Sensei doshin mj nelson & Nomali Perera
POSTPONED! March 28th, 2009
Saturday, April 18th, 2009

9am – 5:30pm
$55 ($45 for members)
Please pay by check or cash only at the door

• What is the opposite of death?  Is it life, birth, rebirth, or …?
• Why is it that everyone knows they are going to die, and no one believes it?
• How many times must we die before we surrender our suffering, and choose to be fully alive?

A brush with death and dying unexpectedly creates a sudden opening where the possibility of deep spiritual transformation can occur.  The routine and rhythm is broken in the comfortable, mundane fabric of life.  We are thrust directly into the face of the unknown.  All that we have learned and think we know is of little use in the face of vast unknowable mystery.  We find ourselves standing, stark naked and alone in absolute poverty.

In this modern and post-modern culture, we are sheltered and insulated from experiences of death and dying.  This separation of dying from living creates an artificial diversion in the normal flow of life itself.  Birth, sickness and death are hidden away where they won’t disturb us, where they won’t lead us into the darkness beyond the comfort of all that we have been taught to believe.  We have been robbed of the very things which enable us to experience and appreciate our aliveness.

However, the truth is also that we have already died many deaths.  So, how about we explore the many deaths and the fresh re-births we have already experienced in this life time as we evolve from one stage of development to the next – transcending and including – dying to everything we know, then the “not knowing”, and then we are reborn into the next stage of our life?  And, through this exploration, let us deepen our understanding and embracing of the deep truth of who we are so that when death finally comes, we are ready.

If you dare to venture into this wilderness, you might find yourself questioning the very ground on which you have chosen to stand.  You might stumble into the empty darkness and find an opening of unspeakable Light, awe and mystery.  You might awaken something deep within you, that longs for timeless joy and grace.  You might leave with a new Integral Perspective of Death and Rebirth as you evolve from one level to the next in this life you are living.

You will be asked to:

• Leave your beliefs in a basket at the door and open your heart
• Share your heartfelt experiences of death and dying
• Look and identify what it is that you value most
• Find and then face your deepest fears
• Die before you die and open your life in awe to deep mystery and grace

You will leave with:

• A deeper appreciation for who you are – Pure Awareness – through State experiences
• A new understanding of the  attachments that cause your suffering
• An integral perspective of the deathlike transformations between Stages/Levels
• An integral understanding of the Rebirth of Spirit at each Stage of life

Please bring your own organic lunch (having lunch together will be a part of the day’s retreat)

Rev. doshin mj nelson is a poet, writer, speaker, workshop facilitator, Zen teacher and priest of no rank.  He is the founder of Integral Zen, Inc. a Colorado branch of the Hollow Bones Zen Order and co-founder of the Poetry of Dying Project, an organization that provides support for those who have been deeply affected by a brush with dying, as well as those who choose to look into the mirror of death and then re-examine the quality and direction of their own lives.  To reach him: doshin@integralzen.org.

Nomali Perera is a founding member of Boulder Integral.  A native of Sri Lanka, she has a BA in Contemplative Psychology & Religious Studies from Naropa University, an MA in Nonprofit Management from Regis University, Denver, and is a certified Integral Coach from Integral Coaching Canada.  Nomali has also worked at Ken Wilber’s Integral Institute.  She can be reached at nomali@boulderintegral.org.

“Experiences of death and dying provide priceless opportunities – gateless gates – that open the heart to profound silence and grace”.  – Sensei doshin nelson