Day-long retreat with Donald Rothberg: The Three Ways of Seeing That Bring Liberating Insight

The Three Ways of Seeing That Bring Liberating Insight

Before long, knowledge and insight into impermanence, suffering, and emptiness will arise. This is the beginning of true wisdom, the heart of meditation, which leads to  liberation. Follow your experience. See it. Strive continuously. Know the truth. Ajahn Chah, Thai Forest Teacher (1918-1992)

In this mostly silent daylong retreat, we will explore, both through teachings and through silent meditation practice, the three fundamental modes of freeing insight in Buddhist insight meditation. With a foundation in first stabilizing our attention, we will then focus our mindfulness practice on three areas (sometimes called the “Three Characteristics” of phenomena): (1) Impermanence (anicca), (2) reactivity (dukkha, often translated as “suffering”), and (3) not-self (anatta). When we do not see these three areas clearly, the mind, emotions, and body become fixated, habitual, and reactive, leading to suffering, confusion, and a lack of the free flow of our experience. When we are more aware of these areas, we learn to deconstruct and release such fixations, habits, and reactivity, opening more to a spacious and luminous awareness, to greater compassion, responsiveness, and freedom. We will explore several practices for each of these three areas and identify ways to bring these practices into daily life (a resource packet will also be given out). The daylong retreat will include periods of silent and guided meditation, talks, and discussion.

Rothberg 2017 flyer