Meditation
Friendly Awareness and Mindfulnes of Breathing
Life often presents us with events that we can't directly change. Certain incidents taht negatively impact our life may conduce to stress, a sense of discontent and, more long-term, to disease — in a word: to a loss in life quality and wellness. In such circumstances, many people look for help from external means (e.g., TV, drugs, medication), whether they are hoping for a quick fix or try to avoid and cover up the pain. Buddhist experience teaches us, on the contrary, how we can minimize suffering and dis-ease in a sustainable way though a change of our inner attitude as well as outer behaviour. Thus, buddhist practice can help us to face difficult situations in life, to become more aware and more skilful when relating to ourselves and the environment.
Two approaches are particularly relevant here, 'mindful experience of breathing' and 'relating in a friendly, compassionate way to ourselves and others'. Each of these topics comes with a well-tested method of silent meditation:
1) Mindfulness of Breathing
2) Cultivation of Loving Kindness.
With the help of these meditation practices, we learn to recognize and reevaluate old patterns of behaviour and thus prepare the habitual, 'reactive' mind to find new and more creative responses.
Apart from introducing you to these methods, my meditation seminars will provide you with the relevant context of the 'buddhist training of the mind, including the importance of ethics for living well and healthily.
I offer weekend seminars at VHS-Mitte and Steglitz/Zehlendorf. These will give you a good basis in both theory and practice of buddhist meditation. To participate, you don't need to already know about Buddhism. There will be plenty of room for both practise and discussion. Each led meditation won't last longer than 30 minutes.
Psychological health is an important precondition if you wish to participate. Should you feel uncertain, please consult your doctor or contact me before booking.
To book, please contact the relevant VHS — for times and venues, please see 'addresses'.
