Nancy Spence
Uncovering the Four Immeasurables
March 13-16
3 nights
$195 ($95 deposit) Dana
The Four Immeasurables, expressions of original mind, are qualities of the awakened, kind heart. Yet, they are not created in meditation practice or by recitations. These Four - Happiness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity - are uncovered and revealed to have been there all along when we face and move through reactive emotional patterns that stand in their way. Ill-will stands in the way of Happiness; cruelty is in the way of Compassion; jealousy stands in the way of sympathetic Joy; and clinging and aversion are in the way of Equanimity. So we will employ a systematic method of inquiring into these disruptive patterns with the intention of dissolving them, thereby revealing what has been there all along.
In this mostly-silent retreat, we will begin to dismantle the disruptive emotional patterns that prevent the experience of these four qualities of original mind. Within the Soto Zen daily schedule of meditations, Services, Sutras, and meals, there will be Dharma classes on how to work with uncovering each Immeasurable. These classes will include lectures, guided imageries, writing/journaling, and methods practices.
Nancy Spence, author of The Tibetan Book of the Dead: An Adaptation for Reading Aloud to the Dead and Back to Basics: An Awareness Primer, is teacher and guide of Anattasati Magga, Inc., a Soto Zen Buddhist Sangha for the Laity. In 1977 Nancy began lay and then priest training at Vichara Bodhiyana Monastery in California. Then she trained as a Lay Minister at Shasta Abbey, receiving Lay Minister license in 1984. She leads monthly Buddhist services, offers individual spiritual guidance, and leads silent meditation retreats in NC and CA. Nancy, who has an M.S. in Psychology, also has a private counseling practice, and facilitates personal growth groups through InnerVision.