“We do not ‘come into’ this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe.” — Alan Watts Realizing interconnectedness is the key to living with wisdom and compassion. Buddhism teaches that the delusion of separateness is at the root of all our unhappiness, and encourages us to recognize our deep connectedness to all beings and all things. The Buddha gifted us a beautiful meditation—the Six Element Practice—to help us let go of our narrow sense of self-identity so that we can experience instead an expansive and liberating sense of connection with the world and with other beings. In this day-long retreat we will explore our interconnectedness with each other and with the elements, with planet earth and with the universe. We'll learn to see ourselves afresh, with awe and appreciation at our place in the scheme of things, and a sense of gratitude and wonder at the miracle of being. The day will include sitting practice, as well as short talks, with plenty of time for group sharing.

“We do not ‘come into’ this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe.” — Alan Watts Realizing interconnectedness is the key to living with wisdom and compassion. Buddhism teaches that the delusion of separateness is at the root of all our unhappiness, and encourages us to recognize our deep connectedness to all beings and all things. The Buddha gifted us a beautiful meditation—the Six Element Practice—to help us let go of our narrow sense of self-identity so that we can experience instead an expansive and liberating sense of connection with the world and with other beings. In this day-long retreat we will explore our interconnectedness with each other and with the elements, with planet earth and with the universe. We'll learn to see ourselves afresh, with awe and appreciation at our place in the scheme of things, and a sense of gratitude and wonder at the miracle of being. The day will include sitting practice, as well as short talks, with plenty of time for group sharing.

“We do not ‘come into’ this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe.” — Alan Watts Realizing interconnectedness is the key to living with wisdom and compassion. Buddhism teaches that the delusion of separateness is at the root of all our unhappiness, and encourages us to recognize our deep connectedness to all beings and all things. The Buddha gifted us a beautiful meditation—the Six Element Practice—to help us let go of our narrow sense of self-identity so that we can experience instead an expansive and liberating sense of connection with the world and with other beings. In this day-long retreat we will explore our interconnectedness with each other and with the elements, with planet earth and with the universe. We'll learn to see ourselves afresh, with awe and appreciation at our place in the scheme of things, and a sense of gratitude and wonder at the miracle of being. The day will include sitting practice, as well as short talks, with plenty of time for group sharing.

Despite what you may have read, the Buddha never taught that there is no self. Nor did he assert that “our thoughts create the world.” Our Dharma in Dialogue series continues with a discussion of how our contemporary understandings of the Dharma are filtered by millennia of interpretation and commentary, and even distorted by misquotations and mistranslations—some of them willful. James Shaheen, editor of Tricycle magazine, has been running a series of articles exploring these misunderstandings, under the title “What the Buddha Never Said,” with contributions from luminaries such as Bhikkhus Bodhi and Thanissaro. Bodhipaksa, a Buddhist teacher and author, has been exploring quotations that have been falsely attributed to the Buddha, in his popular blog, fakebuddhaquotes.com. Join these two communicators in a fascinating discussion of the joys and pitfalls of attempting to “mythbust” the Dharma.