Saturday, January 9, 2010, 9:30am to 12:30pm
In Buddhism, Joy is both a Factor of Enlightenment and one of the four Divine Abodes. Today, as we are bombarded with messages that heighten our fear and sadness about the world, more than ever it is vital to understand the importance of joy as a central aspect of spiritual practice. True happiness is not about acquiring anything but rather opening to the natural joy and aliveness right inside you. This workshop is based on the popular 10-month Awakening Joy course that thousands have taken since 2003 to develop our natural capacity for well-being and happiness. We will learn basic principles and experiential exercises for developing and increasing wholesome states (two of the four Wise Efforts) drawn from Buddhist philosophy and presented in a user-friendly way.
James Baraz is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he started the Family Program, Community Dharma Leader Program and Kalyana Mitta Network. He leads retreats, workshops and classes in the U.S. and abroad and has been teaching the Awakening Joy course (www.awakeningjoy.info) since 2003. James is co-author with Shoshana Alexander of Awakening Joy due in 2010 (Bantam) which is based on the course. In addition, he is on the International Advisory Board of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.