Kevala Retreat in Chicago

Residential Retreat July 9-12

The Great Matter of Life and Death with Santikaro

Hosted by Insight Chicago Meditation Community at Portiuncula Center for Prayer, Frankfort, Illinois

Death is scary and we want to live. We seek happiness and avoid pain. These are basic polarities of our minds & bodies. Yet, we have far less control over them than we are comfortable with. Death and the myriad hints of it regularly poke through our comfort bubbles. Death rattles us. Still, we are alive, even if it feels, at times, like an uphill struggle. We are here, alive, in search of the best we can do. Buddha-Dhamma, the path of awakening, offers perspectives and practices for facing these simple truths. It fortifies us for when we are tempted to hide, escape, or despair.

Learn more and register here.

New meditation group starting

A new monthly meditation group is starting soon. It will be hosted by Franciscan Spirituality Center and led by Frank Mauss and Robert Lynn.

Here are the details from Robert:

The first session will be held at the Franciscan Spirituality Center on Tuesday April 21 from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m.

We will begin with a period of silent meditation.

Following meditation, I invite you to share your reflections on the following:

Buddhism is not monolithic. There are several schools and traditions of Buddhism.

What are some of the foundational tenets that are pan-Buddhist, that are most commonly shared across the wide spectrum of schools and traditions?

Beginning May 12, 2026, the Center will host our group on the second Tuesday of each month from 6 to 7:15 p.m. 

A suggested $5 free-will donation to benefit the Franciscan Center is encouraged.

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Please email champa_c-at-hotmail.com to be put on contact list.

Restarting this resource

Over the next couple of months we will be updating this resource to help those interested in practicing Buddhist mindfulness and meditation connect with our community.

If you know of a group that is not listed here or have links to add, please email ministerofbeans at gmail.

October 23 in La Crosse

October 23 +++  Bridges UMC at King & 8th (see important details below)

Inner Kindness & Healing 

(the Diversity of Meditation Styles & Approaches 12)

  

This Wednesday will conclude our yearlong series on "Many Approaches to Meditation." Let's review and wrap-up what we've covered and what's been learned. Here are some questions to ponder:

* Which specific meditation practices stand out in your experience?

* How did you benefit and learn from them?

* What is your bread & butter, foundation meditation?

* What have you learned about sati (mindfulness) this year?


* What have you learned about samadhi (collectedness,unification, concentration) this year?


* What have you discovered regarding insight?


* Are there specific areas of meditation practice that you want to focus on in the months ahead?

Please come ready for an open, friendly, creative discussion on the questions and and others that you wish to bring.

For location and related information, please go here. Bridges UMC is scheduled to move a few blocks in November and we will move with them. Please stay tuned.

Dāna (donations, gifts, free-will offerings) to sustain Liberation Park and support our work are most welcome. Santikaro and Liberation Park depend on donations as sole means of support. Liberation Park in turn makes donations to Wesley UMC for kindly hosting us.

A sampler of Santikaro's talks from La Crosse and elsewhere are posted at http://liberationpark.org/audio/index.htm

La Crosse meditation - October 20

We are looking forward to hosting this month's meditation group next Sunday, October 20th from 10:30 - Noon. See address and details here.

This month's reading is a chapter from Pema Chodron's first book, The Wisdom of No Escape. Hope you enjoy!

Please email if you are planning to attend and note whether you prefer a chair or a cushion so we can set up the shrine room with your needs in mind.

Happy Fall!

Oct. 9 - Kevala in La Crosse

October 9 +++  Bridges UMC at King & 8th(see important details below)

Inner Kindness & Healing 

 

(the Diversity of Meditation Styles & Approaches 11)

  

Meditation can be fun and creative, as well as healing. This Wednesday, Santikaro will offer a special application of metta (loving kindness) meditation that supports physical and emotional healing. I won't give away the secrets via email, so please come and give it a try in person.

We all have needs for nurturing and healing. Meditation includes forms that can bring smiles to our hearts and care for our bodies.

In line with our explorations throughout 2019, this particular practice will be both beneficial in its own ways and help us better understand the broad and profound inner territory that meditation covers. Discussing a particular practice is a means to clarify the meditative skills that we cultivate, thereby enhancing our ability to meditate skillfully with changing life circumstances and needs.

Please join us this Wed for a fun meditative approach that can be employed whenever needed, and sometimes just to be good to yourself.

For location  and related information, please go here.

Dāna (donations, gifts, free-will offerings) to sustain Liberation Park and support our work are most welcome. Santikaro and Liberation Park depend on donations as sole means of support. Liberation Park in turn makes donations to Wesley UMC for kindly hosting us.

A sampler of Santikaro's talks from La Crosse and elsewhere are posted at http://liberationpark.org/audio/index.htm

Next sessions:  October 23rd 2019.

10/26 - Day of Mindfulness