HEART of JESUS—MIND of BUDDHA

HEART of JESUS—MIND of BUDDHA

This Easter weekend retreat is an opportunity to awaken to our divinity, and to live with greater understanding, love and compassion. Using the teachings and practices of two of the most enlightened beings to ever walk the earth, we will draw inspiration from the lives of Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha, joining the clarity of Buddha with the love of Jesus.

As a teacher, Gautama Buddha was particularly skillful in offering meditation practices that enable us to see the body and mind clearly and through this awareness to touch directly our Awakened Mind or Buddha Nature. Instruction and practice in Insight (Mindfulness) Meditation and Loving Kindness Meditation will be offered during this retreat as a way of experiencing our own divinity and living with an open heart.

Much historical evidence suggests that Jesus spent his twenties learning and practicing Buddhism in Tibet. The evening program will focus on this enlightened human, who walked among us with such love and compassion. We will reflect on true-life stories of Jesus' encounters with others in various situations, contemplating how he felt about and treated others, how he modeled loving kindness.

This retreat will be conducted in silence with opportunities for individual meetings, if requested. Chanting from different spiritual traditions and optional yoga will also be included. Both newcomers to meditation and more experienced meditators are welcome.

John Orr received Theravada Buddhist ordination after training for a period of eight years while living in Thailand and India as a monk in the 1970's. He has been teaching meditation and leading retreats around the world since then and has also practiced in the Taoist, Dzogchen and Hindu Yoga traditions. John has been deeply affected by his contact with the healer John Of God and leads groups to his center, the Casa de Dom Inacio, in Brazil. He is the Dharma teacher for the New Hope Sangha in Durham, NC, and teaches at Duke University.