Our Relational Sensitivity on a Whole-Life Path: A Responsibility and a Blessing

Registration for this retreat is closed

Closed
Registration is closed for this retreat.
June 25 - June 27, 2021 (Friday to Sunday)


Meeting format (During program sessions, you will be able to see and hear the teacher, as well as other program participants, and they will be able to see and hear you).

We humans are relational. During the pandemic, we have been living in relative isolation, and we can see more clearly the undeniable core importance of our contact with nature, animals, and other humans.

The Buddha’s teachings, too, are profoundly relational. They stress spiritual friendship as central to the holy life, and community, sangha, as an essential refuge. Somehow, though, individuality, separation, and heroic striving have seeped from mainstream Western culture into our Dhamma practice.

During this retreat we will explore how we separate, contributing to suffering for ourselves and others, how we are interrelated, contributing to increased compassion and peace for ourselves and others, and how balanced effort can support us on this whole-life path. On a whole life path of Dhamma and practice, the Buddha’s teachings enter into practice individually, relationally, and socially in a heartful and authentic way. This is a matter of right view: as the Buddha described, and as we feel in our hearts, spiritual friendship is essential to joy, human decency, and awakening.

Join us for a weekend of relational meditation through Insight Dialogue practice to contemplate how we might meet each moment as embodied beings in relationship to a whole. How do the Buddha’s teachings come alive and stay alive to guide us on this path of liberation? How do we meet each other, and deepen our practice together? How do we meet the world as our field of practice? Turning toward our shared human experience, what is our responsibility to each other and the world as we engage a wholesome path of practice?

This retreat is based on Gregory’s book A Whole-Life Path. Although this is not required reading to participate, the book will contribute to a deeper understanding of the material and enhance your opportunities to apply the teachings to your life. Intrinsic to this retreat is Insight Dialogue practice, a formal practice that brings together meditative awareness, Buddhist wisdom teachings, and natural human relatedness. Insight Dialogue guidelines will be introduced and mainly practiced in small group breakouts. Please plan on practicing in breakouts to get the most from this retreat.

Gregory will be assisted by Peace Twesigye.

Fees
For this program, sliding scale fees are $80, $100, $130, or $200. Please select the highest rate you can reasonably afford. We also offer a scholarship fee of $40, and no-fee enrollment for those who request a fee-waiver. Our “Pay What You Can Afford" system supports the cultivation of a dynamic and inclusive community and contributes to the health and vibrancy of the sangha. Select the rate of your choice when you register. Email imsonline@dharma.org for more information or to request a no-fee enrollment.

Registration for this program closes 30 minutes prior to the opening session.

Teacher Support
Most IMS teachers—like insight teachers around the world—offer their teachings freely, and rely on the generosity of students for their livelihood. Teachers do not generally receive compensation from IMS program fees, though IMS may offer a modest advance to ensure financial support and the continuation of the teachings. Click here to learn more about teacher support. There will be an opportunity to offer a contribution to your teachers at the end of your program, or you may donate now

Daily Schedule -all times listed in Eastern Time ET:
Note: all sessions (except the Insight Dialogue practice & group sharing parts of the sessions) will be recorded and posted so you can view it later

Friday, June 25
7 - 8:30 pm - Opening Session

Saturday, June 26
8 - 9 am - Sitting with Guidance
10 - 11:30 am - Talk, Insight Dialogue practice, group sharing
1:30 - 3 pm - Talk, Insight Dialogue practice, group sharing
4 - 5:30 pm - Talk, Insight Dialogue practice, group sharing
7 - 8 pm - Sitting with Guidance

Sunday, June 27
8 - 9 am - Sitting with Guidance
10 - 11:30 am - Talk, Insight Dialogue practice, group sharing
1:30 - 3 pm - Talk, Insight Dialogue practice, group sharing
4 - 5:30 pm - Closing Session

Teacher bios:
Gregory Kramer teaches, writes, and is the founding teacher of the Insight Dialogue Community. His primary focuses are sharing a relational understanding of the Dhamma and teaching Insight Dialogue, an interpersonal form of Buddhist insight meditation. His most recent book is A Whole-Life Path: A Lay Buddhist’s Guide to Crafting a Dhamma-Infused Life. He is the author of Insight Dialogue: The Interpersonal Path to Freedom; Dharma Contemplation: Meditating Together with Wisdom Texts; Seeding the Heart: Practicing Lovingkindness with Children; and other books and articles. Since he began teaching meditation worldwide in 1980, he has pioneered online meditation and contemplation practices. His primary focus since 1995 has been developing and sharing a relational study of the Dhamma and Insight Dialogue, an interpersonal form of Buddhist insight meditation, and groups are now active worldwide. He also developed Dharma Contemplation, a text-based contemplation practice. For more, visitgregorykramer.org

Peace Twesigye has benefited from the practice of Insight Dialogue for several years and recently started teaching Insight Dialogue in 2018 with the mentoring and support of Gregory Kramer, Bart van Melik, and Tuere Sala. Peace is currently in the Insight Dialogue Teacher Development Cohort led by the Insight Dialogue Community Teachers Council and also serves as a practice leader, event manager, and sometimes teaches at New York Insight Meditation Center. Peace is the Program Manager of Buddhist Studies at Union Theological Seminary and as part of that work creates and supports spaces for contemplative practice that serve as a basis for students’ active engagement in social justice spaces. Peace lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Information you might find helpful:

Guidelines For Your Home Retreat
IMS Online Program Etiquette
IMS Online FAQ’s

Teachers