Half Day Meditation
Fall and Winter 2017-18 dates are being set. Please watch for updates.
9 am to 12 pm, sitting & walking meditation
12-1 pm, potluck lunch
Gaebler Living Room, First Unitarian Society
900 University Bay Drive, Madison, WI
Half day sittings consist of 45 minute sitting periods alternating with 20 minutes of walking meditation for the three hour session. If you can’t attend for the entire morning, feel free to come for a portion of it. Please plan your arrival just a little before the hour, so you can join the last few minutes of walking and stay for the sitting meditation. The meditation will be followed by a potluck lunch in the same location. If you can, please bring something to share. Questions about these sessions can be directed to Tony at (608) 338-4820. There is no fee or registration required. Everyone is invited.
Kalyana Mitta Groups
A Kalyana Mitta (spiritual friend in Pali) are groups of 8-12 individuals that gather periodically to discuss and study the teachings of the Buddha and his path of practice. Each group determines how frequently they will meet and the content and structure of the sessions. We gather the names of those interested and when there are enough people for a new group they are notified and assisted in getting the group going. Once the group is established each Kalyana Mitta manages on their own. Individuals interested in joining a Kalyana Mitta should send an email to Jan at uppekha@yahoo.com
Form and Freedom in Theravada Buddhism – A Year-long Program to Deepen Your Practice
This program was first offered in 2015 and is being offered for a 2nd time beginning in July 2016 and running through September 2017. The 2016-17 program is now closed for enrollment, but if the program is of interest to you, contact Jan at janice.sheppard@yahoo.com so she can let you know if it will be offered again in 2018.
The Buddha’s path to awakening requires heedfulness to the true nature of the world and to our intentions, to our actions, and to the state of our body, heart and mind. Often, following the advice to act based on heedful attention can feel as if we are “going against the stream” of the worldly life. Fortunately, the Buddha understood that this path was not easy, and so he provided us with teachings that point the way, and practices that open the heart, train the mind, and lead to unshakeable peace.
Form and Freedom is a year-long program for those interested in making a commitment to the Buddha’s spiritual path, in broadening exposure to his teachings, and in following his suggestions for traveling the path to awakening. In order to provide support and guidance for those seeking to deepen understanding of and commitment to their spiritual growth, Form & Freedom will offer a structure for ongoing investigation, guidance, reflection, and community.
During the year we will practice and study according to Theravada traditions that have been sustained over the 2558 years since the time of the Buddha. Students will be asked to do so not because of blind belief or obedience, but because they recognize how much they have already benefitted from meditation, and they have a willingness to experiment with adding traditional, heart-based practices, and gaining greater exposure to the actual discourses and teachings of the Buddha.
If you feel a desire to deepen your practice, or if it feels a bit loose, open-ended, unclear, undirected, dry, or free-floating, this program can provide the grounding and clarity to lift your heart, release confusion, and enable you to fully integrate the practice into your life.
The program requires a significant commitment of heart, mind, and time from those enrolled. There will be 13 monthly four-hour gatherings on Saturdays. These include meditation, Dhamma talks based upon assigned readings, and plenty of time for discussion and reflection within the group. Between sessions students will be assigned readings and suggested practices and reflections to apply the teachings to daily life. Students will have a ‘Buddha Buddhy’ to connect with periodically during the time between sessions. Once the program begins, no new students will be added in order to support the integrity of the group. If there is interest, we may go on field trips together to visit monasteries or hear from visiting monastics.