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Yearlong Retreat: Upping Your Game
A series of Email Classes and At Home Workshops will be offered under this year's theme, Upping Your Game. Explore ways to deepen and incorporate practice into your life through Recording and Listening, caring for the body, participating as Sangha, and living in gratitude. Register for all of them at once (to seriously up your game!) or individually as the year unfolds.
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The Visiting Monk Program
Deepen your practice and train as a monk in the Visiting Monk Program at the Monastery. This program is our most advanced and challenging training opportunity. It is recommended only for those who are steeped in practice and have participated in all of the training opportunities that the Monastery offers--retreats, workshops, email classes, etc. It is offered on a month by month basis throughout the year. Email us at information@livingcompassion.org if you are interested in this program. There are prerequisites for this training.
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There Is Nothing Wrong with You
This is the challenging, joyous, fulfilling, courageous, demanding, loving, kind, and compassionate work of freeing oneself from the ravages of conditioning and self-hate. It is a great first retreat, a prerequisite to many of our other retreats, and well worth repeating--often. As follow-up support for this transformational work, six weeks of individual coaching with a Zen Awareness Coach is included.
June 14-21 - Zen Monastery Peace Center - Register
July 5-12 - Zen Monastery Peace Center - Register
August 8-15 - North Carolina
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Taking Practice on the Road
In keeping with our practice focus of Upping Your Game, we are taking practice on the road. Cheri and senior monks will be facilitating workshops around the country. Don’t miss a workshop in your neighborhood.
July 20 - One-Day Workshop with Cheri in Seattle
August 17 - One-Day Workshop with Jen Colmore in Athens, Georgia
August 17 - One-Day Workshop with Justin McKay in Raleigh Durham, North Carolina
September 7 - One-Day Workshop with Cheri in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
October 25 - One-Day Workshop with Cheri in Felton, CA
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Eightfold Path
The Buddha taught that it is possible to end suffering in this lifetime. For those of us who choose a spiritual life, the Eight-Fold Path is a map to freedom. It is a hands-on, practical prescription for ending suffering. In this retreat we will explore the Buddha’s teachings through the lens of awareness practice, assisting us to incorporate the wisdom of the teachings into our daily life and practice. Through lively interactive workshops, practical and experiential awareness practice exercises, and guidance sessions with the Guide, get a fresh perspective on the teachings that make the Dharma, the joy of intelligence knowing itself, a living—and lively—experience..
April 15-20 – Highland Lakes, North Carolina - Registration has closed
May 26-31 – Zen Monastery Peace Center - Registration has closed - If you would like to be put on the waiting list for this retreat please send your request to information@livingcompassion.org.
September 1-6 – Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
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Exploring Intimacy and Relationships (a Monastery retreat)
All of us want meaningful relationships—that special someone with whom we will be fulfilled, a mentoring relationship with a boss, closeness with a family member or friend. We want to be seen for all that we are and loved and accepted unconditionally. In this retreat we turn 180° and explore the “secret” to having fulfilling relationships and unconditional love and acceptance. We take our wellbeing out of the hands of chance and whim and rediscover the true source of intimacy.
June 25-29 - Registration
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Your Practice (a Monastery retreat)
Customize this retreat based on what is current for you in your practice. Through group discussions and individual guidance, you will be facilitated in exploring the aspect of your practice you choose to focus on. There will also be time for a Monastery nature walk, working meditation, afternoons of sesshin-style sitting practice, yoga, and skills workshops around Recording and Listening and reflective listening.
July 23-30
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Precepts Renewal (a Monastery retreat)
If you have accepted the Precepts with Cheri this is an occasion you don’t want to miss. Spend four days with other experienced practitioners, including the old timers (as we lovingly call them), who pioneered this path of the heart, paving the way for all of us. There will be time for celebration, group discussions, and a special ceremony for renewing our commitment to the Precepts at the heart of the practice. This is a true family reunion for this Sangha, and we invite you to come and celebrate with us.
October 6-8
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Walking Retreat (a Monastery retreat)
Please check back for this retreat's description.
October 14-19
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2014 New Year's Retreat (location TBD)
There's an adage that states, "How you end one year is how you will spend the next." As Sangha we want to spend each moment practicing conscious, compassionate awareness. Welcome in a new year of practice with Sangha in the beautiful surroundings of the Santa Sabina retreat center.
December 27 - January 1
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Reflective Listening Buddies Program
This program offers the opportunity to connect with a participant in another part of the country (or another country) weekly for 30 minutes of practice support.
April 15 - Registration has closed July 15 October 15
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Email Classes
Email classes are a perfect opportunity to deeply explore an aspect of practice. Assignments on the topic of the class are emailed twice weekly. You then work on the exercises, send in what you see, and receive guidance. Exchanges are posted anonymously so all participants can benefit from what Sangha is seeing and the Guide is offering in response.
- April 29 - May 23 - Nutrition and Fitness - Register
Keeping with the theme of the year, this class zeroes in on our relationship with our bodies. As the Buddha taught, the body is the instrument of awakening. From recipes and Ayurvedic tips to exercise and fitness suggestions, participate in a practical and hands-on exploration of caring and training the body for peak performance. And call in for guidance on the special Thursday day night radio show.
- August 1-26 - Topic to be announced
- November 1-25 - Topic to be announced
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At-Home Workshops
These retreats offer a full day of teleconferenced, at-home practice. Each retreat includes group discussions and exercises on a special focus for the day, such as relationships, working, art, mentoring, and more!
- April 5 - Training the Player - Registration has closed
The Buddha taught that the body is the instrument of awakening. It doesn't take much looking to see the obvious truth in that. And yet many of us slide right over that fact, living somewhere between moderate distraction from the body and total ignorance of our body’s innate intelligence. In this workshop, we explore the illusion of the "mind-body split" and how to take care of the body, which takes care of the mind, which takes care of the body, which takes care of the mind, which takes care.... How can this instrument be cared for and trained for peak performance participation in the game of life?
- July 19 - Loving the Game
We have conditioning on the run! It is now time to sharpen the focus and support the heart as we go into the home stretch of our practice year. How do we keep the heart open and the focus on lovingkindness? How do we support ourselves against karmic conditioning as we move towards the finish line of our 2014 practice goals?
- September 13 - Exploring the Spirit of Play
Here is the great paradox of spiritual practice: we play the game with everything we’ve got, yet are unconcerned about keeping score, winning or losing. Let’s explore the attitude of mind/heart that is embodied in Holy Indifference – wholehearted participation with no attachment to results.
- December 6 - Post Game Celebration
Living in Gassho is living in gratitude, hearts truly one. The world overflows with goodness, the goodness we inherently are. From there, we can only feel joyful and grateful. Hard to imagine a better way to celebrate the end of a season of play!
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Guidance Days
Guidance Day offers an opportunity to schedule a phone guidance session with a monk or senior practitioner.
June 7 - Register December 13
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Mark Your Calendar!
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Thirteenth Annual Golden Gate Bridge Walk in San Francisco - celebrating the Project.
October 4, 2014
Registration details will be posted when available.
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