5/5/11 in Berkeley: “Artmonk Sangha: the Bay Area’s Ritual Laboratory for Artmonks”

Based on practices that we have been developing at the January 2010 & 2011 Artmonk Retreats in the Mojave Desert, these weekly (or semi-weekly) meetups will provide an opportunity for anyone in the Bay Area who is interested to explore the path of the artmonk.

DEFINITIONS:

• “Artmonk”: someone who dwells (alone or in community) at the intersection of contemplation, creativity, and activism.
• “Sangha”: the Pali/Sanskrit word for a Buddhist or Jain community, and refers either to a community of monks, or to a broader community of practicing individuals.
• “Artmonk Sangha”: a practicing community of artmonks.

WHEN & WHERE

May 5th, 5:30-7:30pm

1798 Scenic Avenue

Doug Adams Gallery/Badè Museum, in Holbrook Hall,

Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA

http://goo.gl/AR92d

Contact Nathan @ (510) 520-4747

THIS WEEK’S THEME:

“Starting a monk revolution”

SCHEDULE:

5:30 Doors open, introductions

[Contemplation]

6:00 Silent Meditation

[Creativity]

6:30 Brief Gregorian Chant/Musical Improvisation

6:45 Creative sharing (Play a song, read a poem, dance a dance)

[Manifestation]

7pm Reading of “Monk Manifesto”

7:10 Socializing, topical break-out groups

7:25 Closing

7:30 Done

WHAT TO BRING:

• A meditation cushion (chairs are available if you prefer)

• A musical Instrument (optional)

• Material for artmonkish creative sharing (optional)

• Topics to discuss

MORE INFO:

Based on the format innovated by Seattle Artmonks chapter, the event will follow a rough format of 1) contemplation, 2) creativity, and 3) manifestation. We will begin with a 20-30 minute silent meditation, after which there will be a brief chant, followed by chant improvisation. We will then open up the space for broader musical and performative expressions, ritual experimentation, sharing of visual art, discussion, socializing, and action. The whole event will take between 1.5 and 2 hours.

During the third portion of the event, we can discuss a number of topics:

• Theme for next meetup
• Our own Artmonk Manifesto
• What is a “ritual lab”?

CONTACT:

Nathan Rosquist

510) 520-4747

nathan@artmonastery.org