A day retreat organized around the Brahma Viharas; practice in diads; guided practice; and a closing talk on Equanimity
TALK #1: Tending to inner and outer conflict – “bring the calming rains that quiet the fires inside of us.”
Exploring the Brahma Viharas
Tom Spanbauer – In the City of Shy Hunters – “How do I keep my heart open in hell?”
-BREAK-
THE 4 BRAHMA VIHARAS
- Metta – Loving Kindness
- Karuna – Compassion
- Mudita – Sympathetic Joy
- Upekka – Equanimity
Retreat agreements (from East Bay Meditation Center):
- Try it on
- Practice self-focus – speak from your own experience and not make assumptions about others
- Understanding the difference between intent and impact
- Practicing both/and – noticing the difference between but/and
- Refraining from blaming or shaming others
- Move up, move back – noticing the space we take up in groups
- Practice mindful listening – bring our full attention to the person who is speaking
- Confidentiality – “take home your learning but leave the details here”
- Right to pass
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René Rivera is a meditation teacher, restorative justice facilitator, and leader, working and learning in all the spaces in-between race, gender, and other perceived binaries, as a queer, mixed-race, trans man. René teaches heart-centered, trauma-informed meditation, at the East Bay Meditation Center and other meditation centers. He has co-led the first residential meditation retreats for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive people. René is a restorative justice facilitator for the Ahimsa Collective, working to heal sexual and gender-based violence.
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