Spirit Rock

No-Self in the Brain: Insights from Neuroscience about Not Taking Life Personally

Rick Hanson, Richard Mendius

Sat, Dec 11, 9:30 am - 5:00 pm

Community Meditation Hall

Cost $$50 - $$108, sliding scale, plus dana (donation) to the teacher(s), code RR4D10. Add $5 at the door. Bring your lunch. CE credit available - see below.

Online Registration Open - Click here to register

We all experience having a particular identity which helps us navigate in the world--but that very sense of self is also a great source of suffering, as we cling to its wants and react to how others treat it.

The Buddha taught that not-self was one of the three fundamental characteristics of existence, alongside impermanence and suffering--but what he actually meant by that has been the subject of much discussion ever since.

In this workshop, we will examine 'self'--and its release--in light of Buddhism, evolution and modern brain science; these perspectives inform each other, and together they offer powerful and practical tools for deconstructing the apparent self.

In this workshop, we will cover:

--- Buddhist perspectives on the interconnectedness of all things, and thus the 'emptiness' of any apparent thing, including the personal self;
--- How awareness and self evolved in animals, including humans;
--- The costs and benefits of 'me, myself and I';
--- The distributed, variable, conditioned - thus 'empty' - nature of self-ing in the brain;
--- A poignant consideration of narcissistic wounds;
--- Non-dual perspectives on the oneness of self and world;
--- Brain-savvy ways to relax the sense of self, take things less personally, feel more at peace with the world, and rest in the spacious awareness in which self activates and then disperses.

There will be plenty of opportunities for questions and discussion. No background in meditation or brain science is necessary.

Young Adults (18-26) are invited to attend this day for $25.

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Online Registration for this event is available until 12 noon one business day before the event.

Continuing Education (CE) Credit: 6 CE credits available for MFTs, LCSWs, psychologists and nurses from SRMC-SCRC for $30. Prepayment available on website. For more information, see Continuing Education (CE) Credit.

If you can't attend, see our Cancellation Policy.