In August, we will be taking up the book Ending the Pursuit of Happiness by Barry Magid. Mr. Magid is a Zen teacher and a psychoanalyst. He is therefore is able to bring both perspectives to bear on the problem of human suffering. He writes very lucidly and provides inquiries not often found in our usual readings. What are the pitfalls of practice? Is it possible to travel in seemingly opposite directions and end up with the same insights? Is there an inquiry that we can undertake that will allow us to shed certain hidden assumptions that seem to keep us stuck in our practice? Do we have a secret practice (secret even from ourselves) in addition to our overt practice that seems to subvert our progress? Is “our progress” an illusion? Do we have sacred cows?
The book is lucid and quite readable. If these questions interest you, you are invited to join us every Tuesday at 11:00 in August at the Rocky Mountain Insight Center, 2525 West Pikes Peak Avenue. It is customary to offer at least $5.00 dana per session. This is for the use of the facility. We anticipate having five or six sessions. These discussions will be facilitated by Meredith Pate-Willig and Steve Milligan. Please send an email to steve_milligan08@comcast.net if you think you might be interested.