This short course will offer teachings, practices, and connection for committed dharma practitioners who are parents, as well as those who play an important role in a child’s life in different ways. While it can be at times challenging to maintain our practice within the demands of family, there are many rich and tender ways the Dharma can be practiced in the relationship with our children. A depth of practice is very possible within family life, although it will most often look very different than a practice based on solitude and retreat time. It will likely require creativity and flexibility, and finding our own way in our particular lives to keep a sustaining connection to practice alive. We hope to offer practices and perspectives that may support parents in finding this combination of depth, beauty, flexibility, and balance for themselves in relationship to their practice and parenting.
Perceiving parenting as a beautiful possibility for practicing dharma can be deeply meaningful, and the practice can be an invaluable resource for us in our parenting. Our meditation practice can make more open-heartedness and wisdom available to us as we parent our children. Our practice can help us bring skill to how we parent, but also create more space to be delighted and connected in a nourishing way.
We will be exploring the Brahmaviharas, the four immeasurable capacities of the heart/mind the Buddha encouraged practitioners to cultivate: Friendliness, joy in others good fortune, compassion, and equanimity. Each week we will look into one of the Brahmaviharas through teaching, practice, and discussion.
We will be inviting creativity, sensitivity and playfulness to the exploration of these beautiful heart qualities with the intention for everyone to find skill and their personally meaningful relationship to these ancient practices, so that they can become alive in our practice.
We hope that offering this space to practice and connect with other committed meditators and parents will offer a sense of sangha and support.
If you are unable to participate at the time this course is offered, the teaching and guided meditation portions of the sessions will be available to those who register (please make a note when you register that you will not be able to attend the live meetings).