Date: 10:00am – 1:00pm; 2nd Tuesday of every month, 2018 – 2019. 2019 dates updated: January class moved from January 8 to January 15. February class moved from February 12 to June 18.
Sliding Scale: $300 – 480. Code AD1C18.
Registration for 2018-2019 class closed. 

In our death-denying culture, few of us contemplate the inevitability of our death or that it could happen at any time. The Buddha recommended that we do just that, not to frighten us, but to use death as an object of contemplation to help us awaken to the fragile, fleeting, and precious nature of our lives. Contemplating death as a vital part of our meditation practice and inquiring together in community encourages us to be more real, more clear about our priorities, and more courageous. Paradoxically, many discover that contemplating our mortality is vital to putting us in touch with our best and truest self.

We may resonate with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: “You can’t choose when you will die or how you will die, but you can choose what you give your life to.” Dr. King lived this truth and his words challenge us to do the same – What do we choose to give our lives to?

This yearlong course is an invitation to meet in a class format once a month for 12 months to explore the matters that matter most when we believe our time is limited. Each monthly class meets for 3 hours and is organized around a theme – from looking at our ideas and beliefs about death, to reflections on impermanence and emptiness, to writing a life review, to re-imagining our life purpose, to preparing for death, and most importantly to engaging life here and now.

This course is inspired by the book, A Year to Live, by beloved teacher Stephen Levine. The book will be our guide, supplemented by source material from dharma teachings, and aided by inquiry, daily meditations, deep listening, journaling exercises, and practical research.

Please come prepared to participate in an intimate relational field where everyone can safely explore their views about mortality and feel supported in opening to the Deathless. Very few of us, if any, would undertake such a bold experiment in living without the support of a guide and a community of peers. In the presence of sacred community we are encouraged to rise to the level of our deepest aspirations. Please join us!

Monthly attendance and active participation are required. This is not a drop-in group.

Seniors (65+ with limited income) are invited to attend this class for $180.