Insight Meditation of Cleveland
Will be offering a
Weekend Metta Retreat
With Chas DiCapua
April 20 - 22, 2012
Jesuit Retreat House
The Metta Sutta begins with the words, “"He who is skilled in (working out his own) well-being, and who wishes to attain that state of Calm (Nibbana) should act thus:” and ends with the words, “Not born again into this world”. In framing the sutta in this way, the Buddha is clearly marrying the Mindfulness and Wisdom practices with the Loving Kindness practice.
Often the Loving Kindness practice is taught separately from the mindfulness practice. Although Loving Kindness will be practiced in the way many have been taught (progressing through the categories of increasingly difficult people), in this weekend retreat, mostly we will be practicing the Loving Kindness in an integrated way with the mindfulness practice. We will learn how to develop Loving Kindness that is deeply embodied and integral to our moment to moment experience. The key to the Loving Kindness practice is finding a way to practice that works for the individual. Therefore, each person will be encouraged, and given the tools, to explore which methods work best for them.
The retreat will be silent. It begins on Friday evening and concludes after lunch on Sunday. Meals include supper on Friday; breakfast, lunch and supper on Saturday; breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Meals are vegetarian. Please bring a meditation cushion or bench if you have one available. A very limited supply will be available at the retreat.
Chas has been practicing mindfulness and Buddhist meditation, primarily in the Theravada school, for over 20 years. He has trained with Burmese meditation masters, western monastics of the Thai Forest tradition and senior western Vipassana teachers. Chas has spent over 2 years of combined time in silent, intensive retreat.
In 2003 Chas was invited to be the Resident Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society where he continues to serve in that role. Chas is a graduate of the four year joint Insight Meditation Society / Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program led by Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein and others. Chas teaches retreats at IMS, at various centers and sanghas throughout the country, and offers Spiritual Counseling for individuals.
This year we are offering three levels of registration fees:
- $165 – covers accommodations and meals at Jesuit Retreat House (JRH)
- $185 – covers JRH costs and helps cover Chas’ airfare
- $200 – covers JRH costs, helps cover Chas’ airfare, and helps with our scholarship fund
Due to the generosity of our sangha members, there is a limited scholarship fund available for part or all of your payment if needed. Just let us know when you register. Please do not let money deter your from attending the retreat. If you can afford it, please consider a donation to help with our scholarship funds.
The Buddha’s teachings are considered to be priceless, and are therefore offered freely. The registration fee does not cover any payment to the teacher. Meditation teachers in this tradition are able to continue their work only through voluntary donations of their students. This practice of dana (generosity) is an integral part of the retreat experience.
For more information, contact John Cunningham at info@imcleveland.org. . Please register by April 1, 2012.