For more information, please visit the program page.
In this immersive course, we will follow a deepening path of meditative experiments—liberating in themselves and leading onward to experiential insight into the Empty, magical nature of all things. Our exploration will be based on Rob Burbea’s book Seeing That Frees.
Emptiness is sometimes described as the crown jewel of the Dharma — a profoundly transformative realization. Such understanding goes beyond any particular meditative experience, impressive as it may be, and reveals something profoundly true, compassionate, and awe-inspiring about the nature of all things. The path to such realization is subtle and gradual, composed of liberating experiences and the ways we come to understand them. In this course, we will engage in meditative explorations central to the Buddha’s presentation of the path: as liberating ways of looking, freeing in the moment, pointing toward deeper understanding, and forming a cohesive whole that may transform one’s intuitive sense of the nature of self and world.
Seeing That Frees: Meditations on Emptiness and Dependent Arising was written by the late Dharma teacher Rob Burbea, who served as the resident teacher at Gaia House. The book invites us on a meditative journey of deep experimentation, uncovering the constructed nature of all phenomena and pointing to their Emptiness—the magical nature of appearances. Its power lies in presenting this as a path of direct, experiential exploration. The empty, fathomless nature of things is compellingly revealed through first-person experience—immediate, effective, and transformative in the here and now.
Rather than attempting to cover the entire book at a steady pace, we will take time to focus on key meditative explorations—just as Rob himself would guide practitioners on longer retreats. We will explore the liberating Ways of Looking of anicca, dukkha, and anatta; the possibilities of vast awareness; and ways of seeing through dualities. This will form the basis for an experience of the fading of perception and lead into an initial inquiry into the nature of mind and time. To support an optimal climate for insight, we will also sustain a parallel thread of practice of metta and samadhi throughout.
Yahel Avigur was trained and authorized by Rob to teach the path of Emptiness as presented in Seeing That Frees.
For more information and material regarding Rob Burbea and his work, please visit the Hermes Amara Foundation website.
Program Format: The main teachings of the course will be offered during the large course meetings, which will take place every other week. These meetings will include guided meditations, Dharma talks, practice instructions, and, at times, opportunities for questions and responses. Between meetings, participants will be encouraged to continue their practice by using the recorded guided meditations and Dharma talks, as well as by reading the relevant sections of Seeing That Frees and practicing accordingly.
Regular home groups, with no more than ten participants, will meet monthly and will be facilitated by experienced practitioners familiar with the practices presented in Seeing That Frees. They are intended to support participants’ practice in a personalized way and rhythm, and to foster a sense of practice community. Each group will meet at a consistent weekly time (regular for that group, though differing between groups) and will include reflections, practice sharing, and time for questions and responses.