Events
Upcoming
Brahma Vihara (Week 4)
The Four Buddhist Heart Practices
A 4-Week Online Course by James Baraz
Brahma Vihara (Week 3)
The Four Buddhist Heart Practices
A 4-Week Online Course by James Baraz
Brahma Vihara (Week 2)
The Four Buddhist Heart Practices
A 4-Week Online Course by James Baraz
Brahma Vihara (Week 1)
The Four Buddhist Heart Practices
A 4-Week Online Course by James Baraz
Esalen Workshop
Being Present for Your Life: Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
How much are you present in your own life? Most of us spend more time worrying about the future, replaying the past, or getting lost in fantasy than experiencing what life offers us right now. This moment is our opportunity to be directly intimate with our lives while learning through difficult lessons how to open our hearts.
Mindfulness — or vipassana — meditation is the practice described by the Buddha for developing wisdom, compassion, and peace by learning to be conscious and aware of what is happening in the present. Using breath, body sensations, thoughts, and emotions, we can find out how to be more fully awake. When we see directly that the nature of reality is change, we become more capable of meeting each situation with spontaneity, fearlessness, and love.
In this workshop, you’ll be introduced to this meditation practice and the principles on which it is based. There will be periods of silent sitting and walking meditation as well as discussions to help provide a foundation for your own mindfulness practice in your everyday life.
Click here for more information.
Online Retreat
Devotion to the Sacred
Awakening Wholesome States of Practice
The Buddha advised us to not only overcome unhealthy states but to cultivate states of true well-being such as gratitude, kindness, and compassion. What’s more, he encouraged us to deepen these states when possible. A profound support in doing this is to connect with the unnameable mystery from which all states emanate--what Ven. Ajahn Sumedho called "The Shining through of the Divine." In this online practice retreat we will focus on cultivating these states and rather than taking ownership of them, to keep connecting to the source within us from which they arise. As they shine through, they become a gift to everyone in our lives. This retreat is for practitioners who want to deepen their meditation practice through heartfelt connection to our natural goodness, well-being and joy. Periods of meditation with instruction, practice-oriented talks and practice discussions with the teachers.
Awakening Joy Cloud Sangha Event
Join James for a complimentary talk on Thursday, October 19th.
Answering the Call
Discovering our own unique contribution to life and to the Earth by listening to what is calling each of us.
Southern Dharma Retreat Center, North Carolina with Eve Decker and Lev “Fresh” White
LGBTQIA+ Retreat Engaging with Compassion and Mindfulness During the Holidays.
Please join us for a place of refuge during the holidays, with a focus on community, compassion and mindfulness. We will cultivate a practice of mindfulness and discover ways of accessing compassion during this time of year. We’ll experience meditation, music, movement, silence, community discussions and more. Learn and practice foundational skills to bring awareness and warmth to ourselves and others. Compassion and self-compassion involve responding to difficult moments with kindness, empathy and understanding so that we soothe and comfort ourselves and others when we’re hurting… Being both mindful and compassionate leads to greater ease and well-being in our daily lives.
This retreat welcomes all self-identified LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, and beyond) persons for an opportunity to engage in supportive practices that encourage nurturing, healing and connection to self and others. We will bring together periods of silence and inner practice with teachings on cultivating mindfulness and compassion.
New and seasoned practitioners are welcome. Invite your friends to sign up!
Registration Information
The Four Buddhist Heart Practices (Brahma Viharas) 4-Week Live Online Course (Week 4)
This 4-week live online course focuses on four classical Buddhist heart practices, or the Brahma Viharas: Loving-kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity. These powerful practices open the heart and are a complement to Insight (mindfulness) meditation practice. (RECORDINGS AVAILABLE)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-four-buddhist-heart-practices-brahma-viharas-tickets-310766409697.
The Four Buddhist Heart Practices (Brahma Viharas) 4-Week Live Online Course (Week 3)
This 4-week live online course focuses on four classical Buddhist heart practices, or the Brahma Viharas: Loving-kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity. These powerful practices open the heart and are a complement to Insight (mindfulness) meditation practice. (RECORDINGS AVAILABLE)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-four-buddhist-heart-practices-brahma-viharas-tickets-310766409697.
The Four Buddhist Heart Practices (Brahma Viharas) 4-Week Live Online Course (Week 2)
This 4-week live online course focuses on four classical Buddhist heart practices, or the Brahma Viharas: Loving-kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity. These powerful practices open the heart and are a complement to Insight (mindfulness) meditation practice. (RECORDINGS AVAILABLE)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-four-buddhist-heart-practices-brahma-viharas-tickets-310766409697.
The Four Buddhist Heart Practices (Brahma Viharas) 4-Week Live Online Course (Week 1)
This 4-week live online course focuses on four classical Buddhist heart practices, or the Brahma Viharas: Loving-kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity. These powerful practices open the heart and are a complement to Insight (mindfulness) meditation practice. (RECORDINGS AVAILABLE)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-four-buddhist-heart-practices-brahma-viharas-tickets-310766409697.
“Living Well in Difficult Times” James and Sylvia Boorstein
Live Tricycle Online Summit
What makes a good life? How can we live well in times of crisis?
The past few years of the pandemic, climate-related catastrophes and political and economic instability have left many of us feeling burnt out and disheartened. But the Buddhist teachings remind us that even in times of uncertainty and difficulty, we can find freedom and joy right here and now—without turning away from our own suffering or the suffering of the world.
Tricycle’s weeklong virtual event series, Living Well in Difficult Times, features conversations with Buddhist teachers, psychologists and writers exploring the building blocks of a life well-lived, from emotional well-being to right livelihood to spiritual friendship. Join us for a lively mix of philosophy and action, contemplation and practical wisdom, to help you thrive under any circumstances.
“Catherine’s Kindergarten” Movie Screening. Q and A with James and the Producer Following the Film
Catherine’s Kindergarten Movie Screening
Extraordinary award-winning documentary by one of our sangha members.
How do you go on living when your world is shattered? This question is at the heart of Catherine’s Kindergarten, a feature-length documentary interweaving two story arcs: a mother’s physical journey to a remote Nepalese village to open a school in memory of her daughter and her emotional journey through the tangled underworld of grief. Critics say about the film, it celebrates the resilience of the human spirit, defines what it means to be truly alive, and offers hope, insight and comfort, even in the darkest of times. Catherine's Kindergarten is a deeply personal yet universal story, gracefully balancing all the multi-cultural aspects of grief while avoiding being maudlin. It is a visually beautiful and uplifting film that shows us how to live with dignity and compassion when our hearts are broken wide open. And there’s nothing more we need right now than learning to live with broken hearts as we heal from our numerous losses. What a gift to the world!
Eventbrite RSVP Link
Equanimity: Finding Balance in Difficult Times
Equanimity (upekkhā) is a highly valued quality in Buddhist teachings. But what is equanimity? How do we cultivate it in our meditation practice? Even more, how do we access it in daily life, especially in times like these with so much uncertainty, fear, and sadness over the suffering in the world? Through silent periods of sitting and walking, Dharma talks and discussion, we will explore the development of equanimity in our formal practice, as well as aspects of equanimity that can be applied pragmatically to our life off the cushion. New and experienced practitioners are welcome.
The Power of Joyful and Loving Engagement
An EcoDharma Exploration
In the midst of large-scale ecological harm and injustice, how might we cultivate resilience and an open heart? And how might connecting to unconditional joy strengthen our engaged practice?
https://oneearthsangha.org/articles/pgm-post/ecodharma-explorations/22-06/
Sponsored by One Earth Sangha