For years Elliot Dacher has hosted meditation classes at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital. This fall he will offer his first one-week intensive retreat, with classes each morning and evening from Oct. 22-28.
A new key to happiness exists where one might expect it least — the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. On Sept. 30, the hospital welcomes back Meditation and Mindfulness, an eight-week class directed by Dr. Elliott S. Dacher MD, now in its eighth year.
Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche leads a dharma talk on meditation tonight, August 9, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Yoga Barn, located on South Road in Chilmark. The talk focuses on creating space in daily life.
Rinpoche is one of the heads of the Taklung Kagyu Lineage. He is abbot of several monasteries in Nepal, assists monasteries and practice centers in Tibet and heads dharma centers in North America and Asia. His teachings are nonsectarian, combining the teachings of the Vajrayana, Mahayana and Theravada.
When it comes to treating psychological disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is increasingly common for doctors to prescribe for their patients a variety of drugs. From Ritalin to Valium, these drugs can be highly addictive and can also have negative side effects that range from the relatively benign, such as a loss of appetite, to the extreme, such as severe atrial fibrillation.
Judging by the myriad pharmaceutical advertisements on television, there are plenty of pills to go around. But Dr. Wendy Chabot would like to see a world with fewer medications and more mindfulness.
A week ago more than 100 people from around the world beganarriving on the Vineyard. Most looked like regular folks, bearded or not, wearing jeans or skirts, sneakers and shoes. They could have been leaf peepers who took a wrong turn on their way to the Berkshires. But some wore flowing crimson robes, a visible sign that this group was up to something different.
More telling, though, was that they appeared more relaxed than most people. They didn’t pack as much stuff either.
Lama Tsony is back at the Bodhi Path Buddhist Center of Martha’s Vineyard in West Tisbury for a weekend retreat series. Known for his experience, and appreciated for his warmth, wit and accessibility, Lama Tsony teaches throughout Europe and the U.S.
On Saturday and Sunday, July 19 and 20, and Saturday and Sunday July 26 and 27, the Bodhi Path will offer a weekend retreat series with Lama Tsony. The topic is Mind’s True Nature Through Calm Abiding and Insight Meditation. The sessions run 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m. each day.
