Daylongs and Evening Programs and Workshops
Event
The Monday Night class at Spirit Rock is now in its 29th year. Monday night serves as an introduction to the practices of awareness and compassion that are the heart of our community. This gathering also offers support and ongoing teachings to committed students.
On Monday evening, November 10th, Phillip Moffitt will lead the class. It will take place in the Upper Retreat Hall. Dinner will be available at 6 pm. For more details, click here.
As we move along the path of our inner journey, sometimes we are on a solo trip and sometimes we have the company of others. The role that others play in our journey can have a profound impact on our personal and spiritual development.
The spiritual journey begins as the heart’s response to the call to be free. What is it that elicits this response and the commencement of the journey? And once we start on our journey, what keeps us going amidst the distractions and defeats? The Three Wholesome Exchanges are specific ways in which we interact with others that can bring about transformative change in them and in ourselves. In this dharma talk, Phillip will explore some of the mysteries that propel our movement along the path toward peace and freedom.
In addition to Phillip’s talk, the evening will include a period of meditation and time for discussion.
Mindfulness practice is built around enhancing our ability to be in the present moment, to see it clearly, and to know how to respond appropriately. However, mindfulness isn’t just about being present. In addition to bringing our awareness to what is unfolding in the here and now, we also need to have faith: faith that through trusting what is without reacting to our initial impressions, we will find clarity and wisdom to respond skillfully. Practicing “beginner’s mind” or “don’t know mind” in the face of what is allows our anxieties to soften and false impressions to fade. In this way, we can trust what is and meet it with more confidence and capacity.
During this poetry daylong, we will read and reflect on a selection of poems that capture the meaning of “Trusting What Is.” Periods of sitting and walking meditation will be interspersed with dharma discussions based the poems.
This daylong is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditation students. All are welcome.
Letting Go of Your Story
Having a personal narrative is healthy and provides a necessary context for the many levels of our life experience. Without stories, we would not know how to understand people or events and our lives would lack meaning. Yet, while narratives and stories serve vital purposes, they can also be limiting, destructive, and often lead to unskillful behavior. We frequently suffer simply because the stories we believe have become fixed and rigid. Also, when we are attached to a particular perspective about others or ourselves and allow the story to be primary, it can be a hindrance to our ability to respond skillfully to the moment. We are literally deluding ourselves with our story making. If we wish to mindfully respond to what is happening in the moment, we need to be able to distinguish the actual experience from our interpretation.
During this daylong, we will investigate the stories of our lives and see how we are relating to them and whether they are causing suffering. It is possible to acknowledge our stories¬, even the difficult ones, without being defined by them. In this way, we can relate to ourselves and others with more openness and kindness. The day will consist of guided meditation, walking meditation, dharma talks, and time for questions. Students of all levels of practice are welcome.
In this traditional Insight Meditation (vipassana) daylong, the emphasis is on deepening into the silence that allows for the awakening of the heart. The day will include instructions for sitting and walking meditation, an overview of Insight Meditation, the fundamentals of the Buddha's teachings, and time for questions and discussion.
This daylong is appropriate for students new to meditation as well as practitioners with some experience who would like a refresher course in basic instruction. All are welcome.
Dana: This is a Dana (donation) day. Phillip is offering the day as a gift to the Spirit Rock community. Spirit Rock’s regular daylong fee is waived for this event. The practice of generosity, or Dana, in all forms is considered a central pillar of Buddhadharma practice. Spirit Rock invites you to contribute what is appropriate for you.
Spirit Rock's Monday Night Dharma Talk is open to all and meets from 7:15 – 9:15pm in the Community Meditation Center. You can also tune in from anywhere in the world via Live Stream. More info: https://calendar.spiritrock.org/
More about the Monday Night Dharma Program:
Jack Kornfield began this weekly practice and gathering more than 30 years ago to introduce the practices of awareness and compassion that are the heart of Buddhist teachings. The evening mixes periods of meditative sitting with dharma talks and is appropriate for beginning and experienced students alike and is a great way to find a little peace and quiet in which to sustain you into your week.
To see a list of who is leading our upcoming Monday night talks visit http://bit.ly/SRMonNite
In his dharma talk this evening, Phillip Moffitt will take us through an exploration of “The Gap” — that interval of time when we lose mindfulness and intention which then leads to unwise speech and action. This investigation was inspired by a line written by André Aciman in a New Yorker article that appeared in March of 2014: “In between knowing something and refusing to know it, lies a murky chasm that even the most enlightened among us is perfectly happy to inhabit.”
Phillip will probe the question of why we humans so easily disconnect from what we know and already have access to. For example, what happens in the gap between knowing that eating something unhealthy isn’t good for us and then refusing to know it and eating it anyway? Why do we have such a willingness to abandon ourselves? By using our meditation practice as a crucible for understanding, Phillip will lead us through an investigation of how we can cultivate continuity on the cushion and in our daily lives.
Fee:
By donation. All proceeds will go to benefit the new Against the Stream center in San Francisco.
Every age and phase of life brings changes and transitions -- some by choice and some not. All change is accompanied by concerns, fears, and questions: How do I know if making this change will make me happy? Is it meaningful? How do I know if I'm making the right decisions? How can I stay true to myself during this transition? Who am I anyway?
In this weekend workshop, Phillip Moffitt offers you tools, practices, and principles that can help you answer these questions. This will be an opportunity for you to assess areas of importance in your life and determine whether change is needed, develop options, and create a plan for making decisions. The workshop will emphasize making wise choices through clarification of your values.
The program will explore topics such as intimacy, self-esteem, fulfillment in work, money, doubts and insecurities, and life balance. Each day there will be teachings, self-assessments, small group discussions, personal inquiry, and participatory exercises. Phillip will also lead mindful movement practices and guided meditations. The self-assessments are designed to allow you to gain clarity about where you are presently in life and to create a vision for yourself.
This workshop will specifically focus on looking within versus dwelling on external circumstances. Expect a weekend of self-exploration, self-inquiry, and ultimately, self-knowing.
Workshop Hours:
Friday, 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Tuition Cost: $475.00
