Half-Day Retreat, via Zoom
Finding Refuge in the Breath, Body, and Heart
with Tara Mulay and Devin Berry
Saturday, March 19; 9:00am - 1:00pm
We
will use this practice period to explore mindfulness of the body,
including the full awareness of breathing. In the process, we will
cultivate greater openness of heart, compassion and wisdom. Our
aspiration is to know the direct experience of breath, body, and heart
as refuge.
Suggested donation: $15-30 registration + teacher donation (we encourage you to consider giving teacher dana equal to or greater than what you gave for registration)*
Tara Mulay's practice and teachings
stem from the lineage of Mahasi Sayadaw. She has been authorized to
teach by Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts and has
gratefully drawn influence from many teachers within and outside of the
Mahasi lineage, including Howard Cohn, Kamala Masters, Gil Fronsdal,
Joseph Goldstein, Sayadaw U Tejaniya, and Ayya Anandabodhi. Tara
practiced criminal defense law in California for over 20 years. She was a
leader of Mission Dharma in San Francisco, and in 2016 she co-founded
the San Francisco People of Color Insight Sangha. She remained a core
teacher with the group until the spring of 2019, when she relocated to
Western Massachusetts. She then served as Interim Guiding Teacher of
Insight Western Massachusetts from April 2020-April 2021. Tara felt
initially drawn to dharma practice upon encountering the Buddha's
teachings rejecting social caste as a measure of worth and of capacity
for awakening. She believes classical Buddhist practices, designed to
cultivate compassion, non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion, are
uniquely potent vehicles for empowering people in marginalized
communities and effecting social change.
Devin Berry has been meditating for over 20 years. His practice is primarily informed
by the classical teachings of early Buddhism and the Insight Meditation
tradition. He has undertaken many periods of silent long-term retreat
practice. Devin completed the Dedicated Practitioners Program at Spirit
Rock Meditation Center, where he is a visiting teacher. He is currently
in the 2017-2021 Insight Meditation Society Teacher Training Program. He
served as a core leader with San Francisco POC Insight Sangha. Devin is
a community teacher at East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, CA where
he co-founded the teen sangha and the Men of Color sangha. He has
recently relocated to Western Massachusetts and teaches nationally.
Devin is passionate about the power of witnessing and storytelling as a
liberation tool. He is deeply committed to the personal and collective
liberation of marginalized communities knowing that through the
integration of reflection and insight, clarity and wisdom give rise to
wise action. Devin's website is devinberry.org.
*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.
Zoom Link
Password: 242.
Dial in by phone for audio only: Call (646) 558-8656. Meeting ID: 943 156 1684. Password: 242
You can give online or send checks to Insight Western Mass, 116 Pleasant Street, Suite 242, Easthampton, MA 01027.
