 Journal Exercise – What Brought You Here, Goals, Intentions, (+ sharing) 11:15 – 11:30 Introduce RAIN: R = Recognize, A = Allow 11: 30 – 11:45 Discussion/Q&C, Read Quotes reiterating R and A 11:45 – 12:10 2nd Guided Meditation: Mindfulness as an Open, Allowing Presence. 12:10 – 12:15 Reflection, (few minutes for journaling) Close with a poem

12:15 – 1:30 Lunch Break

1:30 – 1:50 What is Compassion (interactive participation), 3 Main components of compassion 1:50 – 2:05 3rd Meditation: Self-Compassion Break

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 146 2:05 – 2:20 Discussion, Q&C 2:20 – 2:45 Talk: Finishing RAIN I = Investigation N = Not Taking Personally 2:45 – 3:00 Comfort and Snack break 3:05 – 3:30 Final Meditation – Guided Mindful Self-Compassion 3:30 – 3:50 Time to journal and reflect (5 min) then sharing in trios (3x 5 min each) 3:50 – 4:15 Group share/discussion: What did I discover, What do I need/want to take away? 4:15 – 4:25 Closing Talk: Becoming Our Own Best Friend 4:25 – 4:30 End with short, guided metta and sharing of the merit.

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(3) a detailed outline of the dharma content of what you would like to cover,

Welcome: Inclusivity, looking for your “peeps” We’re each other’s “peeps” Setting the Container - What do you need to feel safe here? (popcorn offerings) build a list: Confidentiality, Deep listening, No fixing, Advice Giving. Non-judgmental, supportive attitude How To Be Here – As a scientist, curiosity, open to new possibilities, open to the unfamiliar; see what happens – any reaction is good information, grist for the mill.

Opening Talk: Introducing Mindfulness & Self-Compassion as Means/Tool of Resilience

What is resilience – Enjoy and take satisfaction from the good; ride through the difficult with trust, relative ease; let upsets calm relatively soon and not carry their residues forward. Not make it worse than it needs to be by adding more logs to the fire. It will naturally burn out. Emotional Bounce-Back.

Culture/Conditioning teaches us to “Tighten Up and Turn Away” from pain. Resistance, Distraction, Avoidance. Do these work? Tend to make it worse. Shinzen Young – Suffering = Pain x Resistance (Show the film The Fly)

Teaching of Throwing the 2nd Dart: Resilience is self-compassionately and skillfully tending to the first Dart, and not throwing the 2nd and 3rd. Our internal Critic throws a second dart.

The natural state of things is to arise (causes and conditions) and pass away. If we don’t keep adding logs, the fire will naturally burn out. Research shows that an emotion will pass in about 90 seconds if the mind doesn’t grab onto it and add more fuel and re-activate it. But what does the “untrained mind” do? (verbalize examples) A lot of our mental rehashing puts more logs on the fire, reactivates the upset, causes more suffering and prolongs the episode.

Our question becomes, how ideally, would the “trained mind” respond? How to we keep from throwing more darts, How do we let the emotion naturally pass, the fire burn itself out? Mindfulness. What is Mindfulness: Paying clear attention to the thoughts and sensory experience that are present Here, Now. Without Judgment, Commentary and Conclusions.

Jon Kabat-Zinn’s definition: Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.

How do we do this? Break the untrained mind’s mental habit of being in a thought-virtual reality. Elsewhere. Use an anchor in the here and now for our attention. 1. Breath as an anchor. Neutral, we don’t tend to have a story about the breath, always here, centered in the body. 2. Hearing bells or sounds in the room, (good if body is numb or uncomfortable, breathing is difficult). 3 Body sensations of sitting posture. 4 Sensations in the feet in walking meditation.

The mind will wander off. It’s not about Not Thinking. Just come back = a “rep” in training. Helpful to use noting technique to give the mind a task in service of the Mindfulness. Tends to

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 148 calm it down, bone to a dog. More basic instruction – segue to the meditation.

Introduce RAIN: R = Recognize, A = Allow R: The most basic element of Mindfulness - Step One: What is going on? What’s happening.

Allow – means can you meet this as it is right now. The opposite of resistance. Sometimes use word accept, but that carries connotation of “you’ve changed your mind and are okay with this now.” Allow doesn’t mean you no longer wish it weren’t so. It means you can be with what is – however unpleasant it may be – without resistance, aversion, flight, avoidance, reactivity. Allow is the way of being with it that doesn’t put more logs on the fire. Yes, you wish it would go away, “Allow “ is the attitude toward it that will best ease it on it’s way.

Read TBrach Quote: (each time we meet old patterning with allowing, mindfulness it defuses)

Use in discussion, Q&C “Invite the fear/anger in for tea…” This is how we “Open up and turn toward”

Reflection after the 2nd meditation: Jack Kornfield’s line - as we infuse a sensation with allowing presence, it’s as if we’re saying “Yes, This too. “ Rumi’s Guest House poem.

Afternoon Talk: What is Compassion – the Open Heart’s Response to Suffering. Quotes… Develop the Definition. Movement of the heart to soothe, relieve Key components: Mindfulness, Kindness, Common Humanity Difference between Mindfulness (Accept just as it is) vx Compassion (Wish it were Different) Mindfulness is of the Experience – Compassion is for the ExperiencER Self-Compassion adds Soften & Soothe into the Allow as qualities of Allowing Self-Compassion phrases to offer yourself (K Neff’s “self-Compassion Break) Mind/Heart translation Citta, could well be “heartfulness” (precedes western separation of mind and heart)

Talk: Finishing RAIN I = Investigation N = Not Taking Personally Investigation – curious open, What is this Experience? What is Anger really like? Feel into the details of the sensory experience. Pressure, tingling, heat, quivering, pricking… Mental investigation (my mom always…, this reminds me of…) has it’s place, and it’s not here. Stay in touch with the physical experience. Non-Identification, Not taking personally. This is not You. Ways we take personally and Identify with experience. Trungpa’s bird drawing – shift: the sky with a bird flying though it. You are the sky. Wrap-up: these are the points of RAIN. Essentially a short-hand catchy way to describe the factors of Mindfulness as the Buddha Taught. Lifted out of Buddhism and offered in secular terminology to everyday life => gone mainstream. This mindfulness practice is at the core, but not the whole path! Must be put in context with ethical living, generosity practice, and compassion.

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Final discussions: Topics which might be included – as they come up from what’s offered: Working with the Inner Critic Jos Goldstein Quote – Samurai saying “Make your Mind Your Friend” Negativity Bias, Savor and Take in the Good, Compassion is a source of strength, not wimpy (and other misconceptions) More self-compassionate people tend to take responsibility for mistakes, risk failure (costs of mistakes/failure are not so devastating) Self- Compassion is very diff from Self-Esteem, independently vary

Ending: This is the training, to undertake, to reduce suffering, (not throw 2nd and 3rd darts) to minimize time required for difficult states to pass (Not adding logs to the fire). Increase compassion for self and other and de-fuse the inner critic. Create a gap between the mind’s immediate Reaction and allow for a (more thoughtful?) Response. This is Resilience.

Final Poem – St Francis and the Sow (Sometimes it’s necessary to re-teach a thing it’s loveliness”) And/or Derek Walcott’s Love After Love

Close with sharing of the merit and metta: “May we be open to suffering, with wisdom and compassion. May we accept ourselves and others, just as we are. May all beings live in peace. May all beings be free.”

(4) a short bio with a description of your qualifications or experience that might draw people to your event:

Suzanne Colón has been meditating in the Insight (Vipassana) tradition since 1992 and has been a member of the Bozeman Insight Community since moving here in 1998. She completed the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies year-long Integrated Study and Practice Program in 2014 and is currently in Sprit Rock Meditation Center's Community Dharma Leader training program. She has also spent 12 years exploring modalities of western psychology (as a lay person) and how the tools of meditation can be used in psychological and emotional healing. She is a former financial analyst, writer, and English teacher, and currently one of the directors of the Bozeman Dharma Center.

(5) some thoughts about how you would bring people into the event, i.e. an outreach plan

I am the marketing director for the Bozeman Dharma Center, so this is not a problem. We have a pretty well-oiled outreach – flyers, email newsletter with 950 distribution, notices in the paper.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 150 Shakthi Ganeshan Daylong Retreat Design CDL5 Homework Assignment for March 2016

Part 1: Daylong Title and Description Loving Kindness and Meditation for Women's Uterine Health This workshop welcomes those who self-classify as women. We will use traditional lovingkindness practice from the Theravadin Buddhist tradition to aid participants to access greater ease and peace surrounding issues of uterine health. We will access awareness as a toll for opening mind and heart.

Part 2: Schedule 9 am Welcome and Orientation to the Space 9:20 Guided Sit - Mindfulness of the Body 10 am Menarche - a talk on science and cross-cultural perspective 11 am Circle Sharing with taling stick 11:30 Dyads 12:15 Lunch 1:15 Guided Sit - Vedana 1:40pm Sex, STD's. pleasure, creativity, creativity, motherhood, pregnancy, cancer, fibroids 2:40pm Break 3pm Dyads, Triads 3:50 Menopause - a talk with scientific and cultural references 4:10pm Guided Sit - Metta 4:50 pm Closing and some thoughts on how to carry the retreat home

Part 3: Dharma Content 1. We cover Dukkha, is sharing our personal experience and addressing such topics as Dysmennorrhea, Infertility, STD's, child labor and challenges with motherhood and relationship. 2. We cover the Sattipathana Sutta applications of mindfulness of Body and Vedana. 3. We present Metta lovingkindness. 4. Dharma references will be made to 4 Noble truths, 8-fold path, and how householder women and their concerns are very much included in the Dharma.

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Booker Program title: An Embodied Investigation of Skillful Speech and Action

1. Please describe the program, including its content, theme, and purpose. How do we respond to a world whose suffering is a byproduct of the systemic injustices in this world? Sometimes, the best thing might be to wish them well from afar, and sometimes, an engaged response is what the body is calling for. During our time together we will investigate social activism through the lens of the Buddha’s teachings of Skillful Speech and Skillful Action, and how we can use our body to inform us to create social action that is generative and sustainable. This daylong workshop will include dyad practice, asana and meditation, will be accessible to all and mindful of historic, physical and residual traumas in the body.

2. Please give a schedule of the day’s events with amount of time allotted for various activities, including meditation periods. Please see second page.

3. How many people might reasonably be anticipated to attend? I would expect about 20-30 people for this daylong.

4. In what month and year do you propose the program occur (or start)? It would be ideal to have about 2 months lead time to advertise, this daylong will be June 12th, 2016.

5. What would be the program’s venue? (Example: Community Hall, church, library, home, office, etc) Yoga studio or community space

6. How would the teacher(s) be compensated for leading the program (Example: “Dana” or fee-based)

7. What background and experience prepares the teacher to lead or teach the program? Booker is a facilitator, public speaker, consultant, and yoga teacher. Sharing mindfulness and yoga with incarcerated and system-involved youth since 2007, she serves as Director of Trainings for Lineage Project. Co-founding the Meditation Working Group of Occupy Wall Street, she continues to utilize social justice principles and embodied wisdom practices, to offer workshops on college campuses, national diversity trainings for yoga teachers, and retreats for refuge and resiliency for activists. Booker is on faculty with the Engaged Mindfulness Institute, Spirit Rock’s Mindful Yoga and Meditation training and Off the Mat, Into the World. She will complete Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders’ Training in 2017.

8. Why do you want to present this program? I have a deep passion for supporting the sustainability of front line change makers through Mindful Yoga, meditation, and compassionate dialogue. Before I had a strong practice, I explored activism with my eyes and ears shut, and my mouth wide open. Without having Sangha or community, I found myself burned out very quickly.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 152 9. Is there any other information that would help us review this proposal? No.

An Embodied Investigation of Skillful Speech in Action Yoga in Action Conference, Oakland California June 11-12th, 2016 9am-4pm Leslie Booker

9:00-9:15 Allowing for folks to be a little late and to settle in 9:15-9:30am Welcome and Context setting: - The importance of sharing this practice, personal experience with burnout and vicarious trauma, experience with practice in activism: experience of activism with open mouth, closed ears and eyes vs with open ears and eyes and a closed mouth.

9:30-9:50am Who’s in the Room: 3 Questions – What do you do for fun, work, self-care

9:50-10:30am Asana Practice- Investigating internal monologue

10:30-11:00am Siting Practice: Mindfulness of Body - Detailed guiding through the body, noticing the tops of the feet touching the earth, the lower legs, the thighs, sits bones connecting to the earth, hand on belly feeling for breath, ribs, upper lungs, lenghthening spine by lifting occiput, etc.

11:00am- 11:20am Mindful Listening and Mindful Speaking in Co-centric circles How: - Everyone will have a 1 or 2 under their mat/handed to them when they walk in the room - After sitting practice, will begin to mill around the room, continuing to experience the felt sense experience of the body - Moving into co-centric circles, 1’s on the inside, 2’s on the outside - Four Questions are asked, 2 minutes for each person to answer and listen, #2’s move to the right to speak to next partner. *Give instruction about finding resource in their body, hand on heart/hand on belly/grounding feet into the earth, dropping into the breath, touching the earth. 1) What is the story of your name 2) In your activism/community involvement, what makes you come alive? 3) How does your body let you know when its time to take a break… or does it? 4) What’s alive for you right now

11:20-12:00pm –Open Discussion about morning practices - How was it to be heard? -How was it to listen - What did you notice about your body, how do you respond? -Share anecdote about kids on subway, or whatever seems like an appropriate response here.

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12-1:30pm Lunch (15 minutes) Instruction and practice of eating meditation through the 5 sense doors, using raisins, before officially breaking for lunch

1:30pm- 1:50pm Walking Meditation-The Parrable of the Prickly Porcupine - Setting folks up in a circle, measuring distance by bringing fingertips to elbows, elbows pointing out, being elbow width apart - Sharing Stan’s instruction of walking meditation and begin practice, let them walk for a few minutes, noting what is happening. - Share Parrable of the Prickly Porcupine and play around with walking practice: inspired by Tara Brach’s story. Allowing participants to move out of traditional walking meditation practice to explore on their own, then come back to the “community”, formal walking circle. - Share experience of being on your own, and coming back into community. What did you miss? What was helpful?

1:50pm-2:30pm Restorative/Partner work

2:30pm-3pm Sitting Practice

3:00-3:30pm Commitment to Self Care Journaling: What do you gain/What do you lose when there is not skillful speech in action

3:30-4:00pm Closing – Rain Sound

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 154 Carrie María Tamburo. Title: From the cushion to the marketplace.**

Rationale: This daylong is intended to encourage practitioners to integrate their lives into their practice and their practice into their lives. It would be directed to a Spanish-speaking audience. To people who have a solid grounding in vipassana, and who preferably, but not necessarily, have been exposed to the Brahmaviharas.

In the Latin cultures, interpersonal mindfulness acquires special importance, as these are very relational cultures, highly family-oriented, and face special challenges wrt living in this society (especially as immigrants and as immigrantes of color). The questions and comments of students that surface time and again are related to applying practice to family and other relationships in their lives. I have seen that the dharma can really come alive for many Spanish speakers when they can see it as a way to enhance personal relationships or face challenges involving personal relationships. (At another time, I would like to design a program directed particularly to the use of intrapersonal and interpersonal mindfulness to face the challenges of xenophobia, language and cultural barriers, and more.)

Description: A kind, clear and stable awareness is as useful in life as it is on the cushion. To live with more ease and less reactivity in the face of life’s daily pressures and challenges requires a heart that is steady and quiet. In this daylong retreat, we will explore what it means to integrate our lives and our practice, focusing, in particular, on the practice of interpersonal mindfulness. Using lovingkindness and the Foundations of Mindfulness as our starting points, we will use silent and guided meditations, interactive activities, and group inquiry to remember how to move our practice from the cushion to the marketplace.

Schedule: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., with one hour, ten minutes for lunch.

9:00 – 9:30 Silent meditation

9:30 – 10:00 Introductory talk: What would it mean to practice external mindfulness? Group Inquiry.

10:10 – 10:30 Interpersonal Mindfulness Activity # 1 (Vipassana out loud. Give suggestions wrt things to be mindful of as they do this)

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10:30 – 10: 40 BREAK

10:40 – 10: 55 De brief Activity # 1

10:55 – 11:20 Silent sitting meditation.

11:20 - 11: 35 Walking meditation in pairs. Activity # 2 (Match your steps to your partner’s and then reverse roles. Give suggestions as to things to thoughts, emotions, judgments, etc., to be mindful of as they do this)

11:35 – 11: 50 De-brief Activity # 2.

11:50 – 1:00 LUNCH. Participants may speak but only about the present moment.(I credit this activity to Ajahn Amaro). Give intstructions for practicing interpersonal mindfulness during lunch. This constitutes Mindfulness Activity # 3.

1:00 – 1:15 De brief Mindfulness Lunch Activity # 3

I:15 – 1:40 Silent sitting meditation.

1:40 – 2:00 Interpersonal Mindfulness Activity # 4 (Mirroring each other’s movements OR sitting face to face, looking into each other’s eyes in silence. Noticing the thoughts, interpretations, discomfort, etc. that arise in this rather intimate practice. Each will tell the other how they perceived the other person’s eyes or movements, and the partner will confirm or not their perception. A question for the debriefing: What gets in the way of fresh perception? A particular speaking/story activity could be substituted here if more appropriate for the group.)

2:00- 2:15 De brief Activity # 4.

2:15 – 2:25 BREAK.

2:25 – 2: 50 Silent sitting meditation

2:50 - 3:10 Walking meditation (emphasis on noticing what you

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 156 react to strongly in the environment; and vedana)

3:10 – 3:50 Dharma talk

3:50 – 4:30 Wrap up. Group inquiry. Q&A

Dharma Content: Elements of introduction and afternoon talk.

Lay foundation for practice off the cushion. Some important points. a. two wings of the bird: the relative, relational self in the world (compassion), the ultimate self (or not –self; emptiness) b. compassion = wisdom in action. The wisdom that we cultivate on the cushion takes form in the world as compassion/love. Wisdom is not wisdom if it doesn’t manifest as love or kindness. c. The Satipatthana Instructions : to contemplate internally AND externally. We not only cultivate awareness of our own body/feelings, etc. But also those of others. Contemplating externally refers to others’ feelings, mind states, etc. Quote from Analayo, Bikkhu d. The refuge of Sangha = underlies the importance of relationship; the importance of external mindfulness e. Successful practice produces people who are kínder and more lighthearted in the world. f. Sometimes we tend to protect our practice from certain parts of our personality or certain parts of our lives, albeit unconsciously. Spiritual bypass. For liberation to be complete or genuine, it has to integrate into our whole stream of being; to filter down into our personality.

Some relevant quotes:

(J. Kornfield) Here’s another thing: I used to think that sitting in meditation was enough, that it would really change everything in your life in a whole and complete way. For a few people, it might work out that way, but in general, it ain’t so. For most of us, meditation is one part of a whole mandala of awakening, which includes attention to your body, attention to your relationships, attention to right speech and right livelihood.

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Using meditation or therapy to try to shut down parts of our experience is ultimately counterproductive. We do not have to be afraid of entering unfamiliar territory once we have learned how to hold experience within the gentleness of our own minds. Learning to transform obstacles into objects of meditation provides a much needed bridge between the stillness of the concentrated mind and the movement of real life.

Working from the outside in:

We often talk about what we should refrain from doing to support the conditions for practice, for concentration, etc. (refrain from killing, stealing and so on). What about what we CAN do actively off the cushion to support our meditation. The role of the Brahmaviharas? What might constitute BVH type activities in body, speech and mind toff the cushion to cultivate freedom?

Can you relate this to becoming more fully human?

*Anyone is welcome to use this daylong. And, if you use it in its entirety or most of it, I would simply ask you to consider crediting your inspiration to the author, whose teaching emphases often center around interpersonal mindfulness/the intersection of internal and external mindfulness. (-: If you do not feel comfortable doing so, no worries, use it anyway! Thank you.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 158 Wendy Eisner CDL March Homework-Part 1: Daylong description I will be giving a daylong retreat on October 8, 2016. Tri-State Dharma has its own format for scheduling and outreach of day long retreats as well as our longer retreats, so I have included the materials from our website, as well as the flyer that I designed. I should note that I am on the Board of Directors for Tri-State Dharma, so I do discuss and have influence in the process of scheduling and developing retreats.

I have designed a day long that will be open to beginners and experienced meditators, and have chosen the Second Noble Truth (craving) as the topic for the dharma talk and I expound on that in part 3. I plan to weave the topic into the opening session, just a bit, and then expand on those ideas in the Dharma Talk in the afternoon. I have incorporated a stretching session into the afternoon session as well. If it’s a nice day, maybe we can do the stretching outside, since we have beautiful grounds on which to walk.

I will also be putting aside time in the morning to give basic sitting and walking meditation instructions to the beginners or anyone that wants to brush up. I also will include Q & A in the sitting and close at the end of the day long.

CDL March Homework-PART 2: Schedule

Tri-State Dharma One Day Retreat, October 8, 2016 Investigating the Second Noble Truth (Craving) with Wendy Eisner Schedule 10:00-10:15 am Welcome, Refuges, and Instructions 10:20-10:50 Sitting Meditation (30 min) 10:50-11:10 Walking Meditation (20 min) 11:10-11:40 Sitting (30 min) 11:40-11:50 Breathing, Stretching Meditation (10 min) 11:50-12:10 Walking (20 min) 12:10-1:00 pm Lunch and Tea (50 min) 1:00-1:30 Sitting (30 min) 1:30-1:40 Breathing, Stretching (10 min) 1:40--2:10 Dharma Talk (30 min) 2:10-2:30 Walking (20 min) 2:30-3:00 Sitting (15 min), Q & S (10 min), Close (sharing of merit)

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CDL March Homework-PART 3: Dharma content

I would like to talk about craving, which is a fundamental concept in Buddhism. Sometimes it is called desire or wanting. I thought this would be a pretty straightforward topic and I could do it off the cuff but it isn’t and I can’t. It also brings up all sorts of judgments and reactions in me and I am sure to you; it isn’t a particularly pleasant word or concept. It certainly is the source of a lot of problems, if you look at how it is defined or introduced by the Buddha:

And what is suffering, what is the origin of suffering, what is the cessation of suffering, what is the way leading to the cessation of suffering? Birth is suffering; aging is suffering; sickness is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering; not to obtain what one wants is suffering; in short, the five aggregates affected by clinging are suffering. This is called suffering.

And what is the origin of suffering? It is craving, which brings renewal of being, is accompanied by delight and lust, and delights in this and that; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for being and craving for non-being. This is called the origin of suffering.

And what is the cessation of suffering? It is the complete fading away and ceasing, the giving up, relinquishing, letting go and rejecting of that same craving. This is called the cessation of suffering.

Of course, the entire path is designed to accomplish this, so it is not the easiest thing to give up, and there are all sorts of gradations and variations of craving, from the most obvious and gross, like the craving for a big juicy steak, to the most subtle and intangible, like the craving for being, the craving for a spiritual path. These are unwholesome cravings (which lead to suffering ) and some types of desires are distinguished from these, like desire for awakening, desire for the good of a loved one, desire for the happiness of another. We can certainly see craving coming up all the time, and we can also see that’s why we suffer (sometimes the word stress is used instead of suffering).. How many times today did craving come up? Even if it’s really subtle, like wanting the sitting meditation to be over, or wanting to shift our weight to become comfortable. On long CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 160 retreats it always cracked me up that I would be waiting for the bell to end the meditation which would mean what? What important things did I have to do on a 10-day retreat? The meals, of course. But so what? It was as though my mind had to have some desire object to fixate on, even if there was nothing going on. So I would crave the end of one sitting, and so on, until I was at the end of the retreat and starting to regret the end of the retreat, which is another type of craving! Which brings us to the next part of craving, which the Buddha called clinging. Very appropriate. He actually developed a very sophisticated set of causal links:

Because a feeling arises, Craving arises. But what is craving? As a feeling arises, it is either pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. The "CRAVING" which comes next in the process, (occurring very quickly too) is manifested by the "I like it" or "I don't like it" mind of ours. OK. Next comes the CLINGING, which is the story our minds run away with about why we like it or don't like it (whatever “it” is that arose!).

Qe can see how this works in our lives. It can happen that we see something desirable, like an iPhone 6. We could just see the iPhone 6 and not react to it. But, something in our minds may respond to it, and then we desire it. Then, we might see ourselves going out and buying it. If you are like me, this part, after the craving, fully submerged in the clinging, can go on for quite a while. When I finally got the iPhone, by the way, I had a little fun with it, I used it, but it certainly didn’t make me eternally happy! Okay, a more romantic example. We may see an attractive person and may, with time, fall in love with and marry him. We have so many stories running through our mind about romantic love, you can imagine all the craving, desire, grasping, wanting, clinging that go on with this. Our culture has indoctrinated us to believe that this is the end and we should live happily ever after. However, what does love look like in our culture? Is it really love or is something else going on?

These are the types of love that exist without craving or clinging: These are called in Pali the brahmaviharas; or four divine abodes. They are loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity.

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Another aspect to the whole process of craving and clinging is that it is entirely dependant on the passing of time. The arising of craving and clinging arising is a process. When we crave something we will cling to it even as it is passing away, or mourn the thing that is passing away and wish things would be like that again. Or we might project into the future, and wish we could have something to look forward to, like I did with the Ipod. But I don’t think craving works in the present moment. My daughter was in constant battle with the passage of time when she was a young teenager…she hated the idea of anything coming to an end. So she would not want to leave her junior high school even though her friend were coming with her, because she didn’t want things to change or her security to be upset and she was slowly becoming aware that things were always changing. Of course, she always told me that I didn’t understand the pathos of what she was going through, not seeing that if there is one thing anyone on earth could understand, it was the awareness that everything will change. So, of course if one dwells in the present moment, they can’t come into existence. You can even turn that around and say that when craving and clinging disappear, you ARE completely present. My most ridiculous experience of this, but also one of the most delightful, came about 2 years ago when I was coming back from a conference in Alaska. I was getting on a red eye flight, and the flight was completely packed. I had a window seat, but there was no window in that row. Then, as the plane filled up, a very fat, very ill woman was pretty much carried to the seat next to me and she plopped down, breathing irregularly and jabbing her walking stick into my seat. Then the babies, all around us, dozens of them, began to wail on cue. I was pretty much at the end of my rope, but as a new meditator, I tried Thich Nhat Hanh’s exercise: Breathing in, I relax; breathing out, I smile. Breathing in, "I am in the present moment, breathing out, "It’s a Wonderful moment.” I got to the “Breathing out, I am in the present moment,” and suddenly I was. Nothing changed, except my perception of the moment, and I tell you I would not have changed anything in the world in that moment. Needless to say, I didn’t stay there, but I was delighted enough with that momentary insight to have a reasonable night’s sleep.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 162 So that is all I have to say about craving. The only other thing I wanted to say was to paraphrase the Zen instructions about meditation, which really is asking you to drop all of your preconceived notions about meditation and the path and all your judgments about whether you are doing it right: Do not try to become anybody. Don’t create another identity. When you sit, just sit.

Part 4, outreach (flyer; website) and biography:

Are you stressed and tired? Ready for a break? Give yourself a gift and learn meditation in a tranquil retreat setting. On October 8, Wendy Eisner will offer a day long retreat. Pack a lunch and come out for a day of quiet sitting and walking meditation. All retreats begin at 10am to 3pm at Earth Connections on the campus of Mount St. Joseph at 370 Neeb Road, Cincinnati 45233. We use simple meditation techniques which are healthy and beneficial for everyone. This retreat is appropriate for beginners as well as experienced meditators. All are welcome..

Wendy has practiced insight meditation since 2002 and is an active member and corresponding secretary of Tri-State Dharma. She is founder and co-teacher with Mary Ellen Landolina of Tri-State Dharma's Northern Kentucky meditation group. She has taken CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 163

Matthew Flickstein's Vipassana meditation teacher training course and is currently a member of the Community Dharma Leaders training program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. Wendy also has a Ph.D. in environmental science and is a professor at the University of Cincinnati.

On our Website and via email: Tristatedharma.org One Day Retreats

Pack a lunch, and come out for a day of quiet sitting and walking meditation. All retreats begin at 10am to 3pm at Earth Connections on the campus of Mount St. Joseph at 370 Neeb Road, Cincinnati 45233.

One-day retreats offer participants an opportunity for a day of silent meditation that includes sitting, walking and presentation of a Dharma Teaching. Earth Connections provide an ideal environment for quiet meditation both inside and out.

No fee or registration is required. Donations are always appreciated to help cover expenses. Please bring a brown-bag lunch for yourself and tea will be provided. Please come a few minutes early so we can begin promptly at 10am. Click Here for directions to Earth Connections.

March 19, 2016 with Pat Dolan

June 4, 2016 with Candace Walkup

September 10, 2016 with Joan Staubach

October 8, 2016 with Wendy Eisner

November 12, 2016 with David Nurre

NEW TIMES: 10am-3pm arrive early to register and settle in Free!

If you do not register, please check our website before coming. Dates may be changed. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 164 Helen Kim CDL5 – The Daylong Retreat

Notes on Audience: • This retreat is for people of color social justice activists who are new to mindfulness and are curious about Buddhism • I would be teaching this retreat with another person of color facilitator/teacher

Retreat description: Mindfulness as a Pathway for Transformation: A Retreat for People of Color Activists is a full-day retreat for people of color activists who want to explore how mindfulness and the teachings of the Buddha can be a powerful way to heal and transform. We will explore how mindfulness can help break the cycle of conditioned responses to trauma from racism and build more resilience in us. The retreat will be a mix of talking and silence and will include an overall introduction of the Four Noble Truths and instructions for mindfulness meditation. Please bring a packed lunch, as there will be instructions for eating meditation. This retreat is especially suitable for beginners.

Retreat schedule: 9:00 Registration Light breakfast 9:30 Welcome • Introduction of the guiding team – co-guiding facilitators/teachers • Mingle introductions – three rounds of pairs with different questions each time o What does mindfulness mean to you? o What are you curious about? o Why are you here? • Brief circle introductions (people will be sitting in a circle) – name, etc. • Overview of the day, what to expect, logistics 10:00 Mindfulness instructions • Simple instructions posture and using the breath as an anchor (10min) • First sitting (10min) • Q&A (10min) 10:30 Break 11:00 Introduction to Buddhist teachings • Story of the Buddha • Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Paths • Q&A (15min) • Second sitting (15min – instructions for focusing on breathing – notice other physical sensations, thoughts and return to breath) • Introduction to other forms of meditation and instructions for eating meditation (10min) 12:00 Lunch • First 30min of eating will be done in silence; ring the meditation bell to break silence CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 165

1:00 Light physical movement 1:15 Talk - Mindfulness as transformative pathway • How mindfulness can be used as a way to break the cycle of our conditioned responses to trauma from racism and other oppressions o Meeting the moment as is, rather than through our conditioned responses • Discussion 2:15 Instruction and walking meditation 2:40 Break - in silence 2:50 Third sitting (25min) • Introduce Recognize, Acknowledge, Investigate, Non-identification • Q&A (10min) 3:25 Break - in silence 3:35 Taking it home • Journal in silence – 5min • Pair up with someone to share what you are learning about mindfulness and how you are feeling – 10min • Pair up with another pair (now a group of 4) to talk about how mindfulness can be helpful in your life and activism – 20min o What is one thing you might want to do to make mindfulness a part of your • Large group share – 15min 4:30 Closing talk and circle • Resources for mindfulness and Buddhist teachings o Emphasis on practice and community (Sangha) • Closing circle sharing of reflections for the day and commitments (if any) 5:00 Close

Dharma content to be covered: • Introduction to the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path o Story of the Buddha’s search and enlightenment o Four Noble Truths o Eightfold Path • Self compassion – Buddha’s saying that no one deserves your compassion more than yourself – as part of the healing process from racism and oppression. Being mindful is being fully attentive, which is an expression of love • From Satipatthana Sutta o Mindfulness of the body as the first foundation, being in our body as a way to be present.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 166 Forrest Hill Loving Awareness, Reclaiming our Hearts and Minds September 10, 2016 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Napa Valley Insight Meditation Location: Napa Valley Unitarian Universalist 1625 Salvador Ave Napa CA, 94559

The Daylong Description:

In this daylong we explore three key factors for awakening our hearts: learning to love ourselves, finding the joy in connecting with others, and cultivating compassion. Practicing these qualities strengthens our ability to bring greater compassion and awareness to everything — every moment, person, situation, emotion, thought, experience. The more we are able to be present, loving and non-reactive to the way things are, the greater the chance that our lives will be filled with joy and our actions will help others, rather than bring harm.

The program will include sitting and walking meditation, guided meditation, small group participation and chanting.

The Retreat Schedule & Outline of Dharma Content: 10:00 Retreat Introduction • Welcome • Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels • Chanting: o Pay Homage to the Buddha: Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa o Recite the three Refuges: Buddham saranam gacchami Dhammam saranam gacchami Sangham saranam gacchami

Dutiyampi Buddham saranam gacchami ......

Tatiyampi Buddham saranam gacchami ......

10:20 Silent Meditation/Coming into our Bodies

10:30 Talk: Leaning to Love Ourselves Themes: • “When we love ourselves, we don’t hurt ourselves or others.” The Dalai Lama • Love is taking good care of our body and mind

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• Seeing the goodness in ourselves can help us break through self-judgment • Loving ourselves evolves slowly – It begins with forgiving ourselves and letting go of self-criticism. • With practice you no longer are trapped in looking to others to prove we’re okay • Seeing Yourself with Love (from Awakening Joy): Bring to mind someone who genuinely loves you. Imagine yourself as that person and look at yourself through his or her eyes. What qualities do you see in yourself from that perspective?

11:00 break

11:10 Guided Metta Meditation • Using phrases to evoke Metta for self: o May I be filled with loving kindness o May I be healthy in body and mind o May I be safe and protected o May I live with ease and be happy

11:40 Walking Meditation + Instructions

12:00 Talk: Learning to Love Others Themes: • The Power of Forgiveness o Understanding what may cause others to act as they do o Not forgive and forget, but choosing to hurt and suffer less • Ram Dass: "Love is a movement of the heart that opens and radiates out.” • Practice of Looking for the Good in Others • Feeling the Love (from Awakening Joy): “Think of someone you love dearly. As you imagine that person or being here with you, notice what happens in your body. We can learn to cultivate a loving heart by strengthening these feelings of loving attention.”

12:30 Guided Mediation: Metta for another /all beings

12:50 Lunch (in silence)

1:45 Talk: The Flowering of Compassion Themes: • Love and Compassion are woven into the human spirit (Zen Buddhist teacher Toni Packer p 108) • Compassion is not defined by the size of the effect (Meher Baba p. 106) • Equanimity o Doing what we can, while also honoring our own limits. o Serenity Prayer

2:15 Chanting into Guided meditation: CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 168 • Taking refuge in the Enlightened Bodhisattva who hears the cries of the world. o Namo Gwan Shi Yin Pu Sa • Guided Compassion Meditation: Breaking Through based on Joanna Macy (Coming Back to Life)

3:00 Walking Mediation/Break 3:15 Discussion (Q&A) 3:45 Singing • Anything Can Happen (Original) • Three Little Birdies (Bob Marley) 4:00 Dedication of the Merit

Short Bio: Forrest Hill has been practicing Insight Mediation since 2004 and is the founder of Napa Valley Insight Meditation. He has served as a facilitator at NVIM since its inception in 2011. Forrest is currently enrolled in the Community Dharma Leaders Program, a Buddhist teacher training program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He has a PhD from MIT in Biological Oceanography and works as a socially responsible financial advisor. Forrest believes insight meditation can foster greater awareness, wisdom and kindness in our daily lives, and teach us how to respond more compassionately to the world around us.

Outreach Plan: This retreat is being advertised on the Napa Valley Insight Mediation website and NVIM’s meetup page. Our day long coordinator has also been making announcements at our Tuesday sits and we have created an email list of people who are planning to participate. Email announcements are begin sent out to our internal email list and Meetup list (combined over 1000 members). Finally, an announcement will be made on our Facebook page with some targeted advertising.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 169

Fresh! White

EBMC Transgender and Gender Diverse Metta Day Long Teachers: Fresh! White, Louije Kim, Abe, Adrienne Price, Marbles Radio (Movement)

On this Eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, we are hosting an opportunity to explore and practice meditation and movements which will help implement, compliment and/or expand our experiences with self-care.

This class is open to those new to meditation, and allows others an opportunity to practice in a safe space which will be lead and held by Trans* identified individuals, and experienced allies.

The “Scent-Free” space is wheelchair accessible throughout. We will absolutely investigate interpreter options if requested.

**Please arrive on time, as the class will begin promptly.

9:30 • Registration, Tea and Name Tags

10:00 • Sit (3-5 Minutes of silence, not meditating, just getting people into the room) • Teacher Intros o Fresh!: Name, pronoun, brief bio, Why Today? (Honoring our lives, important of s.c. practice in our community.) o Adrienne Name, pronoun, brief Bio, Agenda for the day o Abe: Name, pronoun, brief Bio, EBMC Agreements o Louije: Name, pronoun, brief Bio, What is Metta? (brief, perhaps story) o Marbles: Name, pronoun, brief Bio – Easy Movement; brining us into body and space.

10: 30 § Fresh!: What is mindfulness – lead 20 Minute meditation

10:50 § How was that? Large group

11:00 § Adrienne – What happens when you hear or consider a self-care practice? o Small Groups o Big room share back

11:20 § Louije - How we practice Metta o Teach phrases

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 170 o Practice phrases beginning with Self (someone/being) – (20 Minutes) o How was that? Group share

12:00 § Fresh! – Lunch Instructions o Meet two new people, give them a compliment

1:00 § Fresh! – Welcome Back o All Teachers § How was lunch? Full room § What did you learn? 1:20 § Marbles, Gentle Movement

1:35 § Fresh! shares other Buddha stories and/or talks more about the benefits of Metta practice (5 min) § Abe leads o Metta for benefactor o Metta for enemy o Metta for All Beings

2:10 Group Break outs – Self Choosing – Trans Masculine, Gender Diverse, Female/Women

Adrienne breaks into Women’s (self-identified) group, separate room • How is your self-care practice? • Our needs this weekend and going forward? • Sharing with one another, some of our self-care practices. • How can we be allies to the folks in the other rooms?

Louije breaks into Gender Variant/Diverse (self-identified) group, separate room • How is your self-care practice? • Our needs this weekend and going forward? • Sharing with one another, some of our self-care practices. • How can we be allies to the folks in the other rooms?

Abe and Marbles break into Trans Masculine (self-identified) group, separate room • How is your self-care practice? • Our needs this weekend and going forward? • Sharing with one another, some of our self-care practices. • How can we be allies to the folks in the other rooms?

Fresh! holds time and supports groups as needed.

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 171

3:15 § Break – 10 minutes

3:25 § Fresh! – Sit 10 minutes o How was that? How did it feel? o Are there skills you want to share? o Sit 5-10 minutes

4:00 § Louije – What are you walking away with today § Abe – 5 Minute Sit § Fresh! - Dana § Adrienne, Dedication of Merit § Marbles – Some kind of expressive movement followed by consensual touch, could just be holding hands while expressing

4:30 – 4:45 Exit

Rae Ellen Houseman Working Skillfully with Trauma A daylong workshop with Rae Ellen Houseman

This daylong workshop will focus on skillful approaches to navigating trauma within the context of meditation. It will include an introduction to the concept of trauma and the effects of trauma on the nervous system. We will build our skills to navigate this territory in meditation practice through partnered work, guided meditations and group discussions.

10 am Opening and Introductions • Introduce myself • Invite a brief go-around of introductions from the group o Include prior practice experience and what you hope to get from the day

10:30 am Introduction to Trauma Theory • Overwhelming event/life circumstances • Inability to effectively regulate and complete nervous system sequences • Fight/flight/freeze predominance o Inability to orient to present time situations o Narrow field of attention • Titration with witness awareness on-board CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 172 • Questions

10:55 Guided Open-Eye Meditative Exploration of the Environment • Allow the eyes and ears to explore o Natural, like the breath o Notice what may occur as pleasant § Explore sensations in the body related to the pleasant sight or sound • arising/passing away of sensations

11:10 am Dyad discussion • What was your experience in the Open-Eye Meditative Exploration? o Each partner does a five minute share

11:20 am Opportunity to share about Dyad discussion with the larger group

11:30 am Introduce Poly-Vegal Theory, Stephen Porges • Autonomic Nervous System- typically understood to be Sympathetic/Parasympathetic • Bifurcation of the Parasympathetic to Dorsal/Ventral Vegal o Ventral- related to Social Engagement System

12:00 pm Lunch

1:00 pm Guided Meditation -Titration of difficult experiences • Begin with emphasis on easeful • Felt sense of easeful/relaxed • Bring in difficult experience (titrated/not overwhelming) • Felt sense of difficult experience (regulated, i.e. if need be just the feel into the hand) • Bring attention back to easeful or more relaxed aspects of experience

1:30 pm Group Discussion about guided meditation

1:50 pm Guided Walking Meditation - Titration of difficult experiences • Use similar model to above, incorporate visual field of awareness

2:10 pm Short Break

2:20 pm Guided Meditation - Imagine an Internal Quality you would like to have in daily life or in relation to these difficult experiences we’ve been touching on • Felt sense of the quality o Whether you have felt this quality or you have seen this quality in someone else, feel into the sense of this quality CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 173

2:45 pm Dyad discussion • What was your experience in the Meditative Internal Quality Exploration? o Each partner does a 5 or 6 minute share

3:00 pm Opportunity to share about Dyad discussion with the larger group and Q and A

3:15 pm Silent meditation

3:35 pm Silent Walking meditation

3:55pm Closing (poem)

Bio- Rae Houseman has been practicing meditation for more than ten years. She has practiced intensively in retreat centers in the United States and in monasteries in the United States, Canada and Myanmar. Rae has been exploring embodied mindfulness practices for twenty years. She holds a Master of Arts in Somatic Psychology and is a Certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner.

I will be leading this day long workshop at the Vermont Insight Meditation Center. The workshop is posted on the VIMC website and the local teachers there will be letting people in the community know that it is happening. The center has a regular community of practitioners.

Jacqueline S. Nelson Daylong Practicum-CDL5 April 2016

1. Daylong topic with description

“Befriending the Hindrances” ~seeing more clearly where we get caught~

I invite you to join me for a day of deepening practice, an opportunity to slow down, be still, and listen to your hearts true nature~peace and ease. Today we will practice with some of our most habitual friends that come to visit us, through our thoughts, emotions, and moods. We will examine our reactivity to whatever arrives moment to moment, and discover skillful ways to work with these. Through our time together we will begin to see clearly the deep connection between the mind~heart~body and investigate how these hindrances cause false beliefs to take hold. By utilizing the tools of Mindfulness meditation “Insight” and calming practices we will begin to unravel these places that CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 174 catch us, bind us, and keep us stuck in unhealthy, unwholesome, and at times destructive patterns of being. This day of practice will foster the qualities of peace and ease to arise, which are our true nature.

2. Retreat schedule 9:30am- 4:30pm

Morning Session 9:30-9:45 15min • Welcome • Introductions • Overview of the days schedule • What to expect • Right speech guidelines and foundation for sharing Renunciation • Taking the vow of noble silence: unplugging phone. • Three refuges (explanation and option for those who do not feel comfortable in doing this). • No Judging, Comparing, or Fixing.

9:45-10:15 30min Sit • Settling the mind and body, arriving Here-Now. • Relax, Let go, Open to the natural peace and ease; Tranquility (passadhi) protects us from the hindrances. • Guided meditation (moving through the five hindrances). • Silent sit.

Break 5 min

10:20-10:50 30 min Dharma talk • Brief overview of the five hindrances. • The Buddha placed them in one if his most prolific teachings, the Satipatthana sutta or The Four Foundations of Mindfulness. • Extemporaneously unpack this teaching; experiential examples. • How to work with them during sitting practice. • RAIN • Deeper exploration and unpacking of first three hindrances. • Antidotes to putting out the fires; Concentration practices; Cultivating the heart qualities.

11:50-11:20 30 min Walking practice with instructions A reading from Shohaku Okumura Roshi Japanese soto Zen priest “Birds need to fly in order to figure out what the sky is like. And fish need to swim in order to find what the ocean is like. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 175

And we human beings need to do something in oder to find what this world is like. Sitting is important, but we cannot sit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So we have to do something. Unless, we human beings start to walk, we cannot find any meaning in our life. So we need to sit, sleep, walk, and work. Just live like a bird just flies, and a fish just swims, just live.” • Short reflection- why we walk? • Walking meditation as a continuation of practice. • Brief introduction and Instructions for walking mediation. • Walking practice

11:20-12 40 min Silent Sit

12-12:15 15 min Q&A

12:15-1 45min Silent Lunch

Afternoon session

1:00-1:30 30min Dharma talk • Talk on the fourth, & fifth Hindrances. • Explanation of how the body holds on to these deep ingrained patterns. • Explanation of how movement of the body can help release, settle and calm providing tranquility to arise in the body~mind~heart system.

Break 5 min

1:35-2:15 40min Silent sit

2:15-3:15 30min Mindful movement Qigong & chair Yoga “In your investigation of the world, never allow the mind to leave the body. Examine its nature, see the elements that comprise it, see the impermanence, the suffering, the selflessness of the body while sitting, walking, standing, lying down. When its true nature is seen fully and lucidly by the heart, the wonders of the world will become clear. In this way, the purity of the mind can shine forth, timeless and delivered.” ~~Ajahn Mun

3:15-3:45 30min Dyad sharing- Looping Questions: 1. Think of a specific time when you felt at peace during this day, what did it feel like in the body?

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 176 2. What conditions made it possible? 3. What were the dominant hindrances (if any) that prevented or got in the way of peace.

3:45-–4:30 30min Brief review, Re-cap, Closing • Sharing/Q&A • Antidotes for working with the Hindrances: • Concentration practices-corral the mind, guard the sense doors and provides a barrier from the hindrances; breath meditation;Divine abodes. • Closing

“In meditating with the body as our guide, we come to feel that, perhaps for the first time in our lives, we are in the presence of a being, our own body, that is wise, loving, flawlessly reliable, and, strange to say, worthy of our deepest devotion.” ~~ Reggie Ray

3. Dharma content I may cover/use: • Definition of the word hindrance. • Provide a thorough explanation for each Hindrance; how they might arise; what sort of • conditionings and activity may cause them to arise; practices that may hinder them from arising. • Antidotes for working with each Hindrance. • Skillful ways of practicing with each of the hindrances. • Explanation of how the body may store and hold onto these unwholesome patterns. • Explain how movement can help to release stored patterns within the body. • Concentaration Practices- Concentration or one-pointedness (Ekaggata) allows us to reside in longer states of peace and ease unhindered by the difficult mind states. In Concentration a tranquil body, mind and heart all are needed, mindfulness takes us through the steps to cultivate these qualites. In deeper states of concentration practices, One-Pointedness (Ekaggata) we are aiming (Vitakka) our attention and sustaining (Vicara) it on the same object. We are not investigating what arises but are just allowing things to pass by, this is one pointed Concentration. The Hindrances are held at bay, corralled off from entering or disturbing the heart~mind. • Utilizing breath awareness as a way to guard from the hindrances. • The four Brahma Viharas or “sublime, divine" abodes.

Dharma Books I will use to formulate the teachings from: • Satipatthana Sutta • Analayo’s book- Satipatthana “The direct Path to realization” • Ponlop, Dzogchen book- “Emotional Rescue: How to Work with Your Emotions to Transform Hurt and Confusion into Energy That Empowers You” • Chogyam Trungpa- “Crazy Wisdom”

Dharmaseed talks from: • Insight Meditation Society- talks on Hindrances CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 177

• Gill Fronsdale- series on the Hindrances.

4. Bio Jacqueline is a Yoga teacher, Yoga Therapist, Certified Health coach. She teaches Yoga therapy and mindfulness meditation classes for the elderly population. She leads an Insight meditation group on the campus of Purdue University. She has completed the Mindfulness Yoga & Meditation program; Dedicated Practitioner Program and is currently in the Community Dharma Leadership Program, all through Spirit Rock Meditation center. She attend’s silent yearly retreats and enjoys sharing her live got the Dharma with others.

5. Outreach Plan: Reach out to our local Monday Meditation Group; Advertise in local newspaper; Post fliers in the library and health food stores and the local UU church; Post on Web site “Insight Lafayette”; MMG email list; meet up site; reach out to local Yoga studios in the area.

Christina Leano CDL 5 One Day Retreat: Mindfulness for Christians 9:00 AM- 4:00 PM Description: We hear the word mindfulness everywhere. It is touted to reduce stress, cultivate concentration, and bring happiness. But can it be relevant to Christians? The answer is yes! Mindfulness can help us be more mindful of God in our daily life, strengthen Christian virtues such as patience, generosity, kindness, and help to deepen our prayer life. Come spend a day exploring how mindfulness meditation and mindfulness practices can enhance our Christian vocation.

Audience: Christians of all ages Expected number of participants: 15-20 Location: Bethany House of Prayer or Sisters of St. Joseph Mother House Outreach: Bethany House of Prayer, Still Harbor, Cambridge Insight, St. Ignatius, local mindfulness communities Compensation: Sliding scale $15-25 split between host and teacher

8:30-9:00 Settle and Arrival

9:00 Welcome, Opening Prayer and 5 minute silent meditation with music Meditation

9:15 Introductions Overview of day Setting the container (no cellphones) Any logistics (bathroom)

9:30 Talk: Mindfulness for Christians What is Mindfulness? (15 min)

CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 178 ● Definition-what it is and what it isn’t ● Scientific backing Mindfulness in Christianity (30 min) ● Scripture ● Christian saints and writers ● Church teachings: Laudato Si Q and A (15 min)

10:30 Meditation Instructions and Guided Instructions on posture (10) Meditation Guided Meditation (20) Q and A (10)

11:15 Mindfulness of Eating Raisin Exercise (15) Small group reflection and how this connects with savoring God’s gifts

12:00 Prayer before Lunch Lunch in silence

1:00 Walking meditation instructions and Stop and savor practice

1:30 Guided Meditation Practice and Inquiry

2:15 Talk: Mindfulness and Virtues

2:45 Guided Metta Meditation

3:15 Small Group Discussion and Q and A

3:45 Closing Remarks and Evaluation

Background of teacher: Christina Leaño is a trained meditation teacher, retreat facilitator, and spiritual director who has been studying Christian and Buddhist contemplative practices for over 17 years, including 3 years as a Christian monastic in a Cistercian community. She completed the MBSR Teacher Training Intensive through the UCSD Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute and currently is part of the Community Dharma Leaders Program through Spirit Rock Meditation Center, a two-year program that trains and supports committed Dharma practitioners to teach Insight (Vipassana) Meditation.She holds a B.A from Yale University and M.A. in Systematic Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

Why do you want to present this program? Buddhist and mindfulness practice has played such an integral role in my Christian faith for a number of years. This program would enable me to share some of the fruits and gifts of bringing mindfulness into my Christian path. CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 179

Patrick Brown Tools Toward Liberation a daylong with Patrick Brown

How do we move collectively towards liberation? When the struggle is real and the suffering is strong , how can we find the middle path towards sustainable practice? In response to the suffering of racism and police murders, we gather in the refuge of shangha to deepen our dharma practice and connect. This day long retreat will focus on tools of resilience for the wounded healer.

Together we’ll explore the teachings of the Buddha, expand our practice of concentration and focus on the embodiment practices that support and heal our collective trauma. If “ the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house “ let’s get some new tools. This introductory retreat is open to all with a focus on those who serve communities of color. Techniques will include: Embodied awareness scans, breath work, single point and expanded attention practice, Siting and walking Meditation practice, Meta, Blue Sky expansiveness and understanding Vedena. This retreat is designed for the novice and intermediate practitioner.

This workshop will be held at East Bay Meditation Center , Sunday 9am to 4pm

Agenda: 8:30am Arrival and networking over breakfast

9am WELCOME

-Orientation to the space - Introduction of the topic*1 and teacher - Community Agreements - Pair share / meet your neighbor

10am Meditation

- Guided intro to posture and breath - Intro and practice of the body scan - 10min practice sit 5min break 20min sit - 10min reflection and convo about the sit - 11am Introduction to the Dharma

- Historical perspective on Theravada Insight Meditation -Formal structure of the teachings (scriptures and Pali cannon) - Four Nobel Truths

12pm LUNCH served Break Bread

130pm Vedenas & Blue Sky -Dharma talk on the Vedenas as a tool CDL5—Spring 2016 Creating a Daylong Dharma Event 180 - practice tracking and using Vedenas in small groups - Questions and reflections - Blue sky expansiveness practice

230 Meditation & Centering - Intro to standing, lying down and walking meditation - Practice 5min of each position - Single point concentration , tracking, expanding the focus practice

330 Review and closing - Review the day’s activities - Appreciation circle - Metta practice - Questions and reflections - Closing circle ritual

430 END

Publicity: The outreach for this daylong would be primarily through EBMC flyers and social media. Additionally I would extend invitations through my networks of ABOC, BLM, and Racial Equity networks.

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