Awareness is inherent to the nature of our own minds and is the doorway to understanding and insight. In Buddhism, it’s the foundation for wisdom, compassion, and awakening. In this day retreat, we will explore this innate quality of awareness and how to cultivate and abide in an awake presence. We will investigate how mindfulness supports a depth of awareness through various meditation practices and look at various obstacles that obscure it. We will also discover, through the fusion of love and awareness, how developing awareness allows for a natural opening of the heart and kind, compassionate presence with all experience.

This day explores meeting the anxiety, fear, and distress that arise from our current ecological crisis and its impacts with awareness, kindness, and wisdom. We will explore Buddhist teachings that provide refuge and resilience during these times. You will cultivate resources necessary for inner sustainability, including the jewel of mindful awareness, to see clearly the truth; the compassionate heart that gently holds pain; community that nourishes and supports; equanimity that provides steadiness and balance; insight that discerns wise responsiveness; and wisdom that guides skillful action. Our time together will include periods of meditation, inquiry, Q&A, and nature immersion.