Dharma Seed - Dharma Talks from Spirit Rock Meditation Center Retreats

Through the Dark Night: Breaking Down, Breaking Through, Waking Up (with Marisa Handler)

Many of us at some time pass through a “dark night of the soul,” an extended encounter with pain, confusion, and disorientation, sometimes manifesting as depression or breakdown or loss of functioning. In the West, such experiences are often hidden and regarded with shame. In some other cultures, they are viewed as central to individual evolution, bringing transformation, purification, and amazing gifts. On this daylong, we will explore this phenomenon through meditation, short talks, and sharing. We will offer a map of the dark night as part of awakening, identifying perspectives and practices that help us with this process.

2018-03-03 (1 day) Spirit Rock Meditation Center

2018-03-03 An Overview of the Nature of the "Dark Night" 45:35
Donald Rothberg, Marisa Handler	Download Listen
Marisa Handler and Donald Rothberg give an overview of the nature of the "Dark Night." Marisa speaks particularly about her Dark Night experiences; Donald gives a brief account of the Dark Night in the work of St. John of the Cross (1542-1591), a Spanish Christian mystic who coined the term (“La noche oscura del alma”) in his writing, and then looks at how elements of the Dark Night appear in shaman's accounts of their initiatory experiences as well as in Buddhist tradition.
Attached Files: Resource List by Donald Rothberg (DOC) Dark Night Presentation by Donald Rothberg (PPT)