Spiritual abolitionism is more than a critique of power and how social systems work to grant and deny people resources that they need to survive. Spiritual abolitionism means that our entire ecology must be liberated. The Heart Sutra is one of the tools available to us in this work of liberation.
The Heart Sutra teaches that all phenomena are just expressions of the essence — this includes the sacred duality between form and emptiness. The Heart Sutra is nothing but a contradiction. Therefore, sacred duality is a contradiction because, ultimately, there is no duality as there are no phenomena.
Dualities generate a tension that, through practice, we can ride back into the essence. The tension keeps us activated, which in turn keeps us from sinking into a lull or numbness from which it is difficult to break out. Using dualities like this expresses another theme of the Heart Sutra, which is the potential of liberation through contradictions.
In this retreat, Lama Rod will guide participants in exploring how they can embody and live out these contradictions in their daily lives, in service to their collective liberation for themselves, others, and the unseen ecologies of ancestors and descendants. We must do the labor to get ourselves free, and that is the same labor we offer to our collectives.
Program Format: This retreat will include silent and guided meditation, dharma talks, small and small and large group discussion.
Assistant Teacher: sister sadada
