Hello Everyone,

Our first class on Turning the Mind Into an Ally is over and now we will be starting the second half of the book, exploring contemplative meditation. We have previously studied the path of Shamatha meditation, also known as mindfulness meditation. The six week class went well and I thought it was a lot of fun. I couldn't cram the profundity of the whole book into just six weeks, however, and at the same time expect it to be a practical guide for those of us trying to fully ground ourselves in the basics. But now those six weeks are over and I think that we could go ahead and start exploring contemplative meditation without it just becoming another addition to our spiritual collection. So, I'm excited to say the least!

 

I am sending this invitation out to all and in hopes that some of you would find a class on contemplative meditation provocative or useful enough to join us. This class will take for granted that you have a regular sitting meditation discipline, though I am not requiring it to be, necessarily, the same style of meditation that we have previously been studying in the six week class. It is also not completely necessary that you own a copy of the book for this class, as it more or less was for the last class. Also, there will be minimal talking and more practice in this class - thirty minutes of mindfulness meditation to begin, a short discussion, and then more practice of the things we discussed to end. This is a non-secular class, so whatever your religious fancy, you are welcome. The class will be held at Midtown Yoga in Studio B from 7:00pm to 8:30pm on Thursday nights for four or five weeks. Any further questions about this class? - just call me (901-239-6084) or email me (camrend@yahoo.com).

 

The simplicity of the class schedule is in part so that I can spend more time preparing for another class on Buddhism to start in the next few weeks on either Tuesday or Wednesday nights. I am still checking into the availability of the sourcebook that I want to use for the class on Buddhism, and since I will be out of town for the ten days of June, it would be best to start after that with that class. If you are interested in studying Buddhism in a class-like setting, this would be a valuable resource. Contact me if you have any further questions about such a class. Where it will be held, I am not so sure, but I am checking into a couple different places.