I am disappointed to share that we are cancelling our program for this year, as we only have 5 registrants and that just doesn’t feel like enough for a good group – we had hoped for 10, in order to have some good group dynamics.
We want to support your interest in this important reflection, though, and plan to continue to offer this reflection in the sangha. We will hold a half day session of Closer Than We Think at the end of March. Also, if online interests you, Jeanne and Nikki Mirghafori will be offering an online class called Living With The Wisdom of Death through IMS (Insight Meditation Society) on Thursday evenings in February and March. We will share the registration for both of these in our sangha emails and they will be posted on our website.
Perhaps this talk by Jeanne will also be helpful:
https://tricycle.org/dharmatalks/death-buddhism/
A community exploration of how we prepare for, and support each other, in the transition of dying & the moment of death
This class is our continued reflection on death awareness, which feels like an important, life giving reflection to continue to deepen. This group will explore different territory from our first rendition last year. It is designed for those who are new to this reflection, and will also offer a deepening for those who took it last year. We see this as an ever evolving and nourishing practice.
This is an in-person program, although we will pivot to online if necessary.
Lead by Jeanne Corrigal, guiding teacher for the Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community.
Dates and times
6 sessions, including 5 evenings and 1 day long
Mondays 7 pm – 9 pm CST, Oct 17, Nov 14, Dec 12, Feb 27, Mar 27
Daylong, Saturday, January 14, 9 am – 4 pm CST
Course fees
Administration fee:
The administration fee paid at the time of registration helps cover the administrative costs for SIMC.
Teacher dana/donation:
The registration fee does not include teacher support – there will be an opportunity to offer dana to Jeanne. See dana information below.
Location
This is an in-person program, although we will pivot to online if necessary.
Address will be sent out as part of the registration confirmation.
Course Prerequisite
Basic familiarity with Insight Meditation practice, and a commitment to a daily practice, because of the need to steady the mind and heart as we reflect on this material.
Registration
Please register here:
https://saskatooninsight.com/forms/view.php?id=54956
For more information, contact: contact@saskatooninsight.com
Course teacher
Jeanne Corrigal is the guiding teacher for the Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community, and a graduate of the 2017-2021 IMS teacher training program. She deeply appreciates metta and nature based practices. She has been practicing since 1999, and is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioner and Community Dharma Leader Programs. Jeanne is certified with Indigenous Focusing Oriented Trauma Therapy (IFOT), is a certified MBSR teacher, and she has trained with Mindful Schools and Somatic Experiencing. She is Metis, and one of her first teachers in loving presence was Cree Elder Jim Settee.
Some words about the practice of dana
We often have queries about what might be an appropriate range for any financial dana offering to the teachers that you might wish to make. Before we consider this, it is really important to know that the teaching of dana is a liberation teaching, because it is an intentional opportunity to practice generosity, which can directly erode the habit in the mind of grasping. The Buddha invites us to tune into the joy of dana, the joy of giving, before, during and after… So please, see this as a joy and liberation practice!
One of the gifts of dana is that it is optional, and if people decide to give in this way, they can give according to their means. And at the same time, asking about a range is a reasonable question… in Asia, folks often have an idea of how much is needed to support a teacher’s “requisites”, but in the west, we don’t have the same kind of guidelines, and folks in the west can be left a little bit out at sea in this area.
Offering guidance can be sensitive, as everyone’s circumstances are different. That said, in order to support the teachings, we offer these guidelines as a place to start, and those who wish to give in this way can move up or down on the scale, according to their means.
One guideline is to give the amount that brings you joy, knowing that your dana is supporting the Dharma to carry on. (while being aware of not breaking the bank 🙂) One may also seek guidance by looking at the fees that are charged for similar events or workshops in our culture. Movies now cost $15 or more; yoga classes often $15/hour; in addition, workshop leaders are often compensated in recognition of the time it takes to prepare materials, the presentation, as well as their expertise.
Perhaps a helpful starting point for our sessions would be $30 – $40 per class, with a greater contribution for the daylong. (This would be a range of something like $240 – $320 for the year). Please feel free to offer less than this in order to ensure your participation, knowing that your presence and any financial contribution are valued. Please feel free to offer more, if you are able and it brings you joy to support others and the program in this precious way. Feel free to offer monthly or once or twice during the program — whatever works for you. And, please know that I am very grateful for both the dana of your presence in the program, and your financial dana; both danas contribute to my capacity to continue teaching. You can feel that your support is supporting the Dharma… Thank you.
Note that your dana is shared with any guest teachers.
If you wish to offer your generosity to support Jeanne and our community, please visit our dana page to find details.