The End of Suffering?: Why Are We Suffering?
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Drop in to a single class or take all four as a series!
Since Buddhism is primarily concerned with the issue of human suffering and unease, it is often misunderstood as a dire and pessimistic philosophy (“Life’s a bitch, then you die.”) In actuality, Buddhism is really a very optimistic spiritual practice, one that offers us the tools to understand the root of our discontent so that we can transcend it and live with happiness and sanity. In fact, when asked what exactly it was that he taught the Buddha said “I teach about two things--suffering and the cessation of suffering.”
In this series, we’ll review The Four Noble Truths, the Buddha's method of inquiry into the reality of the human condition. Designed to lead us away from suffering and confusion, this foundational teaching reveals the means to help us live a life of greater clarity, openness and connection.
Week One: Are we really Suffering? w/ Kate Johnson & Kim Brown - What does it mean to suffer and how does it feel? How can meditation help us work with it?
Week Two: Why are we Suffering? w/ Kate Johnson & Patrick Groneman - What causes all our unhappiness, struggle, and confusion? Is it in our power to transform it? How can meditation help?
Week Three: Can we really be free of Suffering? w/ Patrick Groneman & Lawrence Grecco - Working with the causes of suffering; antidotes to the Three Poisons and feeling your feelings.
Week Four: Real Freedom w/ Patrick Groneman & Kate Johnson - Living theEightfold Path and learning the reality of our situation
Kimberly Brown studies in the traditions of Tibetan and American Buddhism, is a member and teacher at the IDP, and a graduate of the year-long IDP Teacher Training program. She practices Kriya Yoga with Alan Finger, and is learning Healing Touch, an energy medicine technique which she offers to cancer patients in Manhattan. Kimberly has degrees in physics and literature, and spent several years in post-graduate training as a psychodynamic psychotherapist.
Ven. Lawrence Dō'an Grecco is a Zen monk, Dharma Teacher and Life Coach. He received authorization asadharma teacher from the Interdependence Project, and holds a certificate in Foundations in Buddhist Chaplaincy from the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Rev. Lawrence was ordained by the Five Mountain Zen Order and is a student of Ven. Paul Yuánzhì Lynch, the Founder and Guiding Teacher of Five Mountain. He is also the Vice-Abbot of the Five Mountain Zen Order and writes for Sweeping Zen, The Interdependence Project, and Open Sky Zen. He is the Founding Director of Open Sky Zen Meditation & Buddhist Studies Group which meets regularly at the New York Insight Meditation Center, and the facilitator of Queer Sangha which meets at the Interdependence Project in Manhattan.
A lifelong dancer and a yogi for many years, Kate Johnson finally learned to sit still at The Interdependence Project, where she completed teacher training in December 2011. A student in the Insight (Vipassana) meditation tradition, she will complete the Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation teacher training at Spirit Rock Meditation Center this year. Kate teaches yoga and mindfulness meditation to high school students in public schools throughout NYC, and is a co-owner of Third Root Community Health Center (www.thirdroot.org), a radically accessible holistic healthcare cooperative in Brooklyn, NY.
Patrick Groneman is currently the Executive Director of the Interdependence Project and a graduate of IDP's Teacher Training program. He studied painting and video art at the Maryland Institute College of Art, is co-founder of the multi-media artist collective Wunderkrafthaus and is currently involved in developing a short dance film. He has studied meditation and Buddhism at the Insight Meditaton Center, the Village Zendo, and with the Shambhala Buddhist Community. Learn more about him at his website. http://patrickgroneman.tumblr.com
Suggested Contribution: $5 - $15
(Pay What You Can, No one will be turned away for lack of funds)
"It's all free," but we still gotta pay the rent!
Here at IDP we make a concerted effort to make our classes accessible to all regardless of income level. We have suggested contribution amounts for our Wednesday Night Classes and encourage you to consider the value you receive from a class in making a contribution.
If you are interested in making a donation of service in exchange for classes, you can read more about our Workstudy program, and contact Marisa@theidproject.org with any questions.
Tree-Sky Fusion by Abhishek Singh re-used under Creative Commons NonCommercial-NoDerivs License [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0], via Flickr.
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