Elat Chayyim Advanced Meditation Program (ECAMP II) June 22, 2008

Facilitated by Norman Fischer and Rabbis Joanna Katz, Alan Lew and Jeff Roth

Contemplative practice is a powerful method for awakening spiritually in one’s life. Our minds can be preoccupied with spiraling thoughts and stories about identity, memories of our past, and hopes or fears for the future; the Jewish sages called this mochin de’katnut, or small mind. From the place of small mind, we get caught up in our selfish needs; act unwisely and unkindly to ourselves and to those around us.

Mindfulness practices taught in the ECAMP program help you to navigate small mind reality and to gain access to an expanded awareness or mochin de’gadlut (big mind). From this mind state, which is a natural capacity for all human beings, one can experience the holy interconnected reality that underlies all of being. This experience, called devekut by Jewish mystics, brings with it profound wisdom and opens the heart of compassion, providing us with the motivation to make a real difference in the world (tikkun olam). The program aims to apply and integrate teachings into the everyday aspects of our lives.

Official Website: http://isabellafreedman.org/ecamp