“… We humans are made in such a way that we can directly know original love with our consciousness. True awakening is discovering boundless inseparability and allows us come to the origin point of our existence – original love …” ~ Henry Shukman

original love shukman

Indeed, awakening is the ultimate – and, more importantly, the abiding – “solution” to suffering – both individual and collective.

Dalai Lama said “… the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion …” … and Henry posits that “… the purpose of life is to feel and know love …”

Of course, love in its most fundamental and “purest” form invites – and also offers a possibility for – us to see, and experience, our inseparability … our interconnectedness … which is a natural “outcome” of true awakening.

Realizing and then living everyday life infused with this inseparability … allows us to navigate life with kindness and respect for each other’s intrinsic humanity, thereby naturally cultivating peace and harmony.

To this end, Henry has developed  Original Love, a new meditation program offering at Mountain Cloud Zen Center.

We are honored and very happy to introduce – and highly recommend – this program …

All italicized text above has been excerpted from Mountain Cloud Zen Center’s website (and videos from its YouTube channel) … and is used here with the gracious permission from Henry and Mountain Cloud.

Original Love: A Taste …

Original Love is a warm-hearted path of meditation that places love at the core of human growth. Inspired by Zen, by the “four foundations of mindfulness,” and by other practices, it is a sensitive approach to four primary areas of meditative mastery and growth, and outlines a healthy, safe path to the extraordinary experience of awakening – discovering the reality of no-self and of boundless unity.

Original Love covers the fundamentals of meditation and offers a secular path to awakening and beyond. It is suitable for anyone interested in the possibilities of mindfulness, regardless of background. Developed from practices that date back to 7th century China with roots in early Indian Buddhism, it offers a comprehensive map of practice, adapted for a modern audience.

For a very brief sampling, check out this 2:59min video where Henry introduces the program:

The Purpose Of Life Is To Feel and Know Love

There is a level of our being that is boundlessly one. In Zen it is referred to as “original nature.” But since to experience it is to taste a kind of ultimate love, here it’s known as “original love.” As we explore the four main areas of growth the course covers — basic mindfulness, opening to support, finding flow, and awakening — we find that each has love at its center. Every time we taste that unconditional love, we are coming to know “original love” too.

Who Is This For?

Original Love is for anyone interested in finding the true peace of mind that mindfulness and awakening can offer. It invites us to reorient our priorities toward living out of love in all our relationships, work and activities.

Program Details

3 week course: Mondays, 6:30-8pm MT, July 26, August 2, August 9

Weekend retreat: Saturday August 14 – Sunday August 15, 9am-3pm MT each day

Original Love: Benefits

This compassionate and accessible new approach to meditation, opens our hearts to living life more fully and for real, as we follow the gentle, natural path of meditation, made simple.

Mountain Cloud launched this new program on July 19, 2021. See the 90min video below for a more indepth view into the program … and, if interested, click here to register for either the 3 evenings or the weekend retreat or both.

 

All italicized text above (except Dalai Lama’s quote) has been excerpted from Mountain Cloud Zen Center’s website (and videos from its YouTube channel) … and is used here with the gracious permission from Henry and Mountain Cloud.

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India continues to undergo a humanitarian crisis brought upon by the ravaging resurgence of COVID-19 … if you don’t know about this or want an update, here is a recent New York Times post detailing What to Know About India’s Coronavirus Crisis … so, to do our small part to help, we are providing THREE vetted sources that can be used to help provide relief to India … we have donated personally and also as Stillness Speaks to PATH, CARE, and some of the GoFundMe campaigns below …

Despite the financial challenges that are amongst us all, if your situation allows you to donate then please visit one of the following sources … and contribute whatever is possible …

… Deliver oxygen where it’s needed the most through PATH – a global team of innovators working to accelerate health equity so all people and communities can thrive …

… Provide essential hospital services, more health workers, additional beds, oxygen supply, and much more through CARE (and their CARE India chapter) – for 75 years, CARE has led the way to a better life for the world’s most vulnerable people ….

… Donate to India COVID-19 fundraisers on GoFundMe – all fundraisers have been verified by GoFundMe’s Trust & Safety team and will be updated as new fundraisers are created and verified. All GoFundMe fundraisers are backed by the GoFundMe Guarantee which ensures that all funds on this page will go to those affected by India’s COVID-19 surge …

Helping those in extreme need is the “order of the day” …

THANK YOU!

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May you live life immersed with the gifts of    original love  … and …

May you remain safe and healthy as you navigate these troubling times.

 

Dalai Lama’s quote: What Is The Purpose Of Life.
Images: (edited and logo added): Featured and 1) Composite of a) Neist point lighthouse and stars in Isle of Skye, Scotland by Shaiith79 and b) Buddha face close up by vgorbash. All purchased from depositphotos, for use only on our website/social channels (these images are not permitted to be shared separate from this post).
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