9:00 am
Stephan Bodian ~ Realize Your Inherent Wakefulness ~ 2-Part Online Course
Oct. 9 & 16
9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Pacific Time
Time Zone Converter
Event will be recorded and emailed
to participants after each meeting.
You're welcome to join even if you can't attend all the live sessions.
"Just remain as you are, without question or doubt. That is your natural state." ~ Ramana Maharshi
Once we have an initial recognition that our thoughts and feelings do not in fact constitute who we really are, the next step is to realize our “natural state” of inherent wakefulness, which is never lost or gained and never sullied or disturbed by the thoughts and feelings that arise. This direct recognition, beyond the mind, of our essential spiritual nature is the breakthrough awakening to which the nondual spiritual traditions point.
Yet many seekers read the books and watch the videos but never come to this clear recognition, which is traditionally transmitted, and then confirmed, by direct pointing in the presence of a teacher. This two-day workshop/retreat, on successive Saturdays, will offer meditations and pointing-out instructions to introduce you directly to your natural state—what Tibetans call the “nature of mind” and Zen calls your original face before your parents were born. Once you know who you are without question or doubt, you have experienced a major shift in identity and can’t completely revert to your old, dysfunctional way of being again.
Stephan Bodian is a teacher in the nondual wisdom tradition of Zen, Dzogchen, and Advaita and the founder and director of the annual School for Awakening, an intensive six-month program of exploration and study. Trained as a Buddhist monk for a decade, he studied Advaita for many years with Jean Klein and received Dharma transmission from Adyashanti in 2001. His books include Wake Up Now; Beyond Mindfulness; Meditation for Dummies; and Buddhism for Dummies (with Jon Landaw).
More about Stephan Bodian: www.stephanbodian.org
Sliding Scale: $50 to $90
Some Partial Scholarships Available
Please Register Early if you can.
REGISTER
Stephan Bodian ~ Realize Your Inherent Wakefulness ~ 2-Part Online Course
Once we have an initial recognition that our thoughts and feelings do not in fact constitute who we really are, the next step is to realize our “natural state” of inherent wakefulness, which is never lost or gained and never sullied or disturbed by the thoughts and feelings that arise. This direct recognition, beyond the mind, of our essential spiritual nature is the breakthrough awakening to which the nondual spiritual traditions point.
Yet many seekers never come to this clear recognition. This two-day workshop/retreat, on successive Saturdays, will offer meditations and pointing-out instructions to introduce you directly to your natural state. Once you know who you are without question or doubt, you have experienced a major shift in identity and can’t completely revert to your old, dysfunctional way of being again.
Stephan Bodian is a teacher in the nondual wisdom tradition of Zen, Dzogchen, and Advaita. Trained as a Buddhist monk for a decade, he studied Advaita for many years with Jean Klein and received Dharma transmission from Adyashanti in 2001.
Find out more »4:00 pm
Peter Russell ~ Letting Go of Nothing
This event will be held in a shaded garden courtyard.
Bring layers for the variable Berkeley weather.
Peter Russell will be leading a session based on his new book, Letting Go of Nothing: Relax Your Mind and Discover the Wonder of Your True Nature.
The call to let go lies at the heart of the world’s spiritual traditions. Non-attachment to outcomes, surrendering desires, accepting the present, opening to a higher power, relinquishing the ego, forgiveness—they all entail letting go. But letting go is not always easy. That’s because we often think of it as getting rid of some disturbing thought or feeling. Peter Russell reframes letting go, not as another task we need to do, but as letting in and letting be, and applies this principle to letting go of judgments and grievances, unhealthy emotions and fixed beliefs, and our assumptions as to what will make us happy.
He shows how letting go is key to meditation—allowing the thinking mind to quieten so that we can experience the intrinsic peace of our natural mind, unperturbed by worry and concern. When we do, we discover the true nature of the self—the “I” at the heart of our being. Here, free from the machinations of the ego-mind, we can be more in touch with our hearts and our innate wisdom, and taste the awakening that all the great mystics and spiritual teachers have spoken of.
Peter Russell is a leading thinker on consciousness and contemporary spirituality. He is the author of a dozen books, including The Global Brain, Waking Up in Time and From Science to God. His new book, Letting Go of Nothing, was published this August.
Peter studied theoretical physics, experimental psychology, and computer science at the University of Cambridge, and meditation and Eastern Philosophy in India. And pioneered the introduction of personal growth programs to corporations in the 1980s.
His mission is to distill the essential wisdom on human consciousness found in the world’s various spiritual traditions, and to disseminate their teachings on self-liberation in contemporary and compelling ways.
Suggested donation: $15 to $25
Find out more »Peter Russell ~ Letting Go of Nothing: An In-Person Event in Berkeley
The call to let go lies at the heart of the world’s spiritual traditions. But letting go is not always easy. That’s because we often think of it as getting rid of some disturbing thought or feeling. Peter Russell reframes letting go, not as another task we need to do, but as letting in and letting be, and applies this principle to letting go of judgments and grievances, unhealthy emotions and fixed beliefs, and our assumptions as to what will make us happy.
He shows how letting go is key to meditation—allowing the thinking mind to quieten so that we can experience the intrinsic peace of our natural mind, unperturbed by worry and concern. When we do, we discover the true nature of the self—the “I” at the heart of our being.
Peter Russell is a leading thinker on consciousness and contemporary spirituality. His mission is to distill the essential wisdom on human consciousness found in the world’s various spiritual traditions, and to disseminate their teachings on self-liberation in contemporary and compelling ways. He is the author of a dozen books, including his latest, Letting Go of Nothing, published this August.
Find out more »