We live in a time of great unravelling of both human and ecological systems, and if we are awake to these times, we will feel the painful impact of this in our hearts and minds. So many of the difficulties we face originate in the human mind, and this is also where they can be attended to. In this day-long retreat we gather to explore what a meditative approach to life may offer to the challenge of keeping our hearts open rather than contracted.
This day offers the opportunity to take a step back from the business and distractedness of daily life, tending to our human hearts and minds with care and attentiveness. Inviting the mind to slow down and come closer to life, we will inquire together how to hold being human in a way that cultivates resilience and balance, as well as the possibility of a skillful response.
The flow of the retreat will be structured around meditation practices, being in conversation with one another and connection with the more-than-human world.
Schedule:
10:00 Opening of the doors
10:15 Beginning of the day
13:30-14:00 Silent lunch break (everyone brings their own lunch)
17:30 End of the day
18:00 Closing the doors
No need to pre-register. Everyone is welcome!
Location:
Buddhist Center Sampo
Vetehisenkuja 3
00530 Helsinki
Dana:
Teachers don’t get paid but you can support them by voluntary donation after the day.
Teachers:
Kerstin Deibert (she/her) has been practicing within the Insight Meditation tradition since 2002, sitting intensive retreats in the US, the UK, Germany, Nepal and Burma/Myanmar. A native of Germany, Kerstin has been leading retreats since 2021. She is a mentor for mindfulness practitioners and a trained MBSR teacher.
Kerstin’s teaching is interwoven with a life dedicated to political engagement; she has supported NGOs and activist groups around the world as a social justice advocate, conflict mediator, peace activist and trainer for nonviolence.
A central question for Kerstin is how to apply the teachings of the Buddha to the challenges of our times in a way that cultivates joy and resilience of the heart, allowing us to rediscover our shared purpose in reverential stewardship of the Earth.
Rupert Marques (he/him) has practiced in the Insight meditation tradition for over 25 years in Europe, America and Asia. His primary teachers have been Christina Feldman and Joseph Goldstein. For three years, Rupert lived and worked at Ecodharma, a contemplative retreat community in the Spanish Pyrenees dedicated to exploring the role of the Dharma in the movements for social justice and ecological resilience. He currently teaches in Europe and beyond, working with individuals and organizations offering a range of retreats and trainings that explore personal empowerment and ecological relationships in service of a mutually beneficial human presence on this Earth.
Learn more at: www.handontheearth.org
