My name is Devin Maroney and I'll be leading Downtown Dharma this Sunday.
I recently read a post by a Buddhist scholar and teacher, Emma Markham, exhorting teachers to talk more about sex. She was writing the piece in the wake of multiple scandals across Buddhist communities related to sexual harm. As I thought about this encouragement, it occurred to me that an honest discussion of sex requires a level of comfort with feelings of shame, rage, terror, regret and confusion that can be challenging to make space for in a responsible way in spiritual communities like this one.
And as I reflected on that, I thought about the ancient Buddhist practice of observing Uposatha days. Monks would gather weekly or bi-weekly to acknowledge the ways in which they had harmed themselves or others, or ways in which they had deviated from their intentions to observe the monastic code. These were opportunities to process feelings of shame and regret, to make amends as best they could, and to recommit to their deepest aspirations.
Uposatha days have not been adopted in the Buddhist sanghas that I have participated in. When I hear confessions, they usually are happening in my therapy office, which is a more intimate environment where there is space to process difficult feelings with a trained professional. My clients explore their deepest aspirations, rather than commit to a predefined monastic code. It's a really helpful practice for people in therapy, but it's one that is almost entirely absent from our dharma community. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I do think it deserves some attention.
This week's talk won't be about sex and I won't be taking confessions, but I will be exploring what it means to collectively process the ways in which we harm ourselves and others and how this relates to the spiritual path, as well as the promises and perils of these practices.
Your presence would be most welcome!
In-person: Sunday, Sept. 7 from 7pm to 8:30pm @ Yoga District — 1910 14th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC (please arrive 5-10 minutes early)
Please! :) Register in advance here; it's the last class listed for Sunday under the name, "FREE (14th St.) Insight Meditation @ 1910 14th St"
Online via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/466237117?pwd=cGxHaTJlTVhBdldVSk8weDZuSW5udz09
Devin
-- https://www.downtowndharmadc.org/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "IMCW Downtown Dharma social/volunteer listserv" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to downtowndharma+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/downtowndharma/CALVVC3LHDzttamxscxd_1LbLzJHFGt_-pnX-iMpnZEVZg2r0Sg%40mail.gmail.com.
0 comments:
Post a Comment