Embodied Love: Bringing the Brahma Viharas into Everyday Life

Instructor(s): Larry Ward, Peggy Rowe-Ward

Program Description:

Please join Drs. Peggy Rowe Ward and Larry Ward as together we explore and practice embodiment of the brahma viharas. The term “brahma viharas” arose from a myth of the Indian god Brahma who had four faces. This god was said to dwell (vihara) continuously in the four aspects of love, namely equanimity, loving kindness, sympathetic joy and compassion. These are natural human capacities. Through regular practice, it is possible to live into these qualities and to experience the unlimited quality of love. As we grow our hearts, we are able to recognize and cultivate these qualities in our daily life.

We will explore the wisdom of the body as a way to experience self-awareness, connection, self-regulation, balance and self-acceptance. Each session will offer practices of embodied awareness as a way to stay with our own experience through the body, breath, or any sensory experience. This is a delightful way to travel with these profound teachings. Together we will continue to grow our hearts as wide as the world.

Each two-hour session will include an introduction, a somatic meditation, dharma talk, guided meditation, and often a partner or triad sharing to explore insights and awareness of the practice. A weekly guided meditation will be offered on each of the four faces of love.

Online Schedule:

This program is hosted on Zoom and closed captions are available. You can check the time of the group sessions in your timezone here: https://www.worldtimebuddy.com. The schedule of Zoom meetings for this program (shown in US Eastern Time) is as follows:

Meeting Time: Tuesdays, 7:00-9:00 pm

Meeting Dates: October 3, 10, 17, 24

Please note that sessions will be recorded and made available to participants within 48 hours of each session. Recordings remain available for two weeks from the program end date with the exception of one-time events, available indefinitely on our website.

Cancellation Policy:

Registration fees for all online programs are nonrefundable after the program start date. Cancellations prior to the program start date incur a $25 cancellation fee. Application-based and online path programs incur a $50 cancellation fee in 2023 and a $100 cancellation fee beginning 2024.

DEI:

As we work to become a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, we invite feedback/suggestions you may have regarding ways that we can make participation in the program more accessible and welcoming. Please email us at contact@buddhistinquiry.org.

About the Instructor(s):
• 

  Larry Ward

  Larry Ward is a senior teacher in Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village tradition. He brings twenty-five years of international experience in organizational change and local community renewal to his work as director of the Lotus Institute and as an advisor to the Executive Mind Leadership Institute at the Drucker School of Management. He authored the book America's Racial Karma. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies, emphasizing Buddhism and the neuroscience of meditation. Larry is a knowledgeable, charismatic, and inspirational teacher, offering insights with personal stories and resounding clarity that express his dharma name, “True Great Sound.”

• 

  Peggy Rowe-Ward

  Dr. Peggy Rowe aspires to grow her heart as wide as the world.  Her education is in counseling psychology and education.  She works with clients on spiritual direction and supports clients and organizations in trauma resiliency.  She is on the faculty of Atlantic University’s MA in Mindful Studies.  Peggy co-authored two books, Making Friends with Time and Love’s Garden, and is currently completing a book for parents and teachers practicing mindfulness with children and young adults.  She has been studying and traveling to support the teaching of Thich Nhat Hanh for 25 years.  Peggy received the dharma lamp from her teacher in 2001, and he married Peggy and Larry in 1994.  She loves to sing and is crazy for dogs.