The First Free Women: A Retreat into Poetry
Waking Up Together with the Poems of the First Buddhist Nuns
In this quiet day of supported practice, Tim will lead us in a series of meditations, reflections, and exercises to help us dive deeply into reflection on the deep purpose of meditation as shown by the nuns whose poems about their practice were recorded in an ancient Buddhist text called the Therigatha. This more than 2,000 year-old text was recently re-imagined in The First Free Women: Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns by Matty Weingast.
We’ve found that participants deeply appreciate Tim’s ability to translate ancient teachings into modern accessible language. Students also find that their ability to understand and integrate these practices in their lives is deepened and strengthened when they become more familiar with the Buddhist roots of mindfulness and compassion.
Look forward to:
- A quiet, peaceful day in a beautiful park on the water at Semiahmoo Spit in Northern Whatcom County
- Exploration of the unique lives of the first Buddhist nuns through their inspired writings
- Clearly guided practices, inspired by the beauty and teachings of these ancient poems
- Traditional teachings from Buddhism adapted and explained in an accessible way
- A greater sense of connection and clarity around the practice of mindfulness
When the whole world is your friend,
fear will find no place to call home.
And when you make the mind your friend,
you’ll know what trust
truly means.
– the nun Mitta
SCHEDULE
Sunday August 13, 2023
9:00am – 4:00pm
TEACHER
LOCATION
COST
Choose what’s right for you on our sliding scale: $80 – $135
($20 – $34/mo with 4 month payment plan)
- Scholarships – Limited scholarships available. No need to apply; just choose scholarship tuition during registration.
- Payment Plans – No interest, 4 month payment plan option is available during registration.
Rev. Tim Burnett
(he/him) Executive Director, Founder, Guiding Teacher
Tim founded MIndfulness Northwest in 2011 with the hope of offering the transformational practices he’d learned as a student of Zen Buddhism much more widely to the community. He is a certified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), and Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT). A meditator since his teenage years, Tim’s background in traditional Dharma practice informs his mindfulness work. Ordained as a Soto Zen priest in 2000, he apprenticed with Zen teacher Zoketsu Norman Fischer and is the Guiding Teacher of Red Cedar Zen Community in Bellingham. Former jobs include educator, carpenter, software developer, and scientist. When not in the classroom, you might find him hiking, paddling, or birding.
Tim has been leading multi-day retreats in both the mindfulness and Zen Buddhist styles for many years. For these retreats Tim loves offering a universal (“secular”) mindfulness retreat experience while also plumbing the depth of Buddhist texts and philosphy that form one of the deep roots of this work. You can explore an example of Tim’s teachings at a prior retreat.
I had such a wonderful experience at the retreat day. Tim is an immensely good guide & I was so impressed at how seamlessly he integrated Buddhist influences and trauma-informed care in a way that honored the secular & the roots of the Buddhist ethics and principles. There is also something in Tim’s voice that puts my brain into awakeness, as well as deep relaxation. I can’t wait for the next one!
The First Free Women: Poems of the Early Buddhist nuns
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