Outdoor Daylong Retreat at Look Park (weather permitting under the open sky in a grassy area) - PROOF of VACCINATION and a MASK are REQUIRED.

Alignment or Attunement? – A Daylong Practice Period with Jesse Maceo Vega-Frey

with Jesse Maceo Vega-Frey

Saturday, October 16, 2021; 9:30am - 4:30pm ET

You can get a sense of Jesse's teaching in this video of a talk Jesse previously gave.

Suggested donation: $25-50 registration + teacher donation (we encourage you to consider giving teacher dana equal to or greater than what you gave for registration)*

Many of the world's spiritual traditions emphasize the value of alignment: of the mind with the body, of our selves with the divine, or our lives with the cosmos. While the Buddha understood the value of alignment – particularly in relationship to the power of concentration – his teachings ultimately prioritize the importance of something we might differentiate as attunement – of sensitive awareness of the nature of phenomena – as the vital mechanism for liberation. What does this mean for our meditation practice and our lives? How do we develop both these capacities in healthy support of one another? Join Jesse for a day of outdoor practice to explore the dynamics between concentration and mindfulness in our ongoing quest for deeper understanding and greater capacity to care.

LOCATION: Duck Brook pavilion at Look Park, Northampton, MA (reserved by Insight Western Mass).

• Weather permitting, the retreat will take place under the open sky in a grassy area. Please note: if you want to park near the shelter within Look Park, you’ll need to pay a $10 parking fee. Alternatively, there’s a school nearby (JFK Middle School) where you can park and walk into Look Park and over to Duck Brook shelter.

SITE INFO/LOGISTICS

• Description of Duck Brook can be found here.

• Please bring lunch/beverages. (Look Park requires carry in/carry out, so please plan accordingly.)

• Restrooms are located near Duck Brook shelter.

• Weather permitting, the retreat may be held under the open sky so please bring a chair/cushion/ground cloth.

• Please dress for the weather (there is not an alternative date). Bugs are a possibility (covering/repellent may be good to have).

COVID PROTOCOLS

• PROOF of VACCINATION and a MASK are required.

• Weather permitting, there may be space available to social distance.

QUESTIONS: [email protected]

Jesse Maceo Vega-Frey's teaching aims to inspire the skills, determination, and faith necessary to realize the deepest human freedom. He is a student of Michele McDonald and his approach is rooted in the tradition of Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma. As a teacher of Vipassana (insight) meditation within the broader context of Theravadan Buddhism, his teaching encourages an exploration of the relationship between ethics, insight, and action. Perpetually intrigued by the dynamics between inner and outer change, Jesse is a writer of numerous essays and author of Insurgent Heart: A Vipassana Manual for the Guerrilla Yogi. He is a spoon carver who loves to teach people about how to work with their hands and explore the relationship between labor, ownership, and kamma. He is the resident teacher for Vipassana Hawai’i and teaches around the world.

Jesse was a co-founder of The Stone House, a center for spiritual life and social justice in Mebane, NC, was a long-time board member of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, and faculty member of the Center for Whole Communities.



*In keeping with the Buddhist tradition of dana (generosity), the suggested registration amounts for our classes and retreats do not include any payment for the teacher. The teachers are paid entirely out of the students' generosity. Please consider giving a donation to the teacher in order to support their ability to continue to share the dharma. We encourage you to consider teacher dana equal to or greater than the amount you gave for registration. You may give a donation at the time of registration and give later donations through our teacher dana link. Everyone is welcome to all of our events regardless of ability to donate.

You can give online or send checks to InsightPV, 116 Pleasant Street, Suite 242, Easthampton, MA 01027.