The Dharma Studio is offering a series of workshops/retreats, taught by Buddhist monk Deok Wun, who will be traveling from New York to lead these retreats. This series of teachings is an opportunity to begin or refresh your practice, and familiarize yourself with the foundational teachings and the underlying view of reality that drives them.
Cost for the series is $60. To register, please contact Ven Lianghua Su Jill Eggers at jilleggers9@gmail.com. Registration is limited to 15 participants. (UPDATE: This retreat series is full.)
BEYOND THE BASICS: Once you are acquainted with the Basics of Buddhism—the Four Noble Truths, Noble Eightfold Path, Impermanence, Suffering) it is time to encounter the next level of Buddhist Teachings. These teachings point us towards the truth of reality. This series of one-day retreats will revisit the foundational Buddhist teachings and focus specifically on those teachings that demonstrate the Buddhist view of reality. Topics to be covered are: Buddhist view of personhood and personality (no-self and the skandhas), Interdependence, Dependent Origination, Karma, and Merit.
This is a series of two events: a three-day retreat in March, followed by a day long session June 4. In between the retreat sessions there will be individual contact with the teacher on topics related to what was discussed in the prior retreat.
RETREAT I: March 11, 12, and 13
Overview of the Program. The Basics: Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path, The Three Universal Truths. The Universal Truth of Suffering. Introduction to Mind: The Obstructive States of Mind; the Eight Winds.
The Universal Truth regarding ‘self’; the Six Sense Gates; the Five Skandhas.
RETREAT 3: Saturday, June 4, 9am to 4 pm
The Universal Truth of Impermanence; Dependent Origination; Putting it all Together
Retreat teacher: The Venerable Deokwun is an ordained Bhikkhu (Buddhist Monk) in the Korean Zen Tradition. He has also trained in the Tibetan Dzogchen practice. He is the founding teacher of the Grand Rapids Buddhist Temple and Zen Center. In addition, he is a certified Enneagram teacher. Prior to becoming a monk he was a college professor, high school teacher, lawyer, and Naval Officer. He holds degrees from Bodang University (Thailand) in Buddhist studies, Rowan University (New Jersey) and the Marshall-Wythe School of Law of the College of William and Mary (Virginia). He is the author of two books on Buddhist subjects: Is it Buddhism---12 Questions Every Seeker Should Ask; and The Circle of Wonder: Reflections on The Silent Illumination. He is one of only a handful of Western monks to receive the highest level of ordination in the Korean Zen tradition. His primary area of focus as a teacher is making the teachings of the Buddha accessible and relevant to our everyday lives with an emphasis on mindfulness, compassionate living, selfless giving.
Program Description:
There are three universal truths in Buddhism: there is no such thing as a permanent self, everything is in a constant state of change and impermanent, and we suffer because we fail to take into account the first two universal truths. Each of these universal truths has specific teachings associated with them. In this series of retreats and teachings we will explore each of these truths and examine how they impact our daily lives.
The truth of self asks us to understand that, while there is a relative, impermanent self, no single thing has any permanent existence that we call a self. To appreciate this truth, we must come to an understanding of how this notion of a permanent self arises. How does it give ground to the ego? When we understand this truth, then how does it affect what we think, feel, and do? As we explore this first truth we will consider the ayatanas---the six sense gates through which all of our experiences pass. Appreciating how the six sense gates are passed through, we can appreciate that what we call self is nothing more than ego. We will explore the process of how the relative self emerges through the Five Skandhas.
The ego is driven by illusion because the ego itself is an illusion. The ego grasps at the things that pleases it and rejects those it doesn’t. It craves. It judges. What it grasps for, clings to, rejects are those things and experiences it wants to gather to itself and hold on to forever. The ego fights against all notions of impermanence. Yet. It always seems to win. Once of Buddhism’s most difficult teachings is that of Dependent Origination. This teaching explains in detail how everything of ever nature is always in transition. It is always rising and passing away. No thing lats more than a fraction of a second before it changes. We will explore Dependent Origination and consider how taking this teaching to heart may affect how we think, feel, and act.
The third universal truth is that of suffering: it affects us all, it has distinct causes, yet there is a way to alleviate it. This teaching asks us to examine the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The Four Noble truths set out the general teachings on suffering. The Eightfold Path is a prescription for the alleviation of suffering. However, before one can fully understand this teaching one must have come to terms with the first two universal truths: self and impermanence. They are the ground from which suffering springs.
Over the course of the three retreats, we will examine each of these universal truths, how they affect us, and what we can do to incorporate them into our daily lives. The retreats will be a combination of teachings, meditations, discussions, meetings with the teacher. This is not a solitary retreat but a group retreat where each participant will be asked to contribute their own insights and observations. While prior knowledge of these truths is helpful, it is not required.
