Buddha’s last temptation before enlightenment was his confrontation with the four maras. The maras represent aspects of our mind that sabotage our path by seducing us with pleasures, the promise of power and success, or by provoking situations that instill fear. Usually when we encounter situations that trigger intense emotions, we tend to regard them as if they were demons. Rarely do we communicate with them.
Buddhism recommends that we befriend our demons to connect with what urgently needs our attention—parts of ourselves that we have denied and disowned. When we ask our demons want they want from us, we enlist them as helpers on the path, who remind us to use adverse circumstances and emotional hot spots to fuel our spiritual journey. This is how we practice spiritual warriorship.
Please join us as we engage in the practice of befriending our demons.
Friday May 30 from 6:30 pm (registration) to 9 pm
Saturday May 31 from 8:30 am (coffee and tea) to 5 pm
Sunday June 1 from 8:30 am (coffee and tea) to 5 pm
Facilitator: Ira Rechtshaffer Ph.D. [www.wayofthemandala.com] has practiced psychospiritual psychotherapy for the past 35 years and has taught Buddhist philosophy and meditation for the past 40 years. Ira is the author of 4 books including Mindfulness and Madness: Money, Food, Sex, and the Sacred; What Was in Buddha's Left Hand?: Tantric Teachings to Transform Neurosis into Sanity
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