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Healing the Splits Within: Right Effort (Webinar Series 3)
September 4, 2017 - September 25, 2017
What is the key to truly healing ourselves? It is combining our aspiration to do so with actual sustained effort. Join us for the third four part webinar series of 2017. Each of the three webinar series held throughout the year draws on an aspect of the three parts of the Eightfold Ennobling Path. This methodology of spiritual awakening is divided into three sections: panna, sila and samadhi, corresponding to mind, speech and body.
This first webinar series, The Mystical Life: Right View in February, 2017 focuses on mind & view (panna). This second series, Career & Creativity: Right Livelihood, relates action, speech & sila. This third series of webinar teachings, Healing the Splits Within: Right Effort, focuses on effort, part of body & samadhi.
Another orientation for the webinar topics would be like this: the nature of the mystical life (view), career as a path to awakening (speech) and healing the body of liberation (samadhi). Each of these sections will comprise of four consecutive Monday night teachings (12 in total), each ending with a weekend “at home” retreat to seal the teachings with actual practice and experience.
Healing the Splits Within: Right Effort –
Webinar Series Description:
There are easier and harder ways to get things done. Typically war and violence don’t resolve anything; similarly anger, greed or confusion don’t yield happiness.
How can we heal the madness of society and people around us? First we must heal ourselves. The key to healing is applying effort efficiently and steadily to our attention. Attention and action that are wholesome – whole, integrated, holy – is in everyone’s best interest. What is “wholesome?” Whatever leads to our spiritual awakening, our unfolding and development as an integrated, whole, holy human being.
How do we know whether we’re making a “complete effort?” Non-clinging is essential. In spite of what we might wish, everything is impermanent. A large part of our struggle is trying to make the impermanent permanent. Through the effort of recognizing and behaving with the realization of non-clinging, we eliminate the constipation of trying to cling to people or things or mindstates. Health is the natural result.
What do we apply our effort to? It seems our efforts are mostly driven by our desires or personal preferences. If our desires are based on exploitation (what’s in it for me), we’re subject to the three conceits: I am better than, worse than or equal to someone or something else. This comprises a search for safety and security in the material world, where it can’t be found … and instead leads to anxiety and exploitation. Right effort is living by what you already have, then extending the awareness and learning from that.
Right effort means having the best vision. The “best vision” is that which brings greater degrees of freedom. We invite you to join us for this series of webinars, to explore how you may find greater degrees of freedom in your life.
Course Dates:
The webinars are streamed live on Mondays, Sept 4, 11, 18, 25, at 7:30pm Mountain Time. We encourage you to prioritize attending live, in order to get the maximum benefit from the energy of the teachings, and to be able to ask questions as they arise.
If this isn’t possible, the classes may be watched as a recording for one week after the live class. The webinars are available online for one week after each session, and directions will be given upon registration.
Flash Retreat: On the weekend of Sept 30 and Oct 1, 2017, participants will meditate at home using a unique meditation (details to be announced) designed specifically for modern beings living in today’s world. We encourage you to book and plan for this time in your schedules in advance.
Homework: Some homework will be given in each session that we can apply as we go through our day.
Office Hours: For Year of Victory program participants there are regular Saturday ‘Office Hours’ at 3pm MST to ask questions or ask for further clarification. For non year long participants there are our regularly scheduled ‘Office Hours’ that typically are every second Sunday at 3pm MST.
Online Forum for Connected Learning: We encourage attendees to participate in Juice, our online forum designed to develop connections with other practitioners, support one another, and otherwise keep our practice juicy. On Juice we can share our experiences as we do the homework and reflect on the teachings, and learn from one another’s experiences and perspectives. When we share what works for us, our spiritual progress can really augment one another’s.
Note that you must register before the start of the first webinar in order to watch all webinars in the series.
Dana and Fees
Dana
In accordance with the tradition of spiritual teachings everywhere, the teachings are given by dāna so that finances will not be an impediment to receiving teachings. Dāna practice is a profound and very high teaching, and we encourage you to educate yourself about it here (Dāna Guidelines & Practice), keep your dāna practice vibrant, and do whatever you can to support the work we do.
Dāna is s non-transactional form of support, and thus it’s most beneficial for the giver to give regularly and as generously as possible. With reflection, we start to redefine what concepts like “support,” “generosity,” “giving,” etc. truly mean. Traditionally dāna is given at the beginning of teachings, in order to set our intention of participating with our utmost sincerity and diligence.
Fees
There is a basic course fee to defray the costs of providing these programs online that include the technology and infrastructure. If the course fee presents a challenge to you, connect with us to explore alternative forms of energy exchange.
About Teachers Doug Duncan & Catherine Pawasarat:
Combined, Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat have been practicing the teachings of spiritual awakening for more than 60 years. They’re well versed in Buddhist and Western philosophy and practices, as well as contemporary psychology, consciousness studies and art.
Doug and Catherine founded Clear Sky Meditation Centre in BC, where they are based, ten years ago. Having lived overseas for many years and traveled extensively, they also draw on intercultural and trans-cultural experience to broaden the range and depth of their understandings of spiritual awakening & liberation that they share with others.
Their engaged compassion, sense of humor and combined wisdom will enrich your life with exploration & discovery. Read their full bios: Dharma Teachers Doug Duncan & Catherine Pawasarat.
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