Coming to Rest
November 14-December 19 (6 weeks)
7-8:30 PM
online via Zoom
Suggested donation: $75
Rest is often difficult to find and not valued in our culture, yet it is the place from which well-being and deep spiritual insight springs. This six-week course covers basic principles of calming, stabilizing, and grounding the mind and the nervous system found in the Buddhist teaching as well as plumbs the deeper meaning of "rest" through working with tendencies toward dissatisfaction and wanting to get somewhere/get sometime that keep our hearts in the imagined future and not here. Each class will include 30 minutes of guided meditation. Those who maintain a daily meditation practice during this course will find the most benefit from the teaching.
November 14, 2023
Dharma Talk - Rest is often difficult to find and not valued in our culture, yet it is the place from which well-being and deep spiritual insight springs.
Discussion -Mark discusses finding comfort, and working through discomfort, while practicing sitting meditation.
November 21, 2023
Dharma Talk - How do we manage the "anxious do-er" so that we can truly come to rest? The breath and body can be stabilizing tools to move us from our anxious mind to the present moment.
Discussion - What does the concept of "doing nothing" really mean? Participants share their experiences of getting stuck in the mind and the challenge of moving from the stuck mind to rest.
November 28, 2023
Dharma Talk - How do we rest and come to peace in this world of change?
Discussion - Participants report on their experiences of "doing nothing". How can one come to rest during suffering?
December 5, 2023
Dharma Talk - The word "savoring" speaks to the heart being engaged in the present moment.
Discussion - Participants discuss their experiences using the word "savoring" in coming to rest and how relaxing is impacted by the felt sense of time versus chronological time.
December 12, 2023
Dharma Talk - Accessing the back of the heart brings us to a deep place of rest. Mark demonstrates how to move energy from head to heart in this talk.
Discussion - Participants discuss moving energy and how it affects our bodies and our connection to others.
December 19, 2023
Dharma Talk - Gratitude, goodwill and presence lead to coming to rest.
Discussion - Mark clarifies the concept of "presence" and the difference between presence and reality.