GUIDING YOUR OWN PRACTICE: AN INSIGHT MEDITATION RETREAT

GUIDING YOUR OWN PRACTICE: AN INSIGHT MEDITATION RETREAT

Once we've learned the basic techniques of Insight Meditation, where do we go next? Questions about how to practice naturally arise as part of the process of spiritual development. The path of awakening is simultaneously unique and universal, timeless and immediate. As many of us have come to realize, the Buddha's enlightenment solved his problem, not ours. His teachings have been likened to a recipe for baking fine bread. We've been given the recipe and now each of us, in our own way, must bake our own loaf. In doing so, we join with millions of others who have committed to the Buddhist path and experienced its profound benefits and blessings.

This retreat is for those who want to deepen their practice and learn to listen to what the Thai meditation master Ajahn Chah called "the one who knows." Ultimately, spiritual maturation involves learning to trust our inner guidance and resting in the felt realization that we already are what we seek. In a caring, supportive environment, we'll practice sitting and walking meditation in silence. There will be dharma talks, individual or small group interviews, and optional periods of mindful movement (qigong).

Participation in at least three previous Vipassana retreats and/or consistent practice for two or more years is required to attend this retreat. If you're not sure if this retreat is appropriate for you, please feel free to contact the teacher at davidchern@comcast.net.

David Chernikoff M.Div., L.C.S.W., began the study and practice of meditation in 1971 and started teaching insight meditation in 1988. He trained as a yoga teacher at the Integral Yoga Institute and completed the Community Dharma Leader program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. His teaching has been influenced by senior teachers from the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock, Tibetan teachers with whom he studied during a 3-year stay in Nepal, and spiritual guides from other contemplative traditions—most notably Ram Dass, Father Thomas Keating, and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. David is currently one of the guiding teachers of the Insight Meditation Community of Colorado and has a private practice as a spiritual counselor and psychotherapist in Boulder.