5-Day Mindfulness Meditation Retreat w/ Miles Kessler
| Date: | November 18, 2017—November 23, 2017 |
|---|---|
| Event: | Maastricht, Nederlands - 5-Day Mindfulness Meditation Retreat |
| Topic: | Waking Up, Growing Up, Showing Up |
| Venue: | SeeTrue Mindfulness |
| Public: | Public |
| Registration: | Click here to register. |
The word Dharma is an ancient Sanskrit work meaning “Spiritual Teachings”, “Universal Principles”, or “Ultimate Reality.” And even though it isn’t always held this way, Aikido is an art that rests on the foundation of universal principles. This is the “Dharma Of Aikido”.
By all accounts, Aikido’s founder O Sensei had a profound spiritual awakening into ultimate reality. It was this awakening that transformed his martial arts into Aikido. Ueshiba’s Aikido was a profound expression of the Dharma, which in Aikido has one fundamental taste: Conflict becomes resolved into wholeness.
I have recently been conducting a series of “Dharma Discussions” with several of my friends who are meditation teachers. These discussions are exclusively for our current “Meditation For Aikido” course participants. However, these discussions are so good that I’ve decided to take some “bite-sized” excerpts and share them with my blog readers. I’m calling them “Dharma Bites” and here is the first many more to come. Here is an excerpt from a Dharma discussion I had on “The Wisdom Of Awareness, Tolerance & Allowing.”
Well, we are in the middle of the “Meditation For Aikidoka” online course launch and I’ve been really surprised by the response I’ve gotten from all of you. This is the 5th day of registration and many of you have sent in great feedback, AND great questions too.
The biggest trend in personal development these days is “mindfulness.” The popularity of Mindfulness today is especially interesting because even though it is adopted as a post-modern practice, it has been the core transformative practice of spiritual awakening traditions for millennia. Mindfulness also happens to be the primary awareness training that lies at the heart of Aikido practice. We call it “Zanshin” – the mindfulness of aikido.
On Tuesday, Nov. 1st, 2016 I will be leading a community call on “Meditation For Aikidoka.” These calls go for 90 min. and are a great way to get some of my best teachings as well as connect with global Aiki-Tribe.
For your convenience I’m holding two calls in Central European & North American Timezones: The first call will be held at 11 AM PDT / 2 PM EDT / 7 PM Central Europe. The second call will be held at 6 PM PDT / 9 PM EDT.
I’m really looking forward to this community call and I hope that you can be with us!
It was early 1998, and I had just finished an eight-year phase of life, living in Japan. I had been studying Aikido full time with my teacher Morihiro Saito Sensei, at the famous Iwama dojo. Even though I had achieved a sense satisfaction in what I had accomplished during this time, there was also a subtle itch of wanting something more, something I wasn’t finding in my Aikido life in Japan.
In This Very Life: The Liberation Teachings of the Buddha (Wisdom Publications, 1995)
As you might know, Sayadaw U Pandita was my meditation teacher. His book is hands down the best guide for anyone who is interested in doing extended Vipassana meditation retreats. It is safe to say that no other teacher has impacted the establishment of the Dharma in the West as much as the late Burmese meditation master Sayadaw U Pandita.
A highly skilled Dharma and meditation teacher for over 60 years, U Pandita guided thousands of yogis through the Progress Of Insight, including many of the top Western meditation teachers such as Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Ram Das, Daniel Goldman, Sharon Salzberg, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and Sam Harris.
You won’t find a better guide for your practice. This book is suited for beginners, for advanced practitioners, and for anyone who aspires to realize the Dharma in this very life!
Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path (Sounds True, 2009)
In “Eyes Wide Open” Mariana Caplan has created a first of its kind “field guide” for walking a spiritual path. She has laid out a post-modern map of the major interior spaces you need to consider on your path – cultural, psychological, tantric, and shadow work. She also writes on the critical issue of what it means to be in a relationship with a spiritual teacher in a postmodern world. For anyone interested in cultivating wisdom, orientation and clarity on the spiritual path, “Eyes Wide Open” is essential reading.