Turning Poison into Medicine

An Insight Meditation Retreat
With David Chernikoff and Wendy Zerin

October 1st- October 4th, 2009

What

Insight Meditation (Vipassana) is a contemplative practice with roots in the Buddhist tradition, a 2,500 year-old path to spiritual awakening. This residential retreat will be conducted in silence and will include alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation. There will also be instruction, dharma talks, mindful movement practices, and interviews with the teachers.

The focus of the retreat will be on skillfully working with the challenges and difficulties that inevitably present themselves when we focus our lives on transformation and realization. As Ram Dass put it in his classic book BE HERE NOW, “The lions guarding the gates of the temples get fiercer as you proceed towards each inner temple…..It all becomes more intense because of the additional energy involved at each stage of inner work.”

When and Where

Sunrise Ranch, near Loveland, Colorado; beginning the evening of Thursday, October 1st, and ending on the afternoon of Sunday, October 4th, 2009. Registration will be from 3:00 to 5:30 pm, followed by a light evening meal; opening ceremony at 7:15 pm. The retreat will end at 3:00 pm Sunday, October 4th. Accommodations range from camping to shared rooms (dorm, triples, doubles) to private rooms, at fees ranging from $170 to $320. The earlier you register, the greater the likelihood of securing the accommodations of your choice.

Who

Both beginning and experienced meditators are welcome.

The Teachers. David Chernikoff, M.Div, LCSW, trained as a Community Dharma leader at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and leads a weekly Tuesday night meditation group in Boulder. He also teaches at Naropa University and works with individuals, couples, and groups in private practice. Wendy Zerin, MD, trained as a meditation teacher with Jack Kornfield at Spirit Rock. She is one of the founders of the Insight Meditation Community of Colorado and is also the founder of Dharma Docs, a collective of Buddhist physicians in the Boulder-Denver area. She currently practices pediatrics in Boulder.

Registration

To learn more about the retreat and/or to register, please contact Tracy Walters at tra.lewa@hotmail.com or 720-490-5413. A limited number of partial scholarships are available for this retreat.

Dana

In keeping with this tradition, meditation and teachings are offered free of charge; retreatants pay only for room, board, and administrative expenses. At the end of the retreat, participants are invited to offer a donation to the teachers in gratitude for their efforts and to support their continued practice and teaching. Information about the Insight Meditation Community of Colorado (IMC), the teachers, and meditation links is available on the IMC Website: www.insightcolorado.org

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