An unexpected book arrived in the mail the other day. A gift from my friend’s at Wisdom Publications. Zen Master Raven: The Teachings of a Wise Old Bird. by Zen Master human form, Robert Aitken. Here the koans are told by and to animals of the forest: raven, porcupine, owl, woodpecker, badger, black bear, and […]
One week from today I will be presenting a workshop at the Barre Center For Buddhist Studies (BCBS). I invite you to join me (25-27 February 2011). Click here to register.
This is an opportunity to spend a weekend at this special place learning metaphors for mindfulness, meditating, and learning how to integrate mindfulness deeply into your life.
The Buddha taught with metaphors and I humbly follow in this tradition. Below is my workshop description.
Metaphors are often thought of as colorful augmenting features of language. However, a large body of scholarship shows that ordinary “literal” language is infused with metaphors. It is impossible to think, feel, or act without the use of metaphors. In fact, the evolution of the human mind may have depended on the use of metaphors. The words we use are not “dead” and the concepts they point to can contribute to stress, mental suffering, psychopathology, and unhappiness. To be aware of the metaphors we use and develop the skill to generate new metaphors can be part of our creativity and growth. This workshop integrates the use of metaphors with mindfulness practice and Dharma understanding to create a new model for mental health, transcending suffering, and the change process. The source text for the program will be Arnie Kozak’s book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness.12 CE credits will be available for social workers, LMFTs, national certified counselors, psychologists and nurses.