Practice Support Group
The Dharma Door of Physical Pain
led by
IMT Dharma Leader
Terry Magee
Sundays, Jan 9, 16, 23 & 30, 2022
10:00-11:30am MST
Pain is inevitable in this life, but suffering is optional.
Born into this human realm, these bodies experience various degrees of discomfort. These bodies naturally age, are subject to injury, deal with heat and cold, develop aches and pains, become ill, and eventually die. In our meditation practice we may experience uncomfortable sensations as we sit still for prolonged periods of time. These discomforts may be mild or strong, some are short lived, others may become chronic that we work with daily. Pain is inevitable in this life, even the Buddha lived with back pain.
But how is suffering optional?
When we experience challenging sensations, there is a tendency to contract and turn away from the body, to escape this present moment into various distractions. We wait for the unpleasant sensation to end so that we can then be happy, but why wait? How we relate to and hold these sensations matter. The degree to which we resist painful sensations is the degree to which we suffer. Rather than being reactive can we be curious, kind, and patient in the process of the unfolding sensations. What would it be to turn towards this experience, to go through this Dharma Door of Physical Pain as a path of practice? What freedom might we open to?
This class is for those who are looking to work skillfully with physical discomfort that may arise during meditation as well as those who live with chronic pain. In this class we will explore the attitude of mind and our relationship to discomfort. We will learn specific ways of working with pain. The class will consist of meditation instructions, talks, and plenty of time for questions.
WHEN
Sundays, Jan 9, 16, 23 & 30, 2022
10:00-11:30am MST (Arizona is currently the same as Mountain Time)
WHERE
Like all our current offerings, this class will take place via Zoom, an online meeting platform.
COST
Sliding scale donation: $100 - $20.
No one is turned away for lack of funds.
CONTACT
Terry Magee email: insightmeditationtucson@gmail.com or leave a voice message at 520-477-1897.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Registration is required and is open until the first class begins. Once you register you will receive a confirmation email. A few days before the class starts you will receive an Information email, containing the class Zoom link and passcode. Please click below to register and make your donation.
We tend to wait for the unpleasant sensation to end so that we can then be happy, but why wait?
ABOUT THE TEACHER
Terry Magee was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 1980. In 1983 she came to meditation looking for a means of pain management, but found something more. In 1995 she began studying with Shinzen Young and has been practicing Insight Meditation with various Dharma teachers, including Anna Douglas, Carol Wilson, Sayadaw U Tejaniya, and others. Since 2006, she has been teaching as a Dharma Leader under the mentorship of Anna Douglas. She has been especially interested in trauma sensitive mindfulness as well as using mindfulness meditation for the management of physical pain for herself and others.