2010 Spring/Fall Period • March 7th to June 1st
(For full listing with links see http://bit.ly/zenvcango)
(Practice periods in many traditions coincide with the seasons. As our sangha will have people from both hemispheres we honor all seasons taking place simultaneously. The season named first reflects where Jesse and Catherine will be sitting for the practice period)
Traditional ango is a three month time of intensive Zen practice set in the monastery. Today, with the pressure and urgency of our times, spiritual practice must by necessity extend to our life at home, work, and in the world. ZENVC Ango is a three month intensive in the fire of your daily life, offering deep study and reflection, skillful means, and lots of support for those who respond to this calling. By bringing together teachings and practices from Zen and Vipassana Buddhism with those of Nonviolent Communication, we will create the foundation for a skillful, compassionate, and awakened life, on-and-off the meditation cushion.
Bring your spiritual practice ALIVE by integrating Buddhist teachings with everyday life situations
Expand your ability to respond and be present in the world by using the skillful means of Nonviolent Communication
Cultivate SUPPORT from teachings and teachers who walk their talk, and companionship through a leader-full international sangha (community) dedicated to living the Dharma in the midst of modern life
Through phone and email, we will bring the temple to you:
Daily – Emails with specific practices and teachings for your day.
Weekly – Empathy call with a fellow sangha member; Tele-gathering with Catherine, Jesse and the sangha for course work, practice, and study (March 7–May 16, 3:00–4:30 PM PST / 11:00 PM GMT)
Monthly – One-on-one private phone consultation with Catherine or Jesse (scheduled individually)
ZENVC Ango completes with an optional 7 day Retreat at The Mountain in North Carolina (May 25–June 1). Details about the retreat can be found by visiting The Way With and Without Words Retreat page.
PARTICIPANT COMMITMENT:
The nature of a phone and email-based practice period is that it requires extra commitment on the part of the participants to give it the focus and depth found in traditional monastic environments. To promote this focus and depth, we ask that anyone considering ZENVC Ango make a general commitment to the weekly calls, the monthly consultation, and minimally, fifteen minutes a day to read and reflect on the daily practice. We make this commitment with full acknowledgement that there will be times in which we may "fall short", due to various life circumstances. Both the commitment to practice and the "falling short" are integral parts of ZENVC Ango.
ABOUT JESSE AND CATHERINE
“JOTO” JESSE WIENS lived and trained in Soto Zen monasteries for seven years, practicing with such wonderful teachers as Tenshin Reb Anderson, Zenkei Blanche Hartman, and Toni Packer. During that time, he also encountered the teachings of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), studying with founder Marshall Rosenberg and participating in trainer Robert Gonzales’ NVC LIFE (Living, Integrating, Fully Embodying) program for three years. In 2006, Jesse founded ZENVC as a vehicle for bringing the teachings of Zen and NVC together. Today, he continues to study these teachings by living them in his work and play as a Center for Nonviolent Communication Certified Trainer.
CATHERINE CADDEN has been an educator since 1987 finding alternatives to teaching, learning, and conflict resolution that work with the principles of nonviolence. Her journey led her to study with a number of renowned teachers, among them Jack Kornfield, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Sahn Nicole Hill, Ram Dass, Marshall Rosenberg, and Stephen and Ondrea Levine. In 1997, Catherine founded the TEMBA School, a visionary K - 8 academic program rooted in nonviolent philosophy, NVC, mindfulness, sustainable living, and artistic expression. In 2009, her educational philosophy and story of TEMBA, Peaceable Revolution Through Education, was published. As a Certified Trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication, Catherine brings over 13 years of experience practicing, living and teaching Nonviolent Communication (NVC) internationally to participants of all ages.
TOGETHER, Catherine and Jesse have worked on four continents with NGO’s, families, intentional communities, inmates, youth, Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Baha’i, Hare Krishnas, atheists, activists, Democrats and Republicans. They hold an unwavering confidence that this work is universally beneficial.
COST:
A contribution of $324, or $108/month for three months, covers the costs of the practice period, as well as offering support to the trainers and their work. We ask for the first $108 with your registration, as a non-refundable deposit to hold your place. We welcome donations more than the requested contribution. Additionally, to participate in the 7-day Retreat (7 nights/21 organic vegetarian meals), we request $810 (accomodations are double or triple occupancy with private baths). Participation in the Retreat is recommended, but not required, for participants of the practice period.
Location : Global