The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
 
Retreat Dharma Talks at Spirit Rock Meditation Center

Heavenly Messengers: Awakening through Illness, Aging, and Death with Debra Chamberlin-Taylor, Bonnie Duran, PhD, Leslie Booker and Eugene Cash

The Buddha called sickness, aging, and death “Heavenly Messengers” because they can powerfully guide us toward awakening. At this retreat we’ll learn to open our hearts and minds to all aspects of life, including the Heavenly Messengers. This opening cultivates the awareness, acceptance, and nourishing wisdom needed to meet life’s inevitable changes with more ease. Learning to embrace impermanence helps us embody the awakened heart-mind that holds our fears, vulnerabilities, and sorrows in wisdom, compassion, and peace. Practices for meeting suffering and fear with mindfulness and lovingkindness will be taught daily.

The simultaneous public health, social justice, environmental and political crises we currently face are also Heavenly Messengers.

This retreat will be an inspiring and powerful opportunity to develop a more accepting relationship with change and death. This new relationship to change brings more freedom to enjoy life and a fresh appreciation for this precious moment.

This “workshop-style” retreat will be held in morning and evening silence, with interactive exercises each afternoon.

2021-01-25 (5 days) Spirit Rock Meditation Center

  
2021-01-25 The Pathology of Racism 39:04
Leslie Booker
Dharma Talk
2021-01-26 Regulating the nervous system through the Elements 38:27
Leslie Booker
Morning instructions
2021-01-27 Maranasati: Normalizing Death 58:42
Eugene Cash
Buddhist myth includes an alternative version of the Buddha's path in alignment with the Heavenly Messengers. Gotama Siddhartha wakes up to his 'intoxication' with youth, health, and life. He lets go of being intoxicated and seeks awakening.
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