Bernie Glassman at Upaya

Part 3: Listening without preconception. In the second part of the session, Roshi Bernie talks about the actualization of an “Indra’s Net” connecting impoverished communities by responding to the various groups’ needs by listening without preconception and acting on what arises within and between. Among other cases of skillful means, he cites his own work with the homeless, near-homeless… Source

Part 2: Indra’s Net. After Sensei Alan Senauke opens the session with a guided meditation song, Roshi Bernie offers his opinions on “non-dual communication” on interdependence and Indra’s Net, reincarnation, koan study, the Eightfold-fold path, social activism, education, and many other images, models, and practices. Roshi Bernie Glassman More from this speaker Hozan Alan Senauke… Source

Part 1. Nonduality. Bernie-Roshi reflects on three periods of his life, each marked by stepping beyond limited “clubs” into ever wider and less sure circles of caring engagement. He speaks of nonduality as not-knowing, freedom to think and feel outside grooved categories — a state provoked both by Zen koans and by “plunges” into deeply unfamiliar circumstances. He takes several questions from the… Source

“Have you seen The Big Lebowski?” In this final session, Bernie continues to answer questions posed by the retreat participants. One person asked: “How can one go about distributing homemade soap to the homeless without offending them?” Another person asked Bernie to talk about his transition from being an engineer to a Zen student and then on to his engaged activity through the Grayston Mandala. Source

Being on the street. This session continues where the previous left off, with Roshi Bernie taking a number of questions from the participants. The first question concerns Indra’s net, which leads Bernie into a discussion on the possibility of escaping the space-time continuum. The next question concerns “going deeper and deeper.” Which for Bernie means going “broader and broader in that energy… Source

Amazing stories of forgiveness. In this Saturday afternoon session, Roshi Bernie discusses forgiveness using the Rwandan genocide as a backdrop. During a 100 day period starting in April of 1994, between 500,000 and 1,000,000 Tutsis were slaughtered by the Hutus. In light of extremely horrific, unimaginable atrocities, Bernie offers a number of amazing and beautiful stores of forgiveness. Source

Bearing witness retreats. In this session, Roshi Bernie answers questions from the audience. Questions include: “Are there Bearing Witness Retreats in Hiroshima or Nagasaki?” “What is the status of the Lakota Retreat?” “How should one work with a person that has a tremendous amount of guilt over their past actions?” “What is the hardest thing you personally had to face at Auschwitz? Source

Rejoice! In this Saturday morning session, Roshi Bernie opens by answering a couple of questions posed by the audience. “What is the most important element in bringing about change?” “What should you do if you don’t know what to do?” Rejoice! Bernie then moves on to the main topic of the session, the Auschwitz retreats that he founded, lead and participated in for the past twenty years. Source

Honoring the interconnection of life. During the second half of the final retreat session, Roshi Bernie invites the gathered retreatants to share what they will take away from their time together. Retreatants then share thoughtfully and movingly on the transformations that have taken place for them over the past two days. Roshi Bernie then wraps up the retreat by drawing attention to our ability… Source

Bearing Witness. The session begins with Roshi Joan Halifax informally reflecting on her deep affection and respect for Roshi Bernie Glassman and their long collaboration in the dharma. Roshi Bernie then shares profound teachings gleaned from his long involvement in the bearing witness retreats at Auschwitz. Roshi Bernie Glassman More from this speaker… Source