An Introduction to Deep Spring Center

Deep Spring Center’s primary focus is to speak to the question of how we may live with more wisdom and compassion, with lovingkindness and non-harm to all beings. Our work falls into two categories, meditation and spiritual inquiry.

In “spiritual inquiry,” questions related to our deepest purposes here on earth are explored. Who are we? Are we merely body and mind or is there a deeper, universal essence to our being? Why are we incarnate, and to what use may we put this incarnate experience? Life offers us some painful experiences. How can we relate to these as “teacher” rather than opponent and respond with increasing wisdom, compassion and love?

Fundamental to our spiritual inquiry is the practice of meditation. While the core of the meditation practices we teach derive from Buddhist traditions, no ritual is included and no special religious beliefs are necessary to their practice.

Deep Spring Center is, at heart, a community of individuals who are asking questions about how we can live with more clarity and love. Deep Spring Center, the organization, is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We offer residential meditation retreats, meditation classes and a meditation sitting group, and conduct workshops on a variety of topics in our home community. We also publish a newsletter and spiritual manuscripts and maintain this web site.

Our guiding teacher is Barbara Brodsky. She is assisted by other Deep Spring teachers. We also bring in outside teachers who lead retreats with Barbara.

Deep Spring Center is a non-profit organization staffed by volunteers, and enjoys recognition by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt public charity.

Meditation

Many of the answers to the questions raised above are available in meditation. Meditation practice gives us insight into both the fundamental nature of our being and the nature of our dissatisfaction. It allows us to experience emotions and thoughts with greater clarity and balance. Mind is freed from conditioned patterns of self-centeredness, negativity and confusion, and the heart opened to deeper wisdom and compassion. We begin to know each moment as practice for our growth toward wholeness and harmony. We also begin to discover that place in ourselves which is already whole, always in harmony, and increasingly, we learn to live from that clear center.

The fundamental meditation practice that we teach is called insight meditation, or, traditionally, Vipassana meditation, from the Theravadin Buddhist Tradition. Insight meditation is a simple and direct practice: the moment to moment investigation of the mind/body process through calm, focused awareness. Through this practice we increase our ability to be fully present in this moment. We become more aware of, and more comfortable with, our thoughts, emotions and physical sensations, and lessen our identification with these aspects of our being as “self.” Thus, we decrease our need to hide from the experiences that are uncomfortable or to react to them. Insight meditation cultivates a spaciousness and “choiceless awareness,” an ability to be present with things as they are.

We balance insight meditation with “pure awareness” meditation practice, derived from the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition. Through this practice we develop a deep awareness of our true nature, not as something which we strive to manifest but as that which is eternal and present NOW. We learn to rest with stability in the experience of the deepest truth of ourselves. This experience might best be described as “coming home,” resting in a stillness and peace which become unshakable, regardless of outer turmoil.

We cannot hide in this inner stillness though. Rather, we find a stable center from which we can extend ourselves out to the world with increasing kindness and skill. The fruits of our work are growing freedom, clarity, joy and the ability to bring these gifts into our sometimes chaotic lives.

Spiritual Inquiry

Who are we? We come through life suspecting that we are more than our bodies, thoughts and emotions. Within “spiritual inquiry” we investigate the basic nature of being.

Some of us realize that we are driven by our bodies and emotions, seemingly out of proportion to the experiences of this moment. So we want to know how to live our lives from a place of clarity and truth even when we are experiencing confusion and pain. We want to understand more about ourselves and our relationship to the universe.

We explore the cycle of birth and death, or put in other terms, the entire process of “becoming.” What draws us back repeatedly into experience, whether in this life or in future lives? We’re drawn back as the result of karma, and with an intention to learn. As we investigate our experiences, we begin to understand how we shape the future from our own free will choices and, often, from our blind, habitual reactions. How do we live from the deep aspiration to offer love and not merely the ego’s desire to survive and be safe? Fear will be present. We can not deny it. How do we relate to our fear so it no longer drives us? Can we also see the innate clarity, love and perfection within and allow our voice in the world to reflect this center rather than the fear-based self?

Part of the teaching we offer within “spiritual inquiry” comes from a discarnate energy which calls itself Aaron, channeled by Barbara. In many previous lifetimes, Aaron has been a practitioner of many religions, including lifetimes spent as a Buddhist monk and scholar. In his final lifetime he was a Vipassana meditation master in the Theravadin tradition. His present teaching draws from this background, but he also reminds us that, like all of us, he has lived in many bodies, had many shades of skin, and followed many spiritual paths. Aaron is a being of great love, compassion, wisdom and gentle humor. His work is toward the alleviation of suffering. Those who have worked with him find him to be a very wise, compassionate and skillful teacher. We realize the presence of a discarnate teacher may raise questions for some of you. We ask you only to approach Aaron’s teaching with an open mind and see if it speaks to your heart.

For information about our program, to add your name to our mailing list or to comment on our web site, contact us.

Much of our work is funded by donations. If the material on this site is helpful to you, please consider supporting Deep Spring Center with a donation.