Happiness and Happiness
Dedicated Practitioner Group
Led by Peter Williams
In-Person: Mondays, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, MT, February 12 – May 20, 2024
or
Online: Wednesdays, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, MT, February 14 – May 22, 2024
Daylong retreats on February 25, April 7 and May 11
Held at Kelly’s Barn, North Boulder
In its eleventh year, the group is a time-tested support for deeper meditation practice and creating community with like-minded people.
The format of the groups is new, with in-person only attendance on Monday nights and online only attendance on Wednesday nights. One attends either night, not both.
Applications are due January 17th.
To apply:
1. Please let Peter know via email at ptrwllms98@gmail.com
2. See instructions and the application by clicking here.
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Program Information
The group consists of weekly meetings, three daylong retreats and individual meditation instruction. The group is a big commitment that yields big results.
Theme – Happiness and Happiness
The Buddhist tradition teaches that there are two forms of happiness: the happiness of mood, which is fleeting, and the happiness of understanding, which is lasting, due to the perceptual shift that one truly belongs. Because of its durability, the latter type of happiness is the usual aim of Buddhist practice.
This group is unique in that it will explore both kinds of well-being. Cultivating happy states such as playfulness and joy is needed to counteract the inner critic, the negativity bias of the brain and the difficult times in which we live. But such states are also very helpful in meditation, as they make it more fun to practice and they help the mind focus, which leads to the spiritual insights that free the heart. It turns out that happy moods lead to the happiness of understanding.
Practices to cultivate joy include sympathetic joy meditation, embodiment (mindful movement), mindful listening and moving to music, humor and play. Practices to cultivate understanding will explore Buddhist mindfulness meditation and the way it leads to letting go, wisdom and deep belonging. In this group, meditation will be both disciplined and spontaneous, still and moving, equanimous and joyful, wise and fun.
The Power of Sangha
The group will create community by exploring dharma themes in discussion, interactive exercises, and group meditation practice. The group creates a safe and stimulating container for participants to share their hearts and create strong bonds with one another.
This group depends on the participation of its members. The group is for people interested in meditating regularly and for regularly attending the weekly meetings and daylong retreats. Participants who have struggled for years to practice regularly have been able to do so through this group. Group practice is contagious!
Dates and Key Information
– Participants will attend either in person or online for the weekly meetings. Daylongs are held in hybrid mode.
In-person attendance:
Location: Kelly’s Barn, central Boulder
Weekly Meetings: Mondays, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, February 12 – May 20, 2024. Each meeting consists of meditation, dharma teachings and group interaction around dharma themes.
Online attendance:
Location: Online on Zoom
Weekly Meetings: Wednesdays, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, February 14 – May 22, 2024. Each meeting consists of meditation, dharma teachings and group interaction around dharma themes.
Hybrid attendance for daylong retreats:
Both in-person and online meet together in a hybrid day. Monthly retreats help integrate deeper practice into daily life. These are held at Kelly’s Barn on:
Sunday, February 25
Sunday, April 7
Saturday, May 11
– Up Your Practice Week: For the week after every daylong, the group hosts twice daily meditation sessions online as an aid to boost one’s daily practice. One can attend as little or as much as one prefers.
Suggested donation (dana): $750
The donation covers all expenses and teacher dana for the weekly
meetings, daylongs, and individual practice discussion. One may
need to give less or want to give more, depending on one’s budget.
No one is excluded due to finances.
Payment for the program is spread over 3 installments.
Covid-19 Safety
The group will follow Boulder County health and safety guidelines.
Biography
Peter Williams has practiced Buddhist meditation for 31 years and has done more than 39 months of silent meditation retreat. He has taught meditation for 21 years. He is trained as a Community Dharma Leader through Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Peter teaches retreats and meditation groups out of Longmont, CO. He is one of the founders of the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center in Ward, CO. He has taught mindfulness to a variety of audiences, from school teachers to environmentalists to juvenile justices. Peter also practices as an emotional wellness consultant. In an earlier career in the environmental field, he worked as an environmental educator for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, as a consulting ecologist, and as a wildlife biology lecturer at the University of Vermont.
To apply:
1. Please let Peter know via email at ptrwllms98@gmail.com
2. See instructions and the application by clicking here.
Comments from Participants
“I am a long-time meditator, but the teachings offered by Peter vastly improved my meditation practice. He offered Buddhist wisdom and meditation techniques that I had not been exposed to previously. His teaching style is very clear, thought-provoking, and fun! He created a very safe and playful environment with the weekly practice group that was extremely supportive. After several months of weekly practice and dharma talks, along with regular day long practice retreats, I definitely feel a shift in my whole being. I feel more gentleness and compassion, and there is a softening of my tendencies to hold onto specific views and outcomes.”
– Shara, Boulder, CO
“Peter’s group was rewarding in many ways. First, he is a truly amazing teacher with many years of experience both leading multi-day retreats, and attending personal retreats. In addition to sharing his wisdom and experience, he has a skillful way of bringing group members into the discussions. He creates a safe container so you feel that you can share and be heard. I especially liked the way he would weave humor into the evening. I am so grateful to have been part of Peter’s group as his teachings have been a valuable gift to me.”
– Darcy, Boulder, CO
“This group was, as is typical of Peter’s groups, a great way to learn valuable lessons about meditation and to deepen personal insight. I always get much from his groups, not only from the content but also because of his vulnerability and humanity.”
– Eric, Golden, CO
“I really looked forward to my meetings with the DPG. There is something about meditating with the same group of people that can really expand one’s practice. This in conjunction with the Dharma talks from Peter made for some very lively discussions. The sharing of our experiences in this intimate setting made for some personal insights in my own practice which is unlike anything I have had even in multi-day silent retreats. It also provides a backdrop to share all the trials and tribulations which we encounter in practice and support from our fellow meditators in the group.”
– Stewart, Boulder
“Making the commitment to meet weekly and study and practice with a small group of others making that same commitment, has been a powerful way to deepen my practice and transform my life. Peter is a wise and gifted teacher. Through his skillful stewardship, the group itself becomes a teacher in dharma and supports practice on and off the cushion. The longevity and intimacy of the DPG experience has transformed my relationship with myself, maybe with everything, by dismantling a deep sense of isolation and dislocation.”
– Cynthia, Berthoud
To join Peter’s email list, click here