Experiments in Interbeing

A Day of Relational Mindfulness Facilitated by James Dial \| Vegan lunch provided \| Capped at 13 participants NOTE: Signing up on Meetup doesn't grant you a spot. Please reserve at the following link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/experiments-in-interbeing-2 “The verb ‘to be’ can be misleading, because we cannot be by ourselves, alone. ‘To be’ is always to ‘inter-be.’” — Thich Nhat Hanh Western culture often reinforces our sense of being separate individuals. This can be empowering, helping us more fully notice and honor our values, needs, boundaries, as well as take accountability for our choices. And yet, such a strong emphasis on “I” creates conditions for loneliness and suffering. We forget how deeply we’re shaped by the people, places, and conditions around us, and how interconnected we already are. Recently, while meditating on interbeing, I felt grief. There was fear that opening to see experience as relational would threaten my individuality. This fear inspired a question at the heart of this Immersion: What if being is relational from the beginning? Even as you are reading these words, you might notice how much of your experience seems to arise through relationship. These words, the sounds around you, your emotions, your thoughts, and even the act of reading itself all appear in a web of conditions that make them possible. What happens when we become curious about these relationships? You're invited to a full-day journey of relational presence, where we will explore interbeing. We will notice, feel, and practice together, going beyond merely talking about interbeing as an idea. This one-day Relational Meditation Immersion will be held at Greatwoods Zen, a Plum Village-style community center next door to Reedy Creek Park. This day offers a powerful complement to silent meditation: the practice of being with others in presence, truth, and love. This day is not…