Of all ploughing, 
ploughing in the autumn is supreme.
Of all footprints, the elephant's is supreme.
Of all perceptions, 
remembering death and impermanence
is supreme.

-Buddha  
If we want to live fully, to risk intimacy and closeness with other persons, it is essential that we embrace the reality of death. 
 
Being alive as a separate person is one end of a polarity which includes death. We do our best to deny this truth. Much of the anxiety that we experience arises from this unconscious fear of death. We and our loved ones may be healthy today, but we know in the back of our minds that sickness or death will soon be with us. There is also a shadowy intuition that accidental death is but a moment away. We say, "drive carefully" when we would more honestly say. "I am afraid that I am going to lose you in a car accident".
 
The contemplation of death occupies a central and honored place in Buddhist meditative training. Some people, when they hear of this, imagine that such reflections must result in a morbid and depressed outlook on life. Quite to the contrary however, when we openly face the previously unconscious fears, a new joy, freedom and aliveness appear. 
 
During this day of practice, in the supportive community of PIMC, we will use mindfulness to bring stability and clarity to the mind. With this foundation we will turn our minds to a variety of contemplations of death. 
 
EVENT DETAILS

DATE: Saturday March 14, 2020

HOURS : 9 AM - 4 PM

COST: $70 (No one is turned away for lack of funds)

LOCATION: Portland Insight Meditation Community,
6536 SE Duke, Portland, OR
MEET YOUR TEACHER
Robert Beatty  is a member of the first wave of Theravada Buddhist Teachers who brought the Dharma from Asia in the 1970's. His mission is to help others discover the profound ways Buddhist practices can transform one’s life, reduce suffering and create happiness. He is the founder of the Portland Insight Meditation Community and its Guiding Teacher.

His meditation training began in India in 1972. He has studied with many teachers in Burma, India and the US. He traces his primary lineage is through  Ruth Denison , founder of the  Dhamma Dena Retreat Center , who named him a Dharma successor and authorized him to teach in 1982.

He has a Masters Degree in Environmental Studies from York University in Toronto, and Masters in Social Work from Portland State. He has pursued his own inner work for decades with the help of several fine therapists. Robert is moved by the wisdom, compassion and maturity he gained through his own inner exploration and through experiences he shared with thousands of people he guided and counseled as they faced illness, death, divorce, disappointment, loss, major life transitions and end of life issues.