UNDERSTANDING THE PARAMIS—THE QUALITIES OF MIND THAT BRING FREEDOM TO YOUR LIFE

UNDERSTANDING THE PARAMIS—THE QUALITIES OF MIND THAT BRING FREEDOM TO YOUR LIFE

In the Theravada Buddhist tradition, there are ten qualities, called the paramis, that one develops through a lifetime. Developing the paramis enhances daily life experience and leads to realization. The ten paramis are generosity, ethical behavior, renunciation, patience, determination, truthfulness, equanimity, loving-kindness, energy, and wisdom.

In this retreat you will learn how mindfulness can help you to develop these qualities, how to apply the paramis to your sitting practice, and how to integrate the paramis into your life.

The retreat will consist of sitting and walking meditations, dharma talks, and question-answer periods.

Phillip Moffitt is the founder and president of the Life Balance Institute, a non-profit organization devoted to the study and practice of spiritual values in daily life. He is also a member of the Teachers Council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Northern California. Phillip teaches vipassana meditation at retreat centers around the United States and holds a weekly meditation class in Marin County, CA. Phillip is the author of Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering. His articles have been published in Yoga Journal, Shambhala Sun, and Body and Soul. Visit Philip's website at www.dharmawisdom.org to see his teachings, articles, and so forth.

Pat Coffey began his meditation practice over 30 years ago and has taught meditation since 1996. Pat has studied with numerous Asian and Western teachers in the Theravadan, Tibetan and Zen traditions. He was selected and trained under the tutelage of Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein as a meditation teacher in the joint teacher training program of The Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Pat founded the Insight Meditation Community of Chartlottesville, NC and is the co-founder of the Blue Ridge Prison Project. The father of two children, owner of several businesses, and holder of several patents, Pat draws on his varied and rich life experience to articulate the dharma. Down-to-earth, real-world, practical dharma is the hallmark of his teaching.