About 2021 Programming
As many of you know, this is the time of year when we usually announce and open registration for all our courses scheduled for the following year. With so much uncertainty about when BCBS will be able to safely re-open for residential programs in 2021, we are not going to do that this year. Instead, we will continue to announce our online offerings about 2-3 months before they are scheduled. Be sure to check our emails and website for the latest information. We will let you know about residential programming as soon as we can make plans for a safe re-opening. We all look forward to that day!
Upcoming Online Programs
The Daily Sit
with
Bill and Susan Morgan
Monday-Friday, 10:30-11:15 am EDT
Saturday & Sunday, 10:30-11:00 am EDT
You Are Your Body: Realizing the Oneness of Human Nature and Buddha Nature
October 30 - November 01, 2020
Barry Magid and Max Erdstein present a contemporary view of Dharma practice that attempts to undo the long-presumed dichotomy of spirit or soul as immaterial, timeless and pure; and body as material, the seat of sexuality and emotional attachment, subject to decay and death.
This is a model of Zen for householders, not home-leavers. We will look at the implications of a meditation practice that does not aim to take us to a “higher” state of consciousness or promise transcendence of this bodily existence, but rather sees the Dharma as fully realizable and expressible in this body, this moment–the only life there is.
A Mindful Breather: Releasing Tension, Replenishing the Heart
November 01, 2020
Freely Offered
Bill and Susan Morgan present an afternoon of simple short guided practices to release tension in the body, breath, heart-mind and replenish the heart with good food. A timely offering.
Life Lessons From Hungry Ghosts: An Ethical Reading of Buddhist Narratives
November 6 - 8, 2020
Andy Rotman leads us through the Buddhist narratives of hungry ghosts (preta) to better understand Buddhist philosophy and ethics, and to facilitate ethical and spiritual transformation.
Zen Cooking with Daiken:
A Fundraiser for the Mandala Cafe
November 17, 2020
Freely Offered
Tuesday 6:30 – 9:00 pm EST
We invite you to join Rev. Daiken Nelson and explore the practice of food as dharma with a dharma talk and dialogue, preparing a meal, chanting to bless the food, and dinner discussion.
An Online Course Offered in Collaboration with
Zen Peacemakers International
Dharma Transmission:
A Conversation with
Joseph Goldstein and Dawn Scott
November 23, 2020
Freely Offered
Monday 7:30 – 9:00 pm EST
Please join BCBS co-founder Joseph Goldstein, BCBS teacher Dawn Scott, and BCBS Director of Studies William Edelglass for an evening of meditation and conversation exploring how Buddhadharma is transmitted and transformed by a new generation and how we can remain grounded in the liberating wisdom and practices of the traditions we have inherited even as we directly address the turbulence and urgency of our times.
Turning the Wheel of Food:
Zazen, Dharma Discussion, and Kitchen Practice
Nov 24 - Dec 29, 2020
Tuesdays 6:30 – 9:00 pm EST
Cook weekly meals with Rev. Daiken Nelson and explore why Dōgen says that “food is the dharma of all dharmas”. Simple recipes and a shopping list of common ingredients will be provided. Experience how the preparation of food can be a practice of service and embody a socially engaged Buddhist practice.
An Online Course Offered in Collaboration with
Zen Peacemakers International
Finding Sea Legs in Saṃsāra: An Online “Householder” Retreat
Nov 29 - Dec 05, 2020
Freely Offered
Bill and Susan Morgan invite you to join this "householder" retreat, bookending each weekday with practice and reflection, while leaving the weekday afternoons for mindful attention to the regular activities of a normal week.
Losing Yourself:
How to be a Person Without a Self
Nov 30 - Dec 21, 2020
Freely Offered
Join Jay Garfield, Professor of Philosophy, Logic and Buddhist Studies at Smith College, in a four night investigation of what it is to be a person, without the illusion of a self and without a nihilistic view that we don't exist at all.
Creating Dharma:
An Experiment with Artistic Practices
Dec 04 - 06, 2020
Kate Lila Wheeler and Alisa Dennis create a temporary, exploratory community of artist-meditators. Participants are invited to assemble materials for writing, drawing or doodling and any additional art form(s) they feel accustomed or intuitively drawn to. Guided meditations, structured exercises, and a spirit of play will be offered.
Roots in to the Ground of Soul
January 09 - 12, 2021
This course is led by Catherine McGee and is intended for meditators who have already begun to explore Soulmaking Dharma. This online retreat offers an opportunity to consolidate and extend their Soulmaking practice and understanding.
Course prerequisite: Having attended and completed the Autumn online Soulmaking program through BCBS in 2019 or 2020 and/or having attended at least one Soulmaking retreat with Rob Burbea and/or Catherine McGee.
The Freedom of Non-Clinging:
An Insight Dialogue Retreat
January 22 - 24, 2021
Practice Insight Dialogue with Nicola Redfern and Bart Van Melik and investigate the process of clinging, and the direct experience of the release from clinging. Insight Dialogue is an interpersonal meditation practice that brings together mindfulness and concentration, the wisdom teachings of the Buddha and the power of relationship to support insight into the causes and the release of human suffering.
Cultivating Inner Strength: An Insight Dialogue Program For People of Color
Jan 24 - Feb 28, 2022
Join Tuere Sala for this 6-week online offering for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. We invite BIPOC practitioners interested in learning the practice of Insight Dialogue and those already experienced in Insight Dialogue who aspire to deepen their practice skills. Each week we will explore and practice with one of the six guidelines that make up the foundation of the Insight Dialogue.
Buddhist and Christian Methods for
Personal and Social Awakening
January 29 - 31, 2021
Lama/Professor John Makransky and Reverend/Professor Melanie Harris will explore connections between healing spiritual practices and racial, intersectional, and environmental justice work. Melanie and John will alternate practices and perspectives of Buddhism and Christianity in ways that bring each other and the retreatants into deepening inter-religious practice and learning.
Embodied Self-Mettā:
A Foundational Practice for the Brahmavihārās
Feb 05 - 07, 2021
Join Mary Aubry in this weekend virtual retreat, intended as both an introduction to and a deepening of our embodied practice of the brahmavihārās of mettā, compassion, muditā (sympathetic joy), and equanimity.
Dharma and Art:
A Whole-Life Path
February 7-April 17, 2021
Applications open September 15, 2020
Gregory Kramer,
Sherre DeLys and Rosalyn Driscoll
A ten-week online course that explores the rich relationship between Dharma practice and creative practice through the framework of the Eightfold Path.
Application Dates: September 15-December 1, 2020
Course Dates: February 7 - April 17, 2021
Wisdom Publications Collaborations
Previously Offered Programs
A Secure Core of
Compassion and Awareness
for Insecure Times
An Online Program with
Lama John Makransky, PhD
Co-sponsored by Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and
the Foundation for Active Compassion
Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation
An online study and practice course
guided by Bhikkhu Anālayo
Applications are now closed for Fall 2020
Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation is an interactive and comprehensive online program modeled on in-person courses offered globally by Venerable Bhikkhu Anālayo on the foundational mindfulness text the Satipaṭṭhāna-sutta.
A Soulmaking Dharma
An online study and practice course guided by
Catherine McGee
Assisted by Yahel Avigur
Applications are now closed for Fall 2020
11 weeks of practice and focused study of Soulmaking Dharma
