This is a 5-week course, with one session a week (which will be held on Wednesday evenings)

Bardos for everyday life are referred to as “intermediate states” in Tibetan Buddhism. They are described as moments or gaps that interrupt the continuity of daily living, such as loss, shock, or sustained uncertainty. The course will include several exercises to help us overcome these obstacles by using exercises such as, “Emergency meditations” (one breath or anti-complaint meditation) designed to help us negotiate the end of a relationship, the termination of a job, or even the uncertainty of COVID 19.

Core practices used during this series:

• Shamatha (tranquility) meditation: to stabilize the mind.
• Open Awareness meditation: to cultivate receptivity and equanimity. Contemplations and emergency meditations: One-breath meditation (from the Mahamudra tradition of Tibetan Buddhism), to be used on the spot to ventilate charged situations.
• Complaint Meditation (a hybrid of psychology/Buddhism): to stay embodied when you feel the urge to criticize, complain, or gossip.
• Happiness contemplations: 2-3 progressive contemplations on how to practice unconditional happiness.
• Bardo or “pause” practice: to work with impulse control. A refinement of the one-breath practice—both of which are very practical

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This is a 5-week course, with one session a week (which will be held on Wednesday evenings)

Bardos for everyday life are referred to as “intermediate states” in Tibetan Buddhism. They are described as moments or gaps that interrupt the continuity of daily living, such as loss, shock, or sustained uncertainty. The course will include several exercises to help us overcome these obstacles by using exercises such as, “Emergency meditations” (one breath or anti-complaint meditation) designed to help us negotiate the end of a relationship, the termination of a job, or even the uncertainty of COVID 19.

Core practices used during this series:

• Shamatha (tranquility) meditation: to stabilize the mind.
• Open Awareness meditation: to cultivate receptivity and equanimity. Contemplations and emergency meditations: One-breath meditation (from the Mahamudra tradition of Tibetan Buddhism), to be used on the spot to ventilate charged situations.
• Complaint Meditation (a hybrid of psychology/Buddhism): to stay embodied when you feel the urge to criticize, complain, or gossip.
• Happiness contemplations: 2-3 progressive contemplations on how to practice unconditional happiness.
• Bardo or “pause” practice: to work with impulse control. A refinement of the one-breath practice—both of which are very practical

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In this time of isolation and stress, it’s helpful to feel connected to others. What we need is social intimacy and physical distancing.

Continuing every Thursday at 1:00 pm Mountain Time, I’m going to be offering free weekly online meetings to share teachings appropriate for this time, and to respond to your questions.

We’ll talk about how to work with anxiety, fear, isolation, insomnia, heartbreak, uncertainty, and sickness – for starters. I’ll continue to offer these weekly gatherings for as long as they are helpful.

Practices appropriate to this situation will also be offered.