INTERSPIRITUAL MEDITATION
A Seven-Part Process from the World’s Spiritual Traditions

Online Course: October 3 – December 9, 2011
Weekend Retreat: February 10-12, 2012 (La Casa de Maria)

General Description

InterSpiritual Meditation is being offered as an online course from October 3 to December 9, 2011.  It will be followed by an in-person weekend retreat in Santa Barbara at La Casa de Maria on February 10-12, 2012.

Our primary audience for this online course are students who aspire to deepen their own contemplative practice individually and in community with others.  Certificate Level students are those who are motivated to first learn and then mentor others in the theory and practice of this inclusive, universal form of meditation that at the same time compliments the practices of their chosen tradition.

InterSpiritual Meditation is a universal process drawn from the world’s spiritual traditions.  It is designed to help each individual to develop a practice of contemplation and meditation for health, happiness, gratitude, transformation, love, compassion, tranquility, focus, wisdom, and service in the world.  Its seven-step process enables people of diverse spiritual practices to create engaged contemplative communities based on empathy, understanding, shared contemplative intentions, and compassionate service for the common good.

If (after reading the information below) you are interested in this course please click here to fill out a brief information form. We will then contact you with final registration details.  Actual registration, payment, and access to the course will take place between September 26 and October 3.

(20 Continuing Education Credits are available for the online course and 12 for the weekend retreat.)

Rationale:

Over the millennia the world’s spiritual traditions have created and handed down to us a marvelous diversity of meditative practices. These are our global spiritual heritage.  Practiced in concert with each other, these meditations provide us with internal ‘renewable resources’ for global peace, equality, and prosperity.  Together, buoyed by the diversity of these practices, we are of one heart and capable of solving the challenges of our times.

Today, countless numbers of people are attempting to develop and sustain a meditation practice. Our individual practices reflect the gamut of the world’s spiritual heritage. Often, we don’t have a local community to support our chosen practice and we must proceed alone. Yet to maintain our practice, it is helpful to be in a supportive contemplative community that can help nourish, support, and strengthen us – – a community that also reflects the vibrant spiritual diversity of our times.  InterSpiritual Meditation can help us to build communities of people with diverse practices.

Amidst the world’s variety of religious and scientific beliefs, contemplatives often share a common intention: to be engaged in the world based on an inner foundation of equanimity, wisdom, and compassion. From the ‘inside-out,’ and strengthened by our diversity, we can become the peaceful and positive change that we would like to see in the world.  This is the calling of our times and the purpose of this course.

Goal of Course:

The goal of this course is to help participants to:

• Create a personal meditation leading to health, happiness, gratitude, transformation, loving compassion, equanimity, mindfulness, wisdom, and service.
• Mentor and facilitate diverse individuals and groups in InterSpiritual Meditation.
• Co-create and participate in a supportive community of people with diverse beliefs and traditions to help solve the critical challenges of our times.

Teacher:

Ed Bastian, Ph.D. is President of the Spiritual Paths Institute. His Doctorate is in Buddhist Studies and Western Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Bastian studied for nearly a decade with Buddhist Monks in monasteries in the U.S., India and the Himalayas. As a Fulbright Scholar, he studied Indian philosophy at Banares Hindu University and translated Buddhist scriptures from Tibetan and Sanskrit sources. At the Smithsonian Institution, Bastian served as Director of programs on BioDiversity and Intellectual History, where he taught courses and moderated conferences on Buddhism, world religion, and Tibetan human rights. He has lectured, presented scholarly papers and his films in the U.S., England, Japan and India. Bastian is the Executive Producer of television programs on Asian religion for the BBC, PBS, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  He is the author of the award winning “Living Fully Dying Well,” and “InterSpiritual Meditation.”  (Click here for more information on Ed Bastian.)

Class Elements:

Each of our 10 weekly classes contains the following elements:

1. Selected readings from “InterSpiritual Meditation.”
2. Selected readings from “Meditations for InterSpiritual Wisdom.”
3. Daily individual meditations.
4. Guided audio meditations.
5. Weekly live audio-video classes.
6. Supplementary written, audio, and video resource materials
7. Audio-video presentations on each of the topics.
8. Online discussions with classmates on major topics and subtopics.
9. Private online journal to share only with the teacher.
10. General forum for open discussions within the class.
11. Audios and videos of great teachers describing the theory and practice of meditation in their tradition.

Two levels: Auditor and Certificate

Certificate students should complete all weekly readings, actively participate in the class discussions, be present and participate in weekly live classes, create a written private journal of their personal meditation in each of the seven steps.  Certificate students will also receive individual mentoring via private online journal with the teacher.  (Continuing Education Credits are available for Certificate Students.)

Auditors should stay current with the readings and may observe the weekly live classes and online discussions.  The availability of this option will depend on enrollment of certificate level students.

Course Fees:

· Online Course – Certificate Level: $325
· Online Course – Auditor Level: $250
· Weekend Retreat: $325 (Residential), $225 (Commuter) – REGISTER DIRECTLY WITH LA CASA DE MARIA: 805 695-0104
· 20 CE Credits for Online Course: $35
· 12 CE Credits for Weekend Retreat: $35

All fees for the online course and CE credits will be processed through PayPal during the registration and payment period, Sept 26 – October 3.

Books:

1. “InterSpiritual Meditation: A Seven Part Process from the World’s Spiritual Traditions”

2. “Meditations for InterSpiritual Wisdom: Practices and Readings Drawn from the World’s Spiritual Traditions”

Class Schedule:

This ten week online class will begin on October 3 and will end on December 9.  Each week there will be a live presentation and discussion.  The time of this weekly live class will be set once the cohort is formed and we discern the best time for the most people.  Following is a list of weekly themes.

Formal registration, payment, and access to the online course is between September 26 and October 3.  After receiving your completed student information form, we will notify you of final details before completing your registration.

Schedule and Topics

Week	Dates	Topic
1	10/3/11	Defining our Terms: Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation,Religion, Spirituality, InterSpirituality
		The Process of InterSpiritual Meditation
		Guidelines for InterSpiritual Discussions
2	10/10/11	Step 1: Motivation – “May I be Healthy & Happy”
3	10/17/11	Step 2: Appreciation – “May I be Grateful”
4	10/24/11	Step 3: Transformation – “May I be Transformed”
5	10/31/11	Step 4: Intention – “May I be Loving and Compassionate”
6	10/7/11	Step 5: Mindfulness – “May I be Mindful through My Breathing”
7	11/14/11	Step 6: Meditation – “May I become Wise through Meditation”
8	11/21/11	Step 6: Meditation – “May I become Wise through Meditation”
9	11/28/11	Step 7: Dedication – “May I be in Service to All Beings”
10	12/5/11	Course Review

Registration Process:

If you are interested in registering for this course, please follow this process:

1. Fill out and send the online student information form.  Click here for the form.
2. If accepted, you will receive a link for completing your registration and your student profile.
3. Formal registration, payment, and access to the course will take place between September 26 – October 3.
4. Course payment will be processed through a Paypal link provided during the registration process.
5. Once these tasks are complete, the online course will be available to you.