The Dharma of Difference: Awakening in Diverse Community

change your mind to change the world

So, here we are.  Sharing this world, this city, this contemplative community.  With people we know and people we don't know.  People we like, people we don't like — and people we don't even notice.  People we share backgrounds and interests with.  People with whom we have almost nothing in common.  All of us.  Together. The teachings of the historical Buddha suggest that we're meant to awaken in spiritual community, or sangha, and that in times of doubt or distress we can turn to the sangha for strength, support, and inspiration. Our relationships with fellow meditators and practitioners on the spiritual path are of great mutual benefit.  And, as we may have experienced, they can also be a great mutual pain in the neck.  We make assumptions about another's experience and we our foot in our mouth.  Someone offends us, we feel hurt or threatened, but we don't know how to address it. Lucky for us, many of the qualities of mind and heart that we develop through our practice of meditation can be applied to our social interactions.  In fact, bringing them into the room can make the difference between an impossible obstacle to being in community and an opportunity to grow in wisdom and compassion.

How can our differences be our teachers?

Dharma of Difference meets 7-9 Wednesday nights 5/29-6/26 2013 at The Interdependence Project.
This is a drop-in event, and advance registration is not necessary. We're offering it on a donation basis and ask each participant to contribute $ 10 – $ 20 to support our teachers and other initiatives offered by The Interdependence Project. You can also register online for either the whole series or a single class, selecting your donation level from the drop-down menu. If you are registering for a single class, please note the date of the class you will be attending when you are checking out. Thank you!

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