An enemy, whether within (in the shape of a habitual, painful mind state) or without (as someone for whom we steadily feel antipathy or fear) marks the edge between limited loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity, and the potential boundlessness of these qualities. When we conquer an outer enemy, we count it a victory, but each such victory leaves us vulnerable to our fear of being conquered by the next enemy to arise. The great victory is over our inner enemies of ignorance, greed, hatred, and fear, and once we conquer these inner enemies, we have a victory that no one can take away from us. We can live in fearlessness and true magnanimity. In this workshop Sharon Salzberg and Robert Thurman will explore inner and outer enemies; look at the fear, anger and anguish generated by being stuck in a mode of “us” and “them”, and focus on the liberation we are capable of. There will be periods of dialogue, discourse, and meditation practice.

Sharon Salzberg is co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts. She has been a student of Buddhism since 1971, guiding meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. Sharon’s latest book is The Kindness Handbook . She is also the author of The Force of Kindness, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience and Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Visit www.sharonsalzberg.com

Robert Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University; President of Tibet House US, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan civilization; and President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies. The New York Times recently hailed him as “the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism.”

The first American to have been ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk and a personal friend of the Dalai Lama for over 40 years, Professor Thurman is a passionate advocate and spokesperson for the truth regarding the current Tibet-China situation and the human rights violations suffered by the Tibetan people under Chinese rule. Professor Thurman also translates important Tibetan and Sanskrit philosophical writings and lectures and writes on Buddhism, particularly Tibetan Buddhism; on Asian history, particularly the history of the monastic institution in the Asian civilization; and on critical philosophy, with a focus on the dialogue between the material and inner sciences of the world's religious traditions.

Drop by for an evening keynote, attend an all-day workshop, or treat yourself to the entire four-day conference!

Passes start at:
$50: Thursday evening
$150: Friday all day
$75: Friday evening
$190: Saturday or
Sunday all day
$275: Full conference

Bonus: Purchase a preconference workshop with a full-conference pass and save even more!