Exploring Buddhism

Don't just do something; sit there.

Sponsoring Teachers: Vern Castle and Marybeth Colman

General Information

We will collaborate to produce an online zen meditation video which will reflect our week long journey. The costs of the museum, transportation and dim sum lunch will be covered by the school. Please wear loose, comfortable clothing, and bring a yoga mat, if you have one.

Dana

The tradition of “dana” or giving will be explained and encouraged for the participants. For the last 2500 years the teachings have been freely given by people who have benefited from them. The monasteries of Asia are part of the community and historically were the only place of education for many young people. In turn, the community supported the temple with food, clothing and medicine.

The various outside meditation teachers that will be helping on this course operate in the same manner. You will be encouraged to reflect if you have received something of value and, if so moved, to make a small offering to those outside teachers. This is never required and there is no set amount that is appropriate.

It is the intention of the organizers - Vern Castle and Marybeth Colman - to offer to you access to the ancient/modern practices of awakening. The course is not intended as a sales pitch for any particular religious association. Rather it is a labor of the heart, as is all real teaching, a chance to offer something back that we have freely received.

Wednesday, January 7 - Introduction to the possibility of freedom

In the morning there will be a presentation of the historical figure called Siddhartha Gautama, a prince in a small kingdom near modern day Nepal. He is the person most people refer to when they talk about the Buddha. Who was he? What was it that he discovered?

Film in the theater:  Little Buddha /Siddhartha 
Mindful Eating: Please bring your own lunch. We will conclude each day with tea and treats.

Using our own bodies and minds as the vehicle of exploration, we’ll begin to open up the package of the Buddhist teachings. We’ll begin by using food and eating as one of our tools this day. We’ll practice breathing techniques and the simple movement of our bodies as we sit and walk to initiate a 5 day journey into the heart of our own lives. What might it mean to live an awakened life?

Thursday, January 8 - Daylong Retreat in the Theravadan Tradition

A day long retreat is an opportunity to explore in personal silence what it means to be “present with what is”. The way that Buddhism is seen and practiced in the countries of Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Sri Lanka will be the focus of this day. This is perhaps the oldest form of the teaching being practiced on Earth today- essentially the original form taught by the Buddha 2500 years ago. We’ll be sitting and walking, listening to teachings and essentially turning into the wind of our own experience all day long. We will travel to Spirit Rock for this retreat.

Friday, January 9 - Daylong Retreat in the Zen Tradition

When the teaching of the Buddha crossed the Himalaya Mountains, they ran into the ancient traditions of China. China was the cultural mentor for much of Eastern Asia with the teaching of Confucius and Lao Tsu already well established. Much like a recipe for a delicious meal, good cooks everywhere will taste and modify in a way that reflects local ingredients and tastes. We’ll learn a bit of the history of this movement across China and into Japan and spend the day in the spirit and practice of that new flavor. We will travel to Green Gulch for our retreat. Participants will receive a journal with the program and the teachings being offered each day. You’ll be given time to meditate, and be encouraged to write personal reflections which occur for you during the course. These will be private, and the book will not be collected as a school assignment.

Monday, January 12 - Daylong Retreat in the Tibetan Tradition

These days, nearly everyone has heard of the Dalai Lama, a winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace. He is the best known face of the form of the Buddhist teachings which have evolved in Tibet. Famously quoted as saying, “My religion is kindness”, he embodies another flavor of the Buddhist teachings, distinct from Zen and Theravadan. This day will be devoted to the study and practice of Tibetan teachings, and will conclude the intensive practice section of this course.

Tuesday, January 13 - Exploring Buddhist San Francisco

This day begins a bit later. We head for the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco for a special docent led tour of the exhibits. The theme is the influence of the Buddhist teachings on art. Much as Christianity influenced the art of Europe, Buddhism has been a major influence on the art forms of Asia. We’ll see themes that we have practiced in the previous days of this course expressed as art and will have a deeper and more connected understanding of these forms. We will eat a dim sum lunch in Chinatown, and visit Tin How temple, the oldest Buddhist temple in the United States. Weather permitting, we will stop by the Tea Garden in Golden Gate, to admire the architecture, and share tea and cookies in the teahouse.