Events

Event Information:

  • Thu
    14
    Jan
    2021

    TRAINING IN COMPASSION & RESILIENCE
    BOOK CLUB
    Beginning Thursday, January 14, 2:00-3:30pm
    Email Betsey (betsey@betseydowning.com) to reserve your space.
    The Book Club is free, but you must reserve your space.

    Join Betsey and a group of kindred spirits in a book club focused on developing the mental and emotional skills we need to meet the challenges of this tumultuous time, with maturity and resilience.

    The more grounded, calm, and compassionate we become, the greater our resilience.

    Humanity is at a crossroads.  We all know it.  We are destroying the habitat that gives us sustenance, and supports all life.  We are facing a Climate Emergency, catastrophic loss of ice, staggering biodiversity loss, and an increasingly threatened food supply.  The pandemic threatens our economy and continues to spread.  Researchers and scientists have stated that if we continue on this path, collapse is a likely outcome.

    Barbara Marx Hubbard’s statement, “Evolve or die”, comes to mind here.

    We may choose to “Evolve”, but what does that look like?  Evolve into what?  Many spiritual teachers note that as a species we are at an adolescence stage of development.  Our task is to grow up … and to grow up fast!  What kind of maturity do we need in order to rise to the challenges we face?

    How can we bring forth the best within ourselves?
    How can we respond, in head and heart, so that we are steady and grounded?
    And could we also serve as a beacon of sanity for others?

    How can we be grounded in reality and at the same time be open to possibilities?
    How can we become a “Possibilitarian”?

    Come explore these important issues with us!

    We’ll use the book, Training in Compassion Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong by Norman Fischer, as our guide and springboard for discussions.  We’ll take our time with the book, reading it over approximately 6 months, to absorb and apply the teachings in our daily lives.  We’ll also practice mindfulness and develop a community of support for having conversations of significance.

    Very practical, this book focuses on how to train the mind so we have more compassion and resilience, with a goal of these qualities becoming the way we are and the way we live on a daily basis.  The book is based on a highly revered Tibetan Buddhist text from 1200 CE and has been translated by many great teachers.  It contains 7 Principles and 59 slogans, or aphorisms, that are antidotes to mental habits that cause suffering.  We will read and apply a few of the slogans for each session.

    The Book Club sessions include the following:

    • Read 6-8 pages in advance of each session, and use the “slogans” in daily life; specific slogans will be given for each session in advance
    • Discussion of our experiences in applying them
    • Short mindfulness practice
    • Breathing practices
    • Discussion of a wide range of related topics (see below)
    • Guided meditation

    The Compassion & Resilience Book Club begins Thursday, January 14, 2021, 2:00-3:30pm with an Introduction; no reading necessary for the Introductory session.

    • Meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays
    • No obligation; attend as long as it’s beneficial for you
    • Only requirement: read the pages and come with an open heart prepared to discuss

    And since just about everything is related to how our minds think and how our hearts feel, we’ll explore a wide range of topics, which may include:

    • “Holding Space”
    • Response vs reaction
    • Connecting with others at a level deeper than belief systems
    • Keeping a “circle of connection” when processing challenging issues
    • Using everything as an opportunity to “wake up”
    • “Radical responsibility”
    • Recognizing our perceptual filters
    • Intuition and how to develop it
    • Non-dual philosophy
    • Synchronicities, grief, death, quantum physics, seeding the future and more!
    • Note: no blaming, shaming, or complaining! No conspiracy theories.

    Email Betsey (betsey@betseydowning.com) to save your spot.
    The Compassion & Resilience Book Club is free, but you must reserve your space to attend.