July 21: Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB): Integrating Science and Dharma Practice

A Half-Day Workshop with Dave Smith

Description
Our emotions can lead us to our greatest joys and most painful sorrows. In their most creative capacity, they are guides pointing us toward who we truly are and what is most meaningful in our lives. At their most destructive, we are caught by them: lost in the grip of anger, sadness, fear, or overwhelm. This suffering is something we have all felt, but we can create more space, choice, and ease in the face of it.

Cultivating Emotional Balance was born at the Mind and Life Conference in Dharamsala in 2000. The subject for this meeting of a group of scientists, philosophers, and monks with H.H. the Dalai Lama was Destructive Emotions. The meeting was captured in the book Destructive Emotions by Daniel Goleman. By combining contemporary scientific research with contemplative practices drawn from Buddhism, Cultivating Emotional Balance gives participants practical tools for working with emotion.

Over centuries, Buddhism has refined meditation methods which probe the nature of the mind and promote positive states of mind, including compassion. In these challenging times, the development of methods for “cultivating emotional balance” and promoting compassion for others is a tremendously important scientific and humanitarian goal.

During the workshop, Dave will offer an overview of the CEB work and how it can enhance our practice and understanding of Dharma.

Participants will learn:
• The science of how emotions work.
• How to recognize and work with emotional triggers.
• How to cultivate genuine happiness and mental balance.

This workshop is appropriate for anyone who is interested in the topic. No previous experience is required.

When
Sunday, July 21
1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Where
The Arlington Center
369 Mass Ave
Arlington, MA

Cost
$35 Base
$45 Sustaining (actual cost of the program)
$55 Contributing
Paying at the highest level you can afford helps us make our programs available to as many people as possible. There is also an opportunity to offer additional dana (generosity) for the teacher at the end of the program. Please let us know if finances are an obstacle.

Registration
To register, select your preferred pricing option from the drop-down menu below and then click the button to submit payment via PayPal; in a day or two you will receive a confirmation email. Please email us at info@bostonmeditationcenter.org with any questions.

Teacher

Dave Smith is an internationally recognized Buddhist meditation teacher, addiction treatment specialist, and published author. His background is rooted in the Insight Meditation tradition and he was empowered to teach through the Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. He has extensive experience bringing meditative interventions into jails, prisons, youth detention centers and addiction treatment facilities. Dave teaches residential meditation retreats and classes, provides trainings and consulting in both secular and Buddhist contexts, and works with students through his meditation mentoring program. He recently founded the Secular Dharma Foundation and lives in Paonia, Colorado.