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Insight Dialogue

JasonJason God EmperorArrakis Moderator
edited May 2014 in Buddhism Today

Spent the afternoon at a half-day workshop lead by Amma Thanasanti, a Buddhist nun, called "Building Community Through Awareness," which focused on the 'insight dialogue' techniques developed by Gregory Kramer, as well as methods of non-violent communication developed by Marshall Rosenberg.

It was pretty interesting, and I can see how practicing some of these techniques, like mindfulness of body meditation, can help one communicate more effectively with others in a way that fosters communal harmony. Being aware of the body and of the thoughts and feelings that arise rather than immediately identifying with them and constructing narratives around them can be a really useful tool, I think.

In addition, some of the exercises illustrated to me how much of how I act and react when talking to other people is the result of social conditioning, and not necessarily skillful or genuine. Often, when we talk to someone else, we have an agenda, we want to appear a certain way and act accordingly rather than in a way that the other person may need or would be more helpful to the situation. So focusing on our direct experiences, as opposed to the ways in which we tend to frame those experiences, can open up the space to be more discerning and responsive in our interactions.

Due to the limited amount of time, she couldn't go into all the steps and exercises (mostly just the first), but I'd definitely be interested in taking a full insight dialogue retreat one day. Has anyone been on a insight dialogue retreat?

lobster

Comments

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Forgive the duplication of the response I gave you elsewhere...

    Body language and physical demeanour are vital elements of communication. In fact as a whole, they take up the major percentage of how we communicate. If you think about it, language as we know it, is pretty new in comparison to how long we have been on the planet. Languages are still evolving and changing, constantly being added to... But humans - just the same as any other animal - have used body language for far longer than words.
    We communicate primarily through our appearance and physical presentation and attitude. Actions speak louder than words, and we never get a second chance to make a first impression. Remember that when faced with having to kiss Aunt Mildred on the cheek...

    I have myself attended a similar course but it was therapy-based during my Shiatsu studies.
    It was more spiritually-themed than practical or anatomical and it taught me a huge amount about empathetic interaction.

    lobsteranatamanInvincible_summer
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran

    @Jason said:
    Spent the afternoon at a half-day workshop lead by Amma Thanasanti, a Buddhist nun, called "Building Community Through Awareness," which focused on the 'insight dialogue' techniques developed by Gregory Kramer, as well as methods of non-violent communication developed by Marshall Rosenberg.

    It reminded me of this: http://dharma.ncf.ca/introduction/precepts/precept-4.html

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