Flint Sparks - Australia Schedule 2019

John Welwood, the late psychologist and Buddhist writer, says it this way: “…after centuries of divorce between the spiritual and the worldly life, the increasing desperate situation of a planet that human beings are rapidly destroying cries out for a new kind of psychospiritual integration, which has only rarely existed before: namely, an integration between liberation – the capacity to step beyond the individual psyche into the larger, nonpersonal space of pure awareness – and personal transformation – the capacity to bring that larger awareness to bear on all oneʼs conditioned psychological structures, so that they become fully metabolised, freeing the energy and intelligence frozen inside them, thereby fueling the development of a fuller, richer human presence that could fulfill the still unrealized potential of life on this earth.”

In response to this profoundly important challenge, each day of this retreat-style workshop will incorporate sitting meditation, writing/journaling, assisted self-discovery through experiential work, spiritual inquiry directly with the teacher, and group discussions. In offering this weekend of mindfulness-based experiential learning, I plan to draw on my experiences and training as a both a psychotherapist and a Zen teacher.
I hope you will join me.
Flint
www.flintsparks.org

Evening Talk  

Flint and Anton explore how Buddhism and Psychotherapy are mutually supportive practices in waking up and maturing. The evening will have a guided meditation and then a talk.
Wednesday, November 13th, 2018. 7.15pm - 9pm
BSV, 71 Darling Rd, Malvern East
Teachings by Dana. 
All welcome... no bookings needed.

Buddhism meets Psychotherapy

Friday November 15th, 2019. 7pm - 9pm
Bargoonga Ngagin (Nth Fitzroy Library) 
For Flint's description of the evening, scroll down this page
Teachings by Dana
No Bookings are needed for Friday evening,

Mindfulness - The Foundation 

The art of listening is neither careless drifting on the one hand, nor fearful clinging on the other. it consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive. — Alan Watts
Saturday November 16th, 2019. 9am - 5pm 
Venue: Bargoonga Ngagin (Nth Fitzroy Library) 
For Flint's description of Saturday, scroll down this page
Cost: $60 + Dana for the teachings. 
Book for Saturday here

Therapy as a Spiritual practice and path

"You are perfect as you are.... and you could do with a little work". Suzuki Roshi
Sunday November 17, 2019. 10am - 6pm
Venue: Bargoonga Ngagin (Nth Fitzroy Library)
For Flint's description of Sunday, scroll down this page
Cost: $60 + Dana for the teachings. 
Book for Sunday here

Friday Evening Presentation - Nov 15th

"Spiritual practice, I gradually came to feel, is in essence the practice of maturity… Maturity is a matter of making the effort, over time, to be open and sensitive to life.  In Zen we call this effort "practice."

Zen Teacher Norman Fischer

This Friday evening presentation will be an invitation to explore this path of practice named so simply and clearly by Norman Fischer. My hope is to both illuminate the landscape and identify the guideposts which can lead us toward full human maturity. This path is an ever widening and deepening capacity to meet life as it is. Along the Way it is possible to learn to attend more wisely and more compassionately to the things which block the flow of a more open life. It is important to remember that we do not have to have all of our psychological issues worked out in order to have an inspiring glimpse of our True Nature. A taste of freedom might open to anyone at any time. However, we can also be so caught in the powerful psychological forces that have shape our feeling and behavior patterns that such a moment of awakening cannot find a stable home. Both aspects of the path are essential—the psychological work which frees us from the patterns of the past and spiritual practices which open us to a more spacious mind and open heart beyond these everyday human concerns. In this presentation I will outline this dual path what I call the double helix of growing up and waking up. This is an integrated path which makes full human maturity possible. 

Saturday - Nov 16th

“Let the self rest on the Self and allow the flower of your life force to bloom.”
Zen teacher Dainan Katagiri Roshi

What to expect:

When the 13th century Zen Master Dogen famously wrote, “To study the Buddha Way is the study the Self,” I believe he was suggesting that we dedicate ourselves to meditation and other wholesome contemplative spiritual practices in order to understand what it means to awaken fully and beautifully in this lifetime within a human body. In this one-day retreat we will begin to investigate the ways in which we create and maintain a seemingly solid sense of self, and how mindfulness based practice allow us to open beyond our everyday habits toward greater possibilities for our life. As we connect to a deeper source of wisdom and compassion within us, qualities of love, inner strength, and a healing presence naturally begin to flower. We will also examine the ways in which these natural qualities of kindness and confidence may be unknowingly and unconsciously limited within our shaky sense of self. Resting in caring community and being with loving, supportive friends on the path makes this possible.  A core message of the Buddha might be summarized as, “You don’t have to do it alone” and more accurately, “You can’t do this alone.” There is a profoundly liberating intimacy that blossoms only through spiritual friendship. Meditation and Buddhist practices are not private, heroic efforts but maps for boundless relational unfolding. 
 

Sunday - Nov 17th

“The therapist’s primary relationship is with the experiencing self. She is “in conversation” with it continuously…Our goal in therapy is to help clients learn that they don’t always have to avoid the things they’ve been avoiding.”

Ron Kurtz, the creator of the Hakomi Method

What to expect...
This final day of our retreat-style workshops will be spent primarily exploring the Hakomi model of relational healing. Building on the foundations of the Zen-informed spiritual practices introduced on Saturday, we will incorporate perspectives from child development, attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology, and contemplative psychology as we will explore how these recent understandings from contemporary research and practice, together with the Buddha’s teachings on inter-dependence, support the healing power of relationship.  Ultimately, we will investigate the ways in which clear care, both internally and relationally, open the way to a life of freedom and joy. This is the embodiment of the Buddha’s essential teachings and it is the promise of the methods of assisted self-discovery in mindfulness taught in the Hakomi Way.  
https://hakomieducationnetwork.org

FAQ's

Question: Do I have to sit on the floor on a meditation cushion?
Answer: No. There will be more than enough chairs to sit on. We encourage you to find a posture in meditation that allows you to be comfortable, relaxed and alert. 

Question: Will there be sitting cushions and mats provided.
Answer: No, but you are very welcome to bring your own. 

Question: I've never meditated before & I'm worried it will be too much. Even though you've said that the day is suited to beginners, do you really mean it?
Answer: Yes we do.. Along with Flint, Anton will be there to support you in any way that may be needed. So in many ways this is the perfect day to come along and try meditation out. 

Question: Is there all day parking near the library
Answer: There is all day parking available on weekends next to Edinburgh gardens in Nth Fitzroy.  

Cancellations: Sorry we don't offer refunds for these tickets. You are very welcome to pass your ticket on to anyone else who would like to come along. 

Do you have other questions? Click here to email us  

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