Meditation and Compassionate Social Action

The Contemplary and Confluence present a colloquium with Ayya Yeshe (socially engaged Buddhist nun & feminist); Rhys Aconley-Jones (Mediator & conflict coach drawing on dyadic meditation); Dr Roger Cole (long term Brahma Kumari meditator, oncologist & palliative care specialist); Simon Moyle (Baptist minister and peace activist) & Sr Brigid Arthur (Brigidine Sister and co-founder of the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project)

This gathering explores different dimensions of the relationship between meditation and compassionate action in community life and invites speakers from different backgrounds to discuss:

Where in their faith tradition do people find a source, nourishment or inspiration for compassionate action?
How do people with a social conscience (i.e. a commitment to wider social goals) and engaged in pro-social activities, benefit from contemplative practices?
Can social actions be more powerful, more effective, more sustainable, with contemplative practice as their foundation?
How much is social engagement an inevitable outcome of the contemplative life?

Join us for a day of presentations and dialogue, and experience contemplative practices that stimulate, inspire, nourish and sustain compassionate action.

The format of the day

The colloquium with open with a meditation. Each presenter will give a short talk in response to the topic of the colloquium. After their talk, each presenter will then lead a contemplative practice that inspires, or sustains them in their compassionate social action and take questions from participants. Following the presentations, there will be small group discussions involving all those attending the colloquium. This will provide an opportunity for participants to share their own experiences and responses to the questions posed by the colloquium. There will then be a panel discussion involving the presenters, followed by time for questions to the panel from participants. The day will close with a meditation.

Food and drink

There is no catering for this event. The venue is located near serveral cafes providing coffee, teas and good food. Participants are invited to bring their own snacks and drinks and can use tbe kitchen attached to the room. Boiling hot water is available in the kitchen but you will need to bring your own mugs and tea.

Parking and public Transport

Parking is limited within this area and parking restrictions apply. It is recommended by the venue that you use public transport options. Rushall Station on the South Morang railway line is only 10 minutes away. The Route 11 Tram from West Preston to Victoria Harbour Docklands runs along St Georges Rd; Stop 21 is located near the southern corner of the building. The Route 86 Tram runs along Queens Parade and Stop 22 is located on the Queens Parade/Smith St corner, a 10-minute stroll away across the Edinburgh Gardens. Just north of the library there’s also the 504 Bus (Moonee Ponds-Clifton Hill) running along Scotchmer St with two stops along St Georges Rd.

When

Saturday October 27th 9.30 am to 4.30 pm

Where

Bargoonga Nganjin, North Fitzroy Library 182/186 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North VIC 3068

Cost

Colloquiuam Fee and donations

A $25 registration fee is charged to gain access to this event. In addition we encourage participants to make an additional donation on the day. Both the registration fee and all donations will be passed on (in full) to the presenters to support them in their activism and compassionate social action. Presenters such as Ayya Yeshe live and work by donation alone so please be generous. This event is sponsored by The Contemplary and Confluence who will cover all the organisational costs including interstate flights, accommodation and venue hire.

Ayye Yeshe

A former street kid from Australia, Ayya Yeshe is now a senior Tibetan Buddhist nun and Director of the Bodhicitta Foundation, a socially engaged Buddhist charity that helps marginalised and vulnerable women and children in India with education, training and support. She is the author of 'Everyday Enlightenment' published by Harper Collins. Ayya is an international Buddhist teacher and is a contemplative as well as an activist and feminist.

Dr Roger Cole

Oncologist and palliative care physician, Roger Cole has been caring for the terminally ill for the last thirty years. He became an Associate Professor of Palliative Care for the Illawarra Region of NSW between 1992 and 2010. During this time he wrote three books, of which Mission of Love has become an international bestseller being published in a number of overseas countries. Following a spiritual experience in 1984, Roger began to integrate spirituality in his medical role through meditation and self-awareness, with a vocation to bring hope, comfort and healing to his patients and their families. He currently works part-time as a Palliative Care specialist and enjoys teaching the values that bring purpose, peace and happiness to our lives. Roger has toured Australia and overseas extensively, giving public talks on hospice care, meditation, inner-healing and spirituality. He speaks on the sensitive issues that face us in death and is equally versed in how we maintain inner peace and happiness. He believes in the connection of mind, body and spirit, and in the healing power of positive thoughts and attitude. His published articles include grief repression in breast cancer, caring for people with advanced AIDS, symptom-control in palliative care, meditation for health-professionals and spiritual care of the dying.

Sister Brigid Arthur

Brigid, a Brigidine Sister, grew up in the Wimmera rural community of Kaniva, and was educated at St Brigid’s College, Horsham. After her profession as a Brigidine, she began her long and passionate engagement as an educator, mainly with secondary students in Brigidine Colleges throughout Victoria. A life-long learner, Brigid continued to study and expand her knowledge and skills in many fields. As Principal in a number of Colleges and later a founding member of the Brigidine Secondary Schools Council, her passion for education that encompasses and promotes the inclusion and growth of all young people was paramount. In 2001, whilst continuing her work with education, Brigid’s hospitality extended to the increasing needs of asylum seekers and refugees in our society. In a less than welcoming climate, her vision for students – ‘all are welcome’ – now began to extend to the needs of asylum seekers and refugees. The Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project (BASP) was established in 2001 co-founded by Sr Brigid Arthur and Sr Catherine Kelly. It is a Melbourne-based initiative of the Brigidine Sisters whose motto is Strength and Kindness. The Brigidine Sisters have been engaged in education and social justice in Victoria since 1886. In 2018, BASP was incorporated into Kildare Ministries as one of its ‘Community Works’.

Rhys Aconley-Jones

Rhys Aconley- Jones is a Mediator and conflict coach who runs training in Value-Connected Communication (also known as Nonviolent Communication). He is passionate about assisting groups to cultivate the compassion and skills to navigate conflict effectively and with care. He has been meditating daily since becoming a mediator, and finds that his meditation practice is critical to his ability to 'sit in the fire' through the intense emotionality of conflict. Developing compassion through LKM and awareness through mindfulness and vipassana has been critical to Rhys' continued growth and resiliency as a mediator and conflict coach. Rhys is also drawn to Robert Gonzales' practice of dyadic meditation; the process of assisted self-inquiry through the empathic presence of another. It is his experience that this kind of meditation is capable of healing many traumas that are sustained through relationships, deepening the connection we have to ourselves in the process.

Simon Moyle

Simon Moyle lives in the Merri Merri watershed with his wife and four children. He is the elder at GraceTree, a small Christian community who practise hospitality, contemplation, and work with their hands. He is a nonviolence trainer and an activist who has been involved in the antiwar, climate, and refugee movements.