A Year Long Course
Life and Death – Is That All There Is?
with Rosemary Blake, Jon Aaron, Nancy Glimm and Amy Selzer
Saturday, January 4th – Saturday, December 12th, 2020
If we woke up each morning, knowing we only had a year to live what would change? How would we greet the day, our partner, our job? Until we are directly confronted with our own mortality most of us live life as if it will never end.
This is a course about living fully each moment of our lives. Over twelve months we will live as though this is our last year. We will reflect upon life and death from the Buddhist perspective while incorporating other spiritual traditions as well.
It is a course for people of all ages and those interested in living life to the fullest. Know that your registration for this class is viewed as a commitment to participate for the entire year and wholly engage in the process of discovery. There may be moments of intense sadness, extraordinary joy, and everything in between.
Our intention is to create a community that grows together and supports each other on the much anticipated year-long journey. The core required readings are Frank Ostaseki’s “The Five Invitations” and Stephen Levine’s “A Year to Live”.
The course will meet with three different time slots.
* Daylong are from 10:00am – 5:00pm
* Evenings are from 7:00pm – 9:00pm
* Half-days are from 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Daylongs will be on Jan 4, Apr 18, Jul 19, Oct 17, and Dec 12.
Evenings will be on Feb 3, Mar 30, Jun 29, Sept 21, Oct 5 and Nov 2.
Half-days will be on Feb 16, Mar 15, May 23, Jun 20, Aug 22, Sept 12, and Nov 21.
Registration:
Registration is now closed.
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, please read our FAQs. If your question is not addressed in the FAQs, please email registration@nyimc.org.
Refund policy for this course: Full refund/credit of your registration fee less a $50 processing fee is only possible through 1/2/2020. Up to 50% of your registration fee may be refunded or credited if requested by 2/17/2020. Thereafter, there will be no refunds or credits.
Payment plans are available upon request by emailing registration@nyimc.org.
Teacher(s)
Rosemary Blake
Rosemary Blake has been a meditator for more than 30 years. She was introduced to the dharma in 2003 at the first Insight Meditation Society POC retreat, an event she attended annually for the next ten years. Her experience in 2013 of IMS’ three-month retreat both deepened her practice and created a commitment to attend a month-long vipassana meditation retreat every year. She completed Larry Yang’s two-year Commit2Dharma study program and began teaching insight meditation at New York Insight after her graduation from Spirit Rock’s fourth Community Dharma Leaders Program. In addition, she recently completed her tenure as President of the Board at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA. Rosemary is grateful for all that this practice provides.
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
Nancy Glimm
Nancy has been practicing meditation since 1996. She has been a member of NYIMC since it’s inception in 1997. Her first teacher Tamara Engel was one of NYIMC’s founders. Nancy has taught broadly on the Dharma since her graduation from the Community Dharma Leader Teacher Training Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in 2012. Since 2013 she has been a core teacher for the NYIMC Aging as a Spiritual Practice sangha and courses. Since 2019 she has been a core teacher for the Life and Death year long courses. Her primary teacher since 2012 is Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia.
Nancy is also a psychotherapist with a full time private practice in NYC. Her private practice is informed by her Dharma training.
Amy Selzer
Amy Selzer has been practicing vipassana meditation since 2002. She completed two year-long classes on Integrated Study and Practice with Andrew Olendski.
She is a graduate of the Community Dharma Leaders Program. After she graduated, she saw a need to address the aging population. She is one of the founders of that sangha, Aging As A Spiritual Practice, which meets weekly to this day.
She has also been one of the core teachers in the year- long Death and Dying classes. She has served as Co-Chair on the Teacher’s Council for over 3 years.
Amy’s former career was team- teaching young children in an inclusion program for children with and without special needs. In addition, she worked with and supported the parents of those children.
She is particularly passionate about the dharma and the aging population, as well as all other practitioners.