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Come As You Are: Secular Buddhism, Existential Philosophy And Psychotherapy. Can Buddhism Effectively Treat The Struggles We Face In Life?

Teacher: Jason Ross

Cost: 4 days' accomodation + R200 surcharge

Dates: Friday 21 May 2021 - Tuesday 25 May 2021

jason ross oct2019 It is often our personal struggles that bring us to a retreat setting. But, is Buddhism meant to serve as a form of therapy? This retreat will explore the potential meeting place between Secular Buddhist practices, Existential Philosophy and Psychotherapy. We will explore methods such as Vipassana and Korean Zen meditation as a means of better understanding the nature of our own minds and the relationships we have formed with the struggles we are facing. The retreat will include Tai Chi, meditation, philosophical reflection, therapeutic discussion and short periods of essential noble silence.

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Jason Ross is a psychologist practising in KwaZulu Natal. He specialises in relationships, sexual health and addiction. His interest in Buddhism, however, preceded his career in psychology when Rob Nairn first introduced him to the relationship between Buddhism and psychology in 1997. He fondly recalls his first retreat with Louis van Loon 20 years ago. He was trained in Discursive Psychology and, therefore, has an interest in how we construct our realities through language. He is particularly interested in a language-based approach to mindfulness. He does not believe in reducing people's experiences to diagnostic labels and is very interested in finding more empowering ways for us to describe and understand our problems. He believes that we cannot live effectively without a sense of purpose and, along with his life partner, he has founded the secular Buddhist retreat centre, The Centre For Purposeful Living, in La Mercy.