Friday, November 14, 7:00 – 8:30pm and Saturday, November 15, 9:00am – 12 noon

You Had Me at “Hello” A lecture and workshop with Michael Lipson, PhD.

Buddha held up a blossom. Mahakashyapa smiled. – Dogen Eihei

I am the speaking-with-you. – John 4:26

"You had me at 'Hello'." – Jerry Maguire

Christian esoteric practice and Buddhist awareness meet in the concept of Right Speech, one of the folds in Buddha’s Eightfold Path.  To refer to the origin of all being as the “Word,” in the tradition of the gospel of John, makes Right Speech not only an ethical, but a spiritual principle.  The Zen koan tradition, with its emphasis on dialogue, points in the same direction.  In this lecture and workshop, our aim is to bring the fundamental principle, the Word beyond all words, into direct experience.

We don’t need much in the way of doctrine or theory.  We do need alignment of speech, mind and body.  To bring about a peaceful yet inwardly mobile alignment, we’ll start with simple breath concentration, move on to awareness of sensations generally, then to awareness of the totality of sensory and mental impressions.  A further step is to bring in the willed activity of understanding.  “If the eye is single, the whole body is filled with light,” (Matt 6:22) can serve us as a meditative substrate for this activity and bring us into an intentional innocence.  Finally, exercises of speech and eye-contact will open us to new possibilities of community and communion.

Friday: $10-$20 suggested donation; Workshop: $30-$40; Both days: $45.