Special Seminar #3 with Roshi Joan Halifax
photos courtesy of Kodo Kyodan Department of Public Relations
April 5, 2023 10:00-13:00
Kodo Kyodan Buddhist Fellowship, Yokohama
It has been 4 years since Roshi Halifax conducted her second seminar at Kodosan on creating balance and resiliency in psycho-spiritual care. Needless to say, during the time between, the world has been turned upside by the Covid 19 epidemic. The psycho-spiritual crises that so many the world over were experiencing in 2019 only got worse during the pandemic as most of us were forced into deeper isolation and a some were forced into unsustainable commitments to caring for the physically and mentally ill. Now that it appears we may return to some relatively normal way of interacting again, our joy in reaching out to family, friends, and even strangers is tempered by the traumas we have faced during this time.
Trust has become a huge issue for so many of us, not only in trusting our leaders or even our family members with our safety. Indeed, the issues often come back to our own sense of trust with ourselves and our ability to live in the world. Can we trust in ourselves beyond the ego? Can we trust in ourselves without fear or hope, without any security or “credentials”? For those who have taken on carer roles or professions during this time, these questions become even more intense as they involve the wellbeing of not only ourselves but others.
From a Buddhist standpoint, we all have the innate intelligence or basic sanity that sees through trying to establish the ego’s security as a basis for caring. If not security, hope, or “credentials”, what else can we use to establish a basis for caregiving? Again, Buddhism teaches a variety of enlightened qualities such as concentration, insight, compassion, resilience, equanimity, and trust in oneself that support sustainable care giving. In fact, through such qualities, we may discover joyfulness and a sense of deep fulfillment through such “service” to others. Roshi Halifax, as we have encountered in her previous seminars, is abundant in these enlightened qualities and the joy of serving others. Please join us for a session of interaction and learning with Roshi about how to train in these qualities.
Program:
10:00 Welcome by Host: Rev. Masazumi Shojun Okano (President Kodo Kyodan)
10:15 Roshi Halifax presentation
11:45 Break
12:00 Question and Discussion session
13:00 Conclusion
Participation: We would like to especially welcome Buddhist priests and other religious professionals struggling to develop these caring skills in the context of the traditional forms of training within their own denominations. We also welcome those in the medical and caring professions who are also struggling to find inner resources for caring in the context of present secular forms of medical care.
Organized by: International Buddhist Exchange Center (IBEC) of the Kodo Kyodan Buddhist Fellowship
Fee: ¥1,000 Limited to 150 persons, registration necessary.
Send a registration with your name and short introduction of your interest and background in this work to: Jonathan Watts (IBEC): wattsj@jneb.net
To register for the zoom broadcast click on this link：Peatixからとなります As this event is prioritized for Japanese audiences, we cannot guarantee the ability of those outside Japan to sign up and pay by credit card on this ticket site. The event itself should be viewable from outside of Japan.
Location:
38 Torigoe, Kanagawa-ku
Yokohama 221-0064, JAPAN
Tel: 81-45-432-1201
Fax: 81-45-434-1188
The event will be held in the main Buddha hall at the top of the hill. Enter through the congregation entrance and the reception desk at the bottom of the main hall stairs one floor below.
