Online: Cultivating Thanksgiving with Indigenous and Buddhist Wisdom
with Bonnie Duran and Ramona Peters
Saturday, November 30th, 2024 | 10:00am – 1:00pm ET
Giving thanks is a tradition in both Buddhism and Native American cultures. The Wampanoag people observed thanksgiving ceremonies throughout the year. In the 19th Century, Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday in the United States as a way to heal political divisions after the Civil War.
Gratitude and related practices can bring peace, calm and happiness. Thanksgiving ceremony is a medicine that we can use to begin to heal ourselves, our relationships, and our world.
In this half day program, teachers will offer meditation practices to develop gratitude which are grounded in Buddhist teachings and informed by their perspectives as Native Americans. This will be a day of meditation practice, teaching, and group discussion. All are welcome regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation and level of meditation practice.
Registration:
Please register below. If you are able, registering at the “Supporter” level enables others to attend at the “Subsidized” level. Thank you for your generosity! (Please note that the registration price includes a base level of teacher support, and you will have the opportunity to donate more after the program.)
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Volunteering
All of our programs rely on volunteers to support our teachers and staff with various tasks and responsibilities. Volunteering allows you to participate in our programs at no cost. To inquire about volunteering opportunities, please fill out our inquiry form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Teacher(s)
Bonnie Duran
Bonnie Duran met the Dharma in 1982 when she sat a month at Kopan Monastery in Nepal and learned Vipassana in Bodh Gaya, India. Since then, she has taken teachings from many western teachers including Joseph Goldstein and Marcia Rose, as well as Tibetan teachers, Venerable Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Bonnie is a graduate of the the Insight Meditation Society (IMS)/Spirit Rock Meditation Center (SRMC) retreat teacher-training program and is now a core-teacher of the IMS Teacher Training Program and the SRMC Dedicated Practioners Program 6. Bonnie teaches long and short retreats at IMS and Spirit Rock and is also involved in Native American spiritual practices and traditions. Dr. Duran is a Professor in the Schools of Social Work and Public Health at the University of Washington and is also the Director of the Center for Indigenous Health Research at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute.
Ramona Peters
Ramona/Nosapocket Peters is a member of the Bear Clan of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. She was introduced to Vipassana meditation in Myanmar under the instruction of Sayadaw U Pandita in 1996. Nosapocket is also in gratitude to the major spiritual influences in her life from; Hale Kealohalai Makua Jr., (Hawaiian Kahuna of Kona), the Longhouse tradition of the Haunenosaunee, (Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy), Thomas Yellowtail (Crow Medicine man and Sun Dance Chief Montana, eight Sequoya Shamans (Ecuador and Peru), the Nipponzan Myohoji (Buddhist Temples, Leverette, MA and Japan) and the Earth Mother.