July Practice Support Group
How to Listen (More) Deeply – to Ourselves,
to Others, and to the World.
Who do you know who is a good listener? What qualities of heart and mind make them so? Perhaps some of these descriptions come to mind - present, patient, interested, curious, genuine, warm hearted, open, non judgmental, empathic. Hardly anyone has all of these qualities, but most likely, we all have a few. Can you recognize how helpful they have been to you at important moments? And let’s also recognize that there are some whose capacity to listen has opened new doors of perception and understanding for humanity. The Buddha was one of these. As was the composer Igor Stravinsky whose Rite of Spring , in its premier performance in 1913, set off a riot among the audience.
These days, social media has grossly inflated and commodified the common wish to be heard. A far fewer number of people want to listen. Kwan Yin exemplifies the healing potential of deep listening, which is to cultivate compassion and offer love to the frightened world. She is known as “the one who hears the cries of suffering.” She is often depicted as carrying a healing potion and freely offering it to those in need. By listening to suffering with compassion, we activate a potent healing force into the collective consciousness. It ripples out.
If we want to listen more deeply, we must encounter the obstacles to listening – such as distraction, anxiety, the need to be right, fear of losing, etc. - the list is long. But for each of us it is worth identifying the two or three most habitual obstacles. If you cannot think of any, ask your partner or a good friend, or your child what they experience about how you listen!
For this July class series we will highlight deep listening in our mindfulness practice, as it applies to ourselves, to others, to the world, and to our highest aspirations.
Some of the questions we will consider:
How can deep listening help us navigate the unpredictable and unstable conditions of worldly life?
What are the “who, what, and why” of listening?
What are 3 habitual patterns which cut off our ability to listen ?
What is the cost of not listening?
What are 2 essential steps to deep listening?
How would deepening your listening be beneficial in your daily life?
The class will include a guided deep listening practice, a dharma talk with Q & A, discussion, and inquiry in dyads.
WHEN
July Practice Support Group
Sundays, July 9, 16, 23 & 30
10:00-11:45am PT
Note: During Daylight Savings Time Arizona is the same as Pacific Time
WHERE
Like all our current offerings, this class will take place via Zoom, an online meeting platform.
COST
4 class series: $100-$25
For those of you on a limited budget pay what you can. No one will be turned away.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Registration is required. Once you register you will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours. Please click below to register and make your donation.
Sit every day and the teachings come alive!
The Practice Support Group is designed to help you establish a consistent and nourishing daily practice. Whether you sit 10, 20, 30 or 40 or 50 minutes daily this class will help you to find a length and frequency that works for you. When questions or challenges arise there is the opportunity to explore them in the weekly group.
Participating in a Dharma group is one of the most supportive things we can do to help our meditation practice grow.
ABOUT THE TEACHER
Anna Douglas, PhD., is the founder of Insight Meditation Tucson, and one of the founding teachers of Spirit Rock Meditation Center. In 1986 she was one of five Dharma students invited to train in Jack Kornfield's groundbreaking program of practice and study for new teachers. Although Anna's background is in psychology and the arts, she has had the good fortune as well as the deep aspiration to be able to do many long retreats in the vipassana/insight tradition. For many years her focus in teaching was to guide people in long retreats. She also created and taught mindfulness retreats for yoga practitioners and teachers, and for 15 years taught an annual creativity retreat using painting and writing as the mediums of exploration. In more recent years Anna's teaching has included classes and retreats on aging and dying. She is grateful for the many wonderful opportunities for practice and for teaching she continues to enjoy. This includes offering spiritual guidance to those for whom the Dharma is an ongoing wellspring of spiritual nourishment and inspiration. Anna is available for individual mentoring/guidance in the practice of insight meditation. Even as old age and various forms of decrepitude advance, her deepest wish is that the blessings of Dharma continue to be felt and shared for the benefit of all!