Great Tree Zen Temple Home

Retreats

Retreats at Great Tree are designed to help practitioners explore Zen practice in different ways. These retreats range from introductory workshops and body awareness to retreats for women, families and children. The fee does not include compensation for teachers. A dana (offering) basket will be available for gift offerings to teachers. The Ethics Statement governs all who participate in practice and workshops at Great Tree. To register, please download the registration form or request a Word registration from info@greattreetemple.org and send it with a deposit of half the cost of the workshop by snail mail to Great Tree.

September 12-14: Compassionate Communications Workshop led by Jerry Donoghue
September 18-21: Workshop on Uncovering the Four Unmeasurables led by Rev. Nancy Spence
October 24-26: Women's Practice Retreat led by Rev. Teijo Munnich and Rev. Nancy Spence

For more information, see the detailed explanations below. The family events are described on the Family page.

Date	Theme	Leader
9/12 through 9/14	Compassionate Communications Workshop led by Jerry Donoghue September 12-14(Begins: 7 p.m Fri End 3 pm Sunday) A weekend workshop designed for people who want to transform their communication skills. Participants will learn to speak in a way that fosters a deeper connection in all their relationships. • Transform judgment and criticism into understanding and connection • Listen in a way where others are really heard • Get what you want more often without using demands, guilt or shame • Hear the needs behind whatever anyone does or says • Move beyond power struggles to cooperation and trust • Create a quality of connection that embodies unconditional love Great Tree Board Members and Regular Volunteers: Dana All others: $120.00 Read: Non-Violent Communication A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg	Jerry Donoghue is a communications coach who helps people learn to speak from their hearts with compassion. Jerry started his communication coaching business in 2003 to help people apply the powerful Compassionate Communication model to their lives. He has written and designed many highly acclaimed communication training programs. Today, besides private coaching, Jerry offers three experiential Compassionate Communication courses that are helping people to deeply connect with themselves and others. For further information see: www.ashevilleccc.com.	Jerry Donoghue
Sept 18-21	Uncovering the Four Immeasurables The Four Immeasurables, expressions of original mind, are qualities of the awakened, kind heart. Yet, they are not created in meditation practice or by recitations. These Four - Happiness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity - are uncovered and revealed to have been there all along when we face and move through reactive emotional patterns that stand in their way. Ill-will stands in the way of Happiness; cruelty is in the way of Compassion; jealousy stands in the way of sympathetic Joy; and clinging and aversion are in the way of Equanimity. So we will employ a systematic method of inquiring into these disruptive patterns with the intention of dissolving them, thereby revealing what has been there all along. In this mostly-silent retreat, we will begin to dismantle the disruptive emotional patterns that prevent the experience of these four qualities of original mind. Within the Soto Zen daily schedule of meditations, Services, Sutras, and meals, there will be Dharma classes on how to work with uncovering each Immeasurable. These classes will include lectures, guided imageries, writing/journaling, and methods practices. Cost: $120	Rev. Nancy Spence is teacher and guide of Anattasati Magga, a Zen Buddhist Sangha for laity which adheres to the practices of Soto Zen. She leads monthly Buddhist services, offers individual spiritual guidance, and leads 3-day and week-long silent meditation retreats in NC and CA. In 1977, Nancy began entered priest training at Vichara Bodhiyana Monastery in California. She holds a Master of Science degree in psychology, has a private counseling practice, and facilitates personal growth groups through InnerVision.	Rev. Nancy Spence Anattasati Maggi
Oct 24-26	A Women's Practice Retreat A meditation retreat infused with practice and ritual inviting the Divine Feminine, invoking the heart of compassion, allowing the spirit of woman to express itself. Sitting, moving, and guided meditation, Dharma teachings, and discussions. Silence. Registration limited to women. Maximum: 12 participants. Cost: $120	Rev. Nancy Spence is teacher and guide of Anattasati Magga, a Zen Buddhist Sangha for laity which adheres to the practices of Soto Zen. She leads monthly Buddhist services, offers individual spiritual guidance, and leads 3-day and week-long silent meditation retreats in NC and CA. In 1977, Nancy began entered priest training at Vichara Bodhiyana Monastery in California. She holds a Master of Science degree in psychology, has a private counseling practice, and facilitates personal growth groups through InnerVision.	Rev. Nancy Spence Anattasati Maggi Rev. Teijo Munnich Abbess Great TreeTemple

7/28/08