Intimacy With Oneself: A Day of Practice

May I be peaceful, happy, and light in body and spirit.
May I be safe and free from injury.
May I be free from anger, afflictions, fear, and anxiety.

These are the opening lines of Thich Nhat Hanh's version of Metta meditation, or lovingkindness meditation. To generate lovingkindness for others, Buddhist
teachings suggest we start by opening to ourselves, as that is the basis from which we can understand and thus love others. Far from a modern self-help message, this is a root of the Buddha's 2600 year-old teaching on how to cultivate love, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.

According to Thich Nhat Hanh, "To love is, first of all, to accept ourselves as we actually are. That is why in this love meditation, 'Know thyself' is the first practice of love. When we practice this, we see the conditions that have caused us to be the way we are. This makes it easy for us to accept ourselves, including our suffering and our happiness at the same time."

During this Day of Practice, we will focus on self understanding so that we can better love others. We will practice deepening our mindfulness and generating love and understanding for ourselves, our loved ones, and even those with whom we have difficulties.

Our Day of Practice will be led by Connie Anderson, Tim McCormack, and Scott Schang of the Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center and will take place in the Octagon at Blueberry Gardens in Ashton, Maryland. Our program is below. The suggested dana (donation) is $40-$70. Dana is a gift from the heart that supports the community and the teachings: please feel free to contribute less or more according to your circumstances.

Please bring with you a vegetarian dish to share as well as a plate, utensils, napkin, and cup for yourself.

Blueberry Gardens is about 13 miles from Crossings in Silver Spring and also 13 miles from the Columbia Yoga Center in Columbia. We will facilitate the formation of car pools to make the drive more enjoyable and to reduce gas consumption.

Register now. If you have questions, please please contact our registrar, Gene Klinger: gklinger@verizon.net or (301) 260-1635. For directions to Blueberry Gardens, go to www.blueberrygardens.org.

We hope you can join us. Please pass this notice on to friends or groups you think might be interested in joining with us.

Tentative Schedule

8:45    Registration and settling in
9:00    Welcome and introductions
9:30    Sitting and walking meditation (including instruction and guided meditation)
10:45  Reflections on finding ourselves and our way during the holidays
11:15  Outdoor walking meditation
12:00  Silent vegetarian potluck meal together
1:00    Total relaxation
1:45    Sitting and walking meditation
2:30    Dharma talk and sharing
3:30    Closing bell

Register now