Retreat with Shinzen Young -Deepening Tranquility and Nurturing Humanity

Deepening Tranquility and Nurturing Humanity

One aspect of Mindfulness practice involves clarifying our sensory experience by simply observing things as they are. However there's also a place in mindfulness practice for intentionally cultivating certain desirable states—states of deep tranquility (jhana / absorption) and states of human goodness (metta / lovingkindness).

In this retreat, we will explore the complimentary interplay between cultivating states of transcendent rest and cultivating states of positive emotion.

You will learn that these two practices reinforce each other, and, further, how they develop the same core skills as the "just observe" practices. Those core skills are:

Concentration Power – The ability to focus on what you deem relevant at a given time.
Sensory Clarity – The ability to untangle the individual components of your experience.
Inner Equanimity – The ability to allow sensory experience to come and go without push or pull.

Shinzen Young became fascinated with Asian culture while a teenager in Los Angeles. Later he enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Buddhist Studies at the University of Wisconsin.

Eventually, he went to Asia and did extensive training in each of the three major Buddhist traditions: Vajrayana, Zen and Vipassana. Upon returning to the United States, his academic interests shifted to the burgeoning dialogue between Eastern meditation and Western science.

Shinzen is known for his innovative "interactive, algorithmic approach" to mindfulness, a system specifically designed for use in pain management, recovery support, and as an adjunct to psychotherapy.

He leads meditation retreats throughout North America and has helped establish numerous mindfulness centers and programs. He also consults widely on meditation-related research, in both the clinical and the basic science domains.

He often says:

"My life's passion lies in exploring what may arise from the cross-fertilization of the best of the East with the best of the West."

The retreat will take place in Ein Dor. It will be in English.

For more details on Shizen Young click here: http://www.shinzen.org/

If you've never participated ina retreat with Tovana click here: http://tovana.org.il/he/about-us/our-activities/186-retreats

For mored information and registration please contact:    rishum@tovana.org.il