In-Person and Online: Cultivating Joy in the Refuge of Uncertainty
with Jon Aaron
Thursdays, September 21st – November 16th, 2023 (skipping November 2nd) | 10:00am – 12:00pm ET
In-Person Location: New York Zendo at 223 E 67th St in New York, NY
We live in what can be described as a “poly-crisis” moment, with multiple threats that all seem to be existential: climate change, numerous wars, failing democratic norms, A.I. gone wild, widening social inequities, extreme polarization, etc.
Many of us feel this deeply, physically, and for some, very materially as well. Sometimes this compounds the smaller-scale, yet no less dramatic, crises in our lives. The mind tumbles into catastrophizing and what some call “horrified anxiety” – a near enemy of karuna, compassion.
In fact, every moment is uncertain. The Buddhist tradition tells us that everything arises from causes and conditions. Conditioned things are impermanent and lack any solid, fixed nature, which means that everything is always on shaky ground… and, on the upside, much is possible. We can experience that non-fixedness as dukkha (suffering), but that’s not the end of the story. Non-fixedness is also infinite potential, possibility, creativity.
When we tap into that, joy can become part of the experience of uncertainty by loosening our attachment to outcomes and to certainty itself.
In his lifetime, the Buddha experienced tremendous losses, genocide, and the social transformation of the world he knew. It’s possible that all this turmoil contributed to his deep insight. His transformative teachings on emptiness, karma, and equanimity have much to offer to our moment.
Join us for a new in-person and online eight-week course with New York Insight Teacher Jon Aaron exploring how we can live with uncertainty, not from a place of fear but with buoyancy, curiosity, and ease. We’ll discover how the teachings provide practical ways of coping with these various threats and how we can cultivate joy in uncertainty instead of battling it in the doomed hope of clinging to certainties that ultimately will not last.
Each class will include meditation practices, dharma teachings, and discussion. Some prior meditation experience is required, as well as some understanding of basic Buddhist teachings.
Registration:
Please register at the highest level that your generosity offers.
Explanations of levels follow below.
If you are registering via a mobile device such as a phone or tablet, you can scroll right and left and up and down within the below form if it is partially obscured or cut off.
CLICK HERE to open the registration form in a new browser window.
Please contact registration@nyimc.org if you need assistance.
Registration Fees include Teacher Support
New York Insight Meditation Center has streamlined the registration fee levels. Members of our Circle of Friends are eligible to receive 20% off of the Sustaining Rate via a code provided in the email confirming membership, which you can enter after clicking the Sustaining Level registration.
*Benefactor Level: Supports NYI’s ability to offer the Subsidized Base.
**Sustaining Level: This level reflects the actual costs to support this program. Circle of Friends members eligible for 20% discount with code. Click here to join.
***Subsidized Base: Made possible by the generosity of Benefactor Level above and other donations to ensure participation by those requiring financial assistance.
If you have questions about your registration (cancellation policy, membership discount, email confirmation, etc.), please read our FAQs. If your question is not addressed in the FAQs, please email registration@nyimc.org.
If you are unable to pay the Subsidized Base Fee, you can learn about volunteering to offer work exchange and letting us know how much you are able to pay for this program by emailing registration@nyimc.org.
Please note that New York Insight records online programs. The recorded content may be discoverable should a legal matter arise.
By registering, I give New York Insight permission to use my text/video/audio for educational or other purposes for the duration of New York Insight activities going forward.
If you have any questions, please contact registration@nyimc.org.
Teacher(s)
Jon Aaron
Jon Aaron is a Dharma and mindfulness teacher based in New York and Chicago. Since 2006, he has taught at the New York Insight Meditation Center, offering Dharma and MBSR classes. He regularly leads retreats around the U.S. He is primarily grounded in the Theravāda tradition, alongside non-dual and Mahayana approaches. His teaching emphasizes integrating Dharma and mindfulness into daily life to foster clarity in addressing personal and social challenges. His teachers include Matthew Flickstein and, more recently, Kittisaro and Thanissara through their Dharmapala program. Jon also studied contemplative care at the Zen Center for Contemplative Care and completed the Integrated Study and Practice program at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. He is a certified MBSR teacher and teacher trainer and a Somatic Experience Practitioner®. In response to the pandemic, he and his partner, Upayadhi, launched the Space2Meditate community, offering daily meditation since March 2020. Additionally, he co-hosts the podcast Diggin’ the Dharma with scholar Doug Smith, now in its third season. JonAaron.net