EASING THE BOUNDARIES TO FREEDOM
A Two Day Non-Residential Vipassana Retreat
With Matthew Flickstein
August 17-19, 2007
Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock

You have probably heard the statement, “You are already free,” from one or more spiritual mentors. If that statement is true, why do we still experience confusion, emotionality, and reactivity? It may be because we are not seeing things as they really are.  There are two realities: conventional - how things appear to be, and ultimate - how things are in their own nature. To erase the boundaries to freedom, we are not denying the appearance of things such as our body, our mind, or our life’s circumstances. Mere appearance does not cause suffering. To experience our inherent freedom, we need to stop clinging to appearances as if they were the ultimate realities of life.

This retreat will focus on differentiating between conventional and ultimate realities. We will practice meditations and contemplations designed to expose the ways in which we cling to concepts and beliefs that cloud our vision of ultimate truth. There will also be opportunities for teacher conferences.

Matthew Flickstein has been practicing and teaching vipassana meditation for over twenty five years. At one time he was ordained as a monk in the Theravadan Buddhist tradition. His primary teacher has been Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, a Buddhist monk for over fifty eight years and author of the highly regarded book, Mindfulness in Plain English. Matthew co-founded the Bhavana Society Meditation Center in West Virginia with Bhante Gunaratana in 1982. He has published two books, Journey to the Center: A Meditation Workbook and Swallowing the River Ganges: A Practice Guide to the Path of Purification.

The retreat will be held in the meditation hall at the Ecumenical Buddhist Society, 1015 W. Second Street, Little Rock, Arkansas.

For more information, visit http://ebslr.org/event_flickstein_retreat.html