3-Day Mindfulness (Vipassana) Meditation Retreat

3-DAY MINDFULNESS (VIPASSANA) MEDITATION RETREAT

WHEN: Feb. 18th and 19th, 2010, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Feb. 20th, 2010, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please note that this is a non-residential retreat. Participants will be returning to their homes at the end of each day of meditation.

This 3-day Mindfulness (Vipassana) meditation retreat introduces Buddhist practices that help us achieve deeper levels of insight into who and what we are, while promoting peace in our daily lives. By focusing moment-to-moment awareness on body sensations, feelings, and thoughts, we begin to clearly see life as a constantly changing process.

A sustained practice in Mindfulness meditation helps us to experience for ourselves the impermanence of all conditioned phenomena. This penetrating insight helps us to cultivate equanimity in regard to pain and pleasure, loss and gain, and other aspects of life's ever-changing circumstances. Mindfulness meditation, and the greater wisdom and peace it brings, allows us to relate to life with less fear and clinging.

People of all faiths are welcome to attend this event, which is suitable for both beginners and experienced meditators.

Please register in advance at www.SpringRainSangha.com. Application and orientation forms can be found in the "Retreats" section of the website.

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The retreat will be led by Philip Starkman, Jim Bedard, and Randy Baker of Spring Rain Sangha.

A psychotherapist and Lifestyle Counselor/Coach in private practice, Philip has more than 40 years of experience in many forms of meditation. His eclectic background includes years of intensive practice in the monasteries, temples, and ashrams of Asia.

In 1980, Jim began practicing Zen meditation and soon after became a student of Roshi Philip Kapleau of the Rochester Zen Centre. He practiced with Roshi Kapleau and his dharma heirs for the next 20 years. After completing his formal training in Zen, Jim spent several years practicing with senior Vipassana teachers in the Theravada tradition. Today, he offers a balanced, direct approach to practices that point directly to the heart of the teachings.

Randy began Dharma practice in 1977 and practiced Zen for 20 years, including 10 years on the staff of the Rochester Zen Centre. He took up insight (Vipassana) and metta (loving-kindness) meditation in 1997.