What is Soulmaking Dharma
Rooted in the Buddha’s teaching of emptiness, ethics, and meditative training, Soulmaking Dharma is a rich and resonant contemporary flowering of the Dharma.
Our Buddhist practice reveals to us that perception is empty and shapeable. We see that we inevitably participate in making the world through the ways we sense and see. Understanding this, the soulmaking practitioner learns to open and tune their heart, body, imagination, desire, and intellect to form an instrument for soulful perception: sensing and seeing self, others, and world in ways that bring more beauty, dimensionality, and meaningfulness — and that restore, open, and expand senses of sacredness.
Here, the depths and subtleties of meditative practice, the particularities of the individual and their personal journeys, and the gifts, complexities, and sufferings of our time can all find their specific place in a responsive, intelligent, and soulful Dharma.
Soulmaking Dharma teachings rest upon practices of samatha, metta, emptiness, and the emotional/energy body. The Soulmaking teachings are laid out in several hundred hours of Dharma talks by Rob Burbea and Catherine McGee on Dharmaseed.org.
Options for Participation
To make Soulmaking Dharma as accessible as possible, we are offering two forms of participation.
Option 1 – Online Program + In-Person Retreat + In-Person “A Gathering of Souls” Sangha Meeting: For those who are able to come to BCBS for a residential retreat on January 10-17, 2025, this program has both online and in-person components. The retreat registration information and cost will be provided after your acceptance into the online Soulmaking program. In addition, anyone who attends the retreat is warmly invited and encouraged to stay on for the Sangha Gathering (see below: A Gathering of Souls).
Option 2 – Online Program Only: Others can participate and have a deep exploration of Soulmaking Dharma through the online elements of the program.
A Gathering of Souls
After the retreat, there will be the possibility of staying on for a two-day Sangha gathering, beginning on the evening of Friday, January 17th, and ending with lunch on Sunday, January 19th. This will be a time for Sangha members to delight in one another’s company, to connect more deeply as a group of peers, and to explore themes that ignite our souls. The space will be lightly held by several senior sangha members, and there will be opportunities to self-organize spaces of inquiry and practice.
Anyone who attends the retreat is warmly invited and encouraged to stay on for the Sangha gathering. There is also a possibility that some people may be able to come to the Sangha gathering even if they don’t participate in the retreat, as long as they have previously completed the online Soulmaking Foundations course or an in-person Soulmaking retreat. The Sangha gathering will only be able to happen if there is a critical mass of people who want to attend.
The fee for the sangha gathering, which covers two nights at BCBS with meals included, is as follows:
- Tier 1: $418
- Tier 2: $338
- Tier 3: $258
- Benefactor: $578
- Commuter: $160
Financial assistance of up to 50% can be claimed during registration, and further assistance can be requested.
If you apply for the retreat, you will receive information about registering for the Sangha gathering in the email confirming whether you have a place on the retreat. If you are not planning to apply for the retreat but would like to attend the Sangha gathering, please register your interest here, and one of the senior Sangha members will follow up with you.
