The Pāramī: 10 Qualities of a Beautiful Human
with Christie Bates
Online Retreat • June 23-24, 2023
About the Event
Do you spend more mental and emotional energy than you'd like, thinking about body image and appearance? Do you avoid talking about it, because you fear it's "not very spiritual?" This may be the online retreat for you!
"Diet culture" is not a uniquely modern phenomenon. The Buddha addressed it in terms of 3 mada (infatuations with youth, health and life) over 2500 years ago. In fact, one of the Buddha's main concerns was to address popular mistaken ideas about the body as an expression of a self, controlled by a self. As we apply the Buddha's teachings, we can relieve suffering rooted in confusion.
Friday evening, we'll have an introduction to the conditioned perceptual errors that are normal for the untrained mind, followed by some practice in self-compassion.
Saturday morning, we'll delve into the ten pāramī, ten qualities of a fully developed human. These are examples of the kinds of traits that the Buddha praised as truly beautiful. There will be time for sharing and questions, as well as meditation practice tailored to this exploration.
All genders are invited and encouraged to share in this experience.
To download the companion e-book and course and other resources for The Beautiful Human visit: https://the-beautiful-human.teachable.com/
Teacher Bio
Rev. Christie Bates is a Dharmacharya of the Embracing Simplicity Contemplative Order trained by Venerable Pannavati Bhikkhuni and the late Venerable Pannadipa Bhikkhu. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor. A focus on contemplative therapy and practice includes Brainspotting (a highly targeted mindfulness practice) since 2013, Internal Family Systems, and
other experiential modalities. Christie is the author of Accepting Your Resurrection (2008) and The Beautiful Human: Contemplative Wisdom for Moving Beyond Diet Culture to Create a Life of Real and
Lasting Beauty (2022). She was instrumental in establishing Buddhist recovery communities in middle Tennessee in the late 2000s. She has extensive background working with individuals and families in recovery from substance and process addictions, mental health disorders, chronic
developmental stress and acute trauma. This includes a total of 12 years in program direction and facilitation in residential treatment settings, numerous Buddhist residential retreats, and full-time private practice for the last six years. In Spring 2019, Christie moved from Nashville TN to Oxford
MS to live closer to family here. You can find some of her writings on Buddhism at medium.com/the-fifth-posture
Schedule
Friday June 23, 2023 : 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Saturday June 24, 2023: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
More Information
If you have questions or need additional information about this retreat or other Flowering Lotus program offerings, please contact:
Beth Herzig, Retreat Director
601-918-8510