Tuesday, August 3 (7-8:30 PM): "DISASTER DHARMA: ENGAGED BUDDHISM IN HAITI" with Jordan Van Voast, M.Ac. of Communici Acupuncture
When a major disaster strikes, the world responds with compassion - people write checks to aid organizations, and many drop what they are doing to join emergency response teams travelling to the disaster zone to offer direct service. Compassion, however, has many interpretations ranging from short term strategies for alleviating suffering, to long term development projects to bring recovery to a devastated area, and, in a Buddhist context (even longer term) to leading individuals on to the path of liberation and enlightenment.
Join Seattle acupuncturist and Buddhist practitioner, Jordan Van Voast, as he shares images and personal reflections on the many levels of compassion from his trip to Haiti in February with the Tzu Chi International Medical Association.
Jordan Van Voast. M.Ac. graduated from Bowdoin College in 1981 with a BA in Psychology. In 1997 he completed his Masters in Acupuncture from the Northwest Institute of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine. He is an adjunct clinical faculty member of Bastyr University, serving as a preceptor for students interested in the community acupuncture model. In October, 2005, he joined Acupuncturists Without Borders to do trauma relief work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and subsequently became a Team Leader on later trips, as well as a founding member of the Board of Directors. In 2007, he cofounded "CommuniChi", the first community acupuncture clinic in Seattle. He has also worked in a variety of community health clinics including a Tibetan refugee clinic in Northern India, and a variety of public health clinics in Seattle. He also serves on the Board of the Dharma Friendship Foundation, a Buddhist center in Seattle. In February of 2010, he joined Tzu Chi International Medical Association's relief mission in Haiti.
Thursday, August 5 (7-9:00 PM): A TALK & SCREENING OF RAW FAITH (www.rawfaith.com) with Dr. Marilyn Sewell, author, retired minister of First Unitarian Church of Portland
First introduced to Maitripa College by participating as a speaker and panelist at Maitripa’s 2008 interfaith conference, Bearing Witness, Bridging Wisdoms, Dr. Marilyn Sewell returns as a panelist in our annual Enlightened Professionals Summer Lecture Series. Maitripa is honored to host a screening of her film, Raw Faith, a moving and powerful documentary about her spiritual journey. Marilyn will offer an introduction to the film as well as a Q & A after the film.
During her tenure as senior minister of the First Unitarian Church of Portland, the church grew from 625 members to 1,600, becoming one of the largest and most esteemed UU churches in the nation. Marilyn is one of only a handful of women to lead a large church of any faith. A powerful speaker, she is widely sought out for lectures and speeches. Marilyn’s ministry was characterized by a strong emphasis on social justice, for which she received an honorary doctorate from Meadville Lombard Seminary. A justice lecture series at First Unitarian has been established in her honor. She is on the Executive Committee of the Board of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and also continues to serve on the Workers' Rights Board of Jobs with Justice.
Starting her career as a high school English teacher, Marilyn became a wife and mother of two sons, a psychotherapist, a TV personality giving advice, a writer and editor. She has an undergraduate degree in education and advanced degrees in English literature, social work and ministry. She also has a Ph.D. in Theology and Literature from the Graduate Theological Union and the University of California at Berkeley. Marilyn has edited two celebrated books of women's poetry, the award-winning Cries of the Spirit, followed by the companion volume Claiming the Spirit Within. She also edited two books of women's essays, which include moving essays of her own: "Resurrecting Grace: Remembering Catholic Childhoods" and "Breaking Free: Women of Spirit at Midlife and Beyond." She has collected her own best wisdom on two important subjects in her most recent publications: A Little Book on Forgiveness and A Little Book on Prayer. Marilyn lives near the Willamette River, in Portland, Oregon. She is working on a new book and continues to blog weekly with her "Reflections," giving a spiritual perspective on issues of the day.
Tuesday, August 10 (7-8:30 PM):
PARENTING AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: A Panel of Community Parents
How do you define success in the "job" of parenting? How do you balance the "full time job" of being a parent with employment outside the home and taking care of yourself? How has the life of a “householder” been a benefit or an obstacle to your spiritual growth? How has a spiritual view influenced difficult decisions or challenges in parenting? What teachings or prayers come to mind when you are with or thinking about your child? What teaching do you understand in new or different ways since becoming a parent? How can spiritual communities provide support to families and children?
A panel of Maitripa community parents will explore these questions and then invite open discussion with everyone in attendance. All are welcome.
Panelists will include Carina Rumrill, mother of teenagers and a toddler and Managing Editor of Mandala Magazine, the official publication of FPMT; Diane Rowley, Principal of the Portland Waldorf School, a parent educator, former kindergarten teacher and mother of three children; and other community parents.
Thursday, August 12 (7-8:30 PM): "THE NATURAL WISDOM OF KIDS: THEY'LL TELL YOU IF YOU LISTEN" with Dan Rubin, PsyD
Speaking from a dual perspective informed by the western mental health tradition and Buddhist thought, Dan Rubin, a practicing psychotherapist with a contemplative background, will present this lecture based on his own experience in psychology, Buddhism, and learning to pay attention. Specifically, this lecture will focus on what children have to teach us about being genuine and compassionate people.
Dr. Dan Rubin has studied and practiced mindfulness meditation for 15 years and has taught classes on mindfulness since 2003. He has training in various traditional forms of Buddhism including Soto Zen, Vajrayana (Tibetan), and Shambhala Buddhism, as well as contemporary forms of mindfulness such as ACT, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Dr. Rubin is psychologist in private practice where he works with adults, children, families, and couples. He is also an adjunct faculty member at The Art Institute of Portland where he teaches courses on psychology and creativity. His clinical interests include anxiety, depression, trauma, chronic illness and pain, stress reduction skills, anger and aggression, creativity, human diversity, mindfulness-based interventions, and Buddhist psychology.
