This program will support and resource activists and community organizers, as well as practitioners looking to engage more directly in justice work as spiritual practice. It will give us the opportunity to come home to ourselves to do the inner resourcing necessary for the outward work of taking care of communities and the planet. The path of mindfulness offered by the Buddha helps us cultivate a clear mind, as well as understanding and compassion, so we can avoid burnout and to ensure that we do not perpetuate the injustices we seek to change. It also helps us to be and to cultivate the beloved community we wish to manifest.
We will explore the role of compassion and equanimity in keeping us balanced in our justice work so that we don't burn out in our caring. With both of these qualities, we can stay grounded and resourced. Without equanimity, our compassion can turn into compassion fatigue, we can outpour to an extent that we become exhausted or overly identified with the situation. And compassion can help to ground our equanimity in the real suffering that is ever-present so that our hearts stay open and connected to the juicy and wholesome nectar of loving kindness and deep care.
In this program, informed by the diverse traditions of Socially Engaged Buddhism, we will slow down and reconnect with ourselves and each other through sitting and walking meditation, vegetarian meals enjoyed in noble silence, talks from the teachers, sharing in small groups, InterPlay–an improvisational practice that unlocks the wisdom and joy of the body–and other body wisdom practices.
