Commitments to Integrity and Loving-Kindness
June 2–6 (Wednesday dinner – Sunday lunch) Life is a challenging journey. Though we hope that our lives will be easy and comfortable, they are often complicated, conflicted, and disappointing. Many of us bear the scars of painful life experiences, suffer from low self-esteem, and become trapped in cycles of self-destructive behavior as the happiness we desire often eludes us. To set our lives on a positive course, we can begin developing loving-kindness toward ourselves and others. In the Buddhist and other religious traditions this is a pathway to happiness and spiritual growth.
In this workshop we will explore fifty-two commitments that help us grow in self-respect and loving-kindness. We will affirm the goodness in all of us and in all of the universe. We will say yes to reality as it is, who we are and who others are in all our daily behavior. This art of acceptance forms the foundation of our own integrity and our healthy love of ourselves and others. Our definition of success becomes not what we have gained or how we have gotten our way but how we acted with integrity and trustworthiness, how we aligned ourselves with reality as it is, and how we loved with all our might.
We begin by taking the practical steps outlined in this workshop so that soon we may find that we are acting wholesomely and lovingly without having to put effort or thought into it at all.
This workshop is based on Dave’s book Everyday Commitments: Choosing a Life of Love, Realism, and Acceptance (Shambhala, 2007). Please bring a copy with you. We also recommend bringing Dave’s new book, Being true to life.
The books can be found at most bookstores or at davericho.com.
David Richo, PhD, MFT, is a psychotherapist, teacher, workshop leader, and writer who works in Santa Barbara and San Francisco. He combines Jungian, transpersonal, and mythic perspectives in his work.
Program fee $80 Locals / Day Visitor fee $90