Santikaro lived with Ajahn Buddhadasa during the last nine years of his life and became his primary translator. Ordained as a Theravada Bhikkhu in 1985, Santikaro spent most of his monastic life at Suan Mokkh. During this time he led Dawn Kiam, a small monastic community for foreigners. He is the founder of Liberation Park, a modern expression of Buddhist practice, study, and social responsibility, located in rural southwestern Wisconsin. There he continues to teach, explore nature, and translate the work of his teacher. He teaches Buddhism and meditation with an emphasis on the early Pali sources and is a lucid interpreter of the original teachings and discourses.
The recent election and its aftermath have been deeply troubling for many us. We struggle to make sense of them, find our grounding, and respond skilfully. Similarly, serious illness, death of loved ones, financial stresses, family conflict, and climate disruption create storms externally and internally. Buddha-Dhamma and the fruits of its practice offer invaluable resources for weathering these storms as they blow through us. This talk will summarize practical strategies for living with the inevitable storms of life and death.
Much of our lives and many social interactions are ego-centric. In socially engaged buddhism we explore the boundaries where self & other and individual & group can relax. This opens us to perspectives that are Dhamma and eco-centric, with more profound ethics than the merely personal.
This workshop emphasizes simple practices for exploring the energy & healing fun of breathing as a support for stable & insightful meditation. We will use that to contemplate the unfathomable stuff often labeled "mind." Guided practices will alternate with instruction and discussion.
Religions & spiritual traditions are fond of seeing themselves as vehicles for what is best in our species. Do we actually deliver the goods? What might it take?
