Hosting as an Art: Deepening Practice through Meditation

October 26 - 28, 2012

Course Description:A weekend of meditation based on the Shambhala teachings. Shambhala is an ancient tradition based on a very straight-forward logic: on the ground of basic goodness, a path of meditation leads to the realization of enlightened society. In modern-day western culture it is best known as a social change movement, having clear resonance with the Art of Hosting.  During this weekend, we will explore the view, “Why meditate?” as well as some of the methods that have proved useful to many people for millennia. We will practice inside and outside the 4 walls, with instruction in sitting stillness practice, sensory awareness, aimless wandering and connecting directly with our environment.   This is not a survey course, but a feet-on-the-ground, bum-on-the-seat weekend of joining the earthy practicality of our lives with our highest aspirations for benefitting this world. The method for joining these is meditation.   What does this have to do with hosting? In order to host others in conversations that matter, and transformations that work, we have to have real experience in hosting ourselves. One of the most direct and effective means of hosting ourselves, or “making friends with ourselves”, is meditation, which is just a word for the process of relaxing, waking up and connecting with what is.   When does hosting manifest as an art? When hosting is based purely on methods learned in a “training”, it can remain stiff and mechanical, an awkward and not-so-useful process. It is freedom from concept that releases hosting from cookbook linearity and raises it into genuine creativity. Meditation is a powerful practice for recognizing our already-existing natural awareness before we think about it or even label it as awareness.   If we are to be truly helpful in hosting others, we must become excellent hosts of ourselves. This weekend of meditation could be a fertile beginning or a deepening of our already rich personal practice.    Jim Drescher is co-director of Windhorse Farm (www.windhorsefarm.org), a leadership learning centre in Nova Scotia. He is a forest ecologist, beekeeper, husband, father and grandfather. A student of Chogyam Trungpa since 1973, he has been practicing and teaching meditation for almost 4 decades. Most of his practice these days is in the natural landscape.  Registration is open to forty participants. Click here to reserve your cushion.

 If you have any questions about the event, please contact Phil Cass at pcass@goodhealthcolumbus.org. If you have any questions about registration, please contact Marcelle Gilkerson atmarcellesque@yahoo.com.

Update on Friday, September 7, 2012 at 7:33PM by Tuesday

LOGISTICS

Phil Cass, Jim Drescher, Janice Glowski, Tom Gregoire, Matt Habash, Marc Parnes and Marcelle Gilkerson warmly invite you to a weekend of meditation training with Mr. Jim Drescher, based on the Shambhala teachings and intended to support the Art of Hosting and ALIA communities. Participation is limited to 40 participants and will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis. Please register as soon as possible to ensure your participation.

Hosting as an Art: Deepening Practice through Meditation will be held at Hickory Lakes at 12495 Ault Rd. in Pickerington. Located close to home and yet “far enough” away, Hickory Lakes is a unique and beautiful venue. Hickory Lakes is an 88 acre oasis of mixed hardwood forest, six lakes and large open meadows presenting an unmatched natural setting in the heart of the ever-growing City of Pickerington and Violet Township.

SCHEDULE

Friday, October 26th: Please plan to join us at 7:00p for an introductory talk until 9:00PM
Saturday, October 27th and Sunday, October 28th: Please plan to arrive at the facilities at Hickory Lakes for registration at 9:00AM. We will spend full days together and end on Saturday at 4:30PM . On Sunday, October 28th, we will conclude with a light reception no later than 3:00PM.

PRE-REQUISITES, REGISTRATION AND COST

No meditation experience is necessary, and this program is open to practitioners of any meditation tradition. Registration is open to forty (40) participants on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register: Register online at columbus.shambhala.org. Go to the program header and scroll down to Hosting as an Art. There you will find a registration link to reserve your cushion. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Phil Cass at pcass@goodhealthcolumbus.org. If you have any questions about registration, please contact Marcelle Gilkerson at marcellesque@yahoo.com.

Cost: The cost of the weekend is $240 and this includes lunch on both Saturday and Sunday.