Open Community Practice and Dharma Talk, via Zoom
with Carla Brennan
Wednesday, March 29, 2023; 7:00-8:30pm
Suggested donation: $7-25*
This offering is Zoom only.
Practice together remotely with other sangha members in a relaxed online atmosphere (7:00) and enjoy a dharma talk (7:35).
Carla Brennan is an Insight Meditation retreat teacher in the Santa Cruz area and offers drop-in meditation groups, classes, retreats and other programs with the Bloom of the Present Sangha. She is a visiting teacher with the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA. She founded Bloom of the Present Insight Meditation in 2009.
Carla began meditation practice in 1975 in the Zen tradition and was a student of Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn in Cambridge, MA. A few years later she began attending the newly formed Insight Meditation Society, completing many retreats with Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein and others. Later she added the Tibetan Buddhist practice of Dzogchen with Lama Surya Das, Lama John Makransky, Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Anam Thubten Rinpoche. In the early ’90’s, Carla began attending wilderness retreats with John Milton and Sacred Passage, completing 2 one-month solo retreats near Crestone, CO, and training to be a Sacred Passage Guide. As part of her regular teaching she offers meditation in nature and encourages her students to open to the wisdom of the natural world.
Carla has also worked as an artist and illustrator and is a former psychotherapist and counselor trainer in Psychosynthesis (a transpersonal psychology). She has taught Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for 18 years. In addition to teaching Insight Meditation, Carla is a teacher of Natural Wisdom and Compassion Meditation with Lama John Makransky and the Foundation of Active Compassion. Her personal spiritual practice also includes qi gong and hatha yoga. Carla is a nature photographer and delights in exploring the natural world with the eye of an artist (carlabrennan.com).
*If you have the means, please consider a donation tonight. Dana, which is the ancient Pali word for “generosity”, is a fundamental aspect of the Buddha’s teachings. Our teachers have historically received 60% of the dana given for dharma talks, and while this is still true, since the pandemic, we do make sure teachers receive a minimum guaranteed amount. Insight Western Mass operates entirely on the sangha's acts of generosity. Those who donate more are helping to make the center accessible to all. Everyone is welcome to all of our offerings regardless of ability to donate.
You can give online or send checks to Insight Western Mass, 116 Pleasant Street, Suite 242, Easthampton, MA 01027. FYI: we check for mail once per week.
Zoom Link
Password: 242.
Dial in by phone for audio only: Call (646) 558-8656. Meeting ID: 943 156 1684. Password: 242
