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guided by former Buddhist forest monk Akasa Levi
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q(~?~)p The LAUGHING BUDDHA MEDITATION SANGHA
Classes & Retreats in Santa Monica guided by Akasa Levi
the best phone-time for 'live' inquiry: Noon to 6 pm
email AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com ~ phone 310-450-2268
For all our Meditation Class info,
go here a more QUICK-read brief Details:
go here a more QUICK-read brief Details:
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"Forgiving Our Fathers"
a Pre-Father's Day Meditation Retreat
One-Daylong: Saturday - June __ - with Akasa Levi
at Santa Monica / 9 am to 5 pm
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We've all had to have biological Fathers,
or else we just wouldn't be here.
But did we have 'Good-Enough Fathering' ?
Well, that's a whole other story...
This will be a day of 'Forgiveness-work' on us,
our fathers, our family, mates and any others.
For many of us this will be a sane positive beginning,
and as ongoing deep inner-work.
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ONE-DAY of Meditation
that will set us up a full WEEK BEFORE Father's Day
so we can really give ourselves adequate time beforehand
to practice Forgiveness-techniques on our own for a week
at home with short contemplative meditation sittings –
or for whatever amount of time you wish to devote to it.
Using gentle-approaches we will learn on the Daylong
that will lead us confidently to that auspicious Big Sunday,
whether or not we do make the trip home or just in memory.
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" Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past.
There is no future without forgiveness." ~ Desmond Tutu
" Forgiveness is Possible – and how we can start using this timeless Forgiveness practice to transform emotional wounds into an authentic healing, and a way out of our pain. As compassion arises more naturally, we see how Forgiveness can be practiced as a 'Gift' we give – not only to others – but ultimately to ourselves.
Forgiveness has the awesome power to ripen forces of purity such as Love. Forgiveness creates the space for a life-renewal, a life now free from bondage to the past. Forgiveness dissolves separation and relieves us of the twin burdens of lacerating guilt and perpetually unresolved outrage. It is not so easy to access that hurt place inside of us that can forgive, that can love again.
Remember, it is much more difficult to forgive, than not to forgive !
When we are held prisoner by the 'resentment', the pain, the shame, anger, confusion, doubt or the sense of betrayal - our present life just cannot be fully lived. The unwelcome inheritance we carry from the past, function to close our hearts and thereby narrow our world. Yet 'Forgiveness' does not mean condoning a harmful action, or denying an injustice done. Forgiveness should never be confused with being passive toward violation or abuse.
The core-intention of true ‘Forgiveness’ arises directly out of the greatest
compassion for ourselves – so that we can create the spacious, wide
open conditions for an unobstructed love." ~ Jack Kornfield
Forgive and be free.
Forget that you have forgiven -
- and be even freer ! ~ The Buddha ~.
A cultivatable ‘capacity’ for Forgiveness needs to be available in order for us to truly Love. And there's certainly an endless abundance of authentic ‘Practice Opportunities’ when ‘working’ on Forgiveness.
This Daylong is suitable for all levels of meditation experience.
Beginners are very welcome ! Guided sitting instruction, Practice-techniques, Dharma-talks that help us explore life-related themes, new awakening approaches, and lively Q & A discussion - and there's lots of welcome noble-silence too.
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"A change of Heart changes Everything " ~ Max Lucado
" Holding onto resentment
is letting someone else punish us.
The “Act of Forgiveness” is
an act of mercy to yourself !"
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What Silent Meditation Retreats ALWAYS Offer...
is the very necessary deeper "immersion-time experiences"
so often missing in shorter meditation sittings. Retreats help you gradually build-in a consistent "working-relationship" with the meditation practice - so you can cultivate and stabilize an aware, wise, Dharma-informed intellect, a peaceful body-stillness, and a compassionate, calm equilibrium and emotional renewal, in a supportive space to continually re-awaken yourself to being "present in this moment" in silent-living for a sanctuary-day of sustained mindfulness and inner-inquiry.
This Daylong is appropriate for ALL levels of meditation experience.
Beginners are very welcome ! ... and certainly those with more expeience.
Guided sitting instruction, Practice-techniques, Dharma-talks that help us
explore love-related themes, new awakening-approaches, and there's lively
Q & A discussion - and there's lots of welcome noble-silence too.
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an IMPORTANT Detail !! – please BRING your own LUNCH
and water bottle with you – To Eat Mindfully Here – so you
do not interrupt your sensitive 'meditation-mind' mid-way
to go out searching for food.
BRING: water bottle, notebook, pen, maybe a light blanket/shawl,
easy on-off shoes and non-binding clothes.
We have chairs and cushions available.
COST: $50 and the optional offering of Dana to the teacher.
No one is ever turned away for lesser or lack of funds -
email or call for scholarship and/or work-study information
or to Pre-REGISTER now -or- email us at
for Questions / Hesitations etc.
This Daylong will be held at
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AKASA LEVI - an American filmmaker and student of the Gurdjief 'Work'
that went to live in Asia for the full decade of the 1970's to be directly
with the last living spiritual teachers of the pre-global era. He was mentored
by Lama Thubten Yeshe & Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan, Nepal - Munindra
& Goenka in Bodhgaya, India - and by Nisargadatta Maharaj in Bombay.
Akasa was a forest bhikkhu monk for six years in Sri Lanka - trained and
ordained into the Theravada monastic order by the revered Bhante Ananda
Maitreya and Kassapa Mahathera. Now 70, he guides Vipassana insight
meditation at The Laughing Buddha Sangha in Santa Monica - and offers
buddhist-based counseling-therapy and mindful-life coaching. Akasa is
known for his spontaneity, ready warmth and wry unpredictable humor.
" Metta ~ The Relationship Your Heart Longs For...
... Already Exists within You ! "
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for more full picture of Retreat & Details:
Day-long Retreats are very suitable for Beginners !
" A day of heart/mind training will really begin
to set you up in the right direction -
or allow you to deepen the work
you have already begun.In the stillness – space for a rebellious spirit." ~ Noah Levine
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And the Next Upcoming Retreat
And the Next Upcoming Retreat
is on "REALITY" ~ What is it ?
this Fall 2011 ~ TBA
with former buddhist forest monk Akasa Levi
at ~ stay tuned....
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this Fall 2011 ~ TBA
with former buddhist forest monk Akasa Levi
at ~ stay tuned....
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Why are you so unhappy ?
Because 99.9 per cent
Because 99.9 per cent
of everything you think,
and of everything you do,
is for yourSelf –
and there isn't one.
~ Wei Wu Wei ~
" Buddhist practice literally has 'Nothing' to offer you –
other than what is in THIS very moment. That’s all.
other than what is in THIS very moment. That’s all.
God(s), Goddesses, religion, entities and the ego-self
can certainly attract you with so, so, so much more! "
~ Henri Van Zeyst ~
Remember ~ Whatever 'It' is – It's just a “Thought”.
and also please remember that . . .
Love exists only in the True Friendship.
Love is True Friendship set on Fire !
~ Jeremy Taylor - 1657 ~
Natural Dharma guides us in the practical necessity of creating
our own clear relationship 'language of kindness'
our own clear relationship 'language of kindness'
and skillful actions arising from a compassionate
and yet correct-view of 'What Is'.
and yet correct-view of 'What Is'.
...and How to do this in a warm, natural, flexible yet uncontrived, uncompromised way?
How do we "do" Relationship in our lives with full feeling and integrity, while at the
same time do a Buddhist-practice of cultivating an awakened non-attachment ?
" The Buddhist absence of 'Attachment' –
is not necessarily at all, in any way,
the absence of profound Loving."
~ Ananda Maitreya ~
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.
Meditation is coming soon to a mind near you !
The most common attachment-mistake
in creating one's own personal suffering
is to take the Impermanent for Permanent."
T
he Buddhist-ideal: the Absence of 'Attachment' –
is NOT necessarily, in any way whatsoever,
the absence of a profound Loving !
The True Reality of 'Experiencing':
is How I personally experience -
'Experiencing' itself -
and that may have to change !
The Buddhist Practice is always all about
OBSERVING OBSERVING OBSERVING
Observing One's Self and becomeing truly,
authentically Self-Conscious, consciously !
.
.
The most common attachment-mistake
in creating one's own personal suffering
is to take the Impermanent for Permanent."
T
he Buddhist-ideal: the Absence of 'Attachment' –
is NOT necessarily, in any way whatsoever,
the absence of a profound Loving !
The True Reality of 'Experiencing':
is How I personally experience -
'Experiencing' itself -
and that may have to change !
The Buddhist Practice is always all about
OBSERVING OBSERVING OBSERVING
Observing One's Self and becomeing truly,
authentically Self-Conscious, consciously !
.
.
.
