BG2013 - The Boulder Conference Discussion

Wow, can't believe I am saying this already: "See you guys tomorrow!"

Edit: Anyone think I should I bring my DSLR for posting pics here or is that overkill?

This thread is nothing without pictures!

Then maybe if I am going to post pictures, I should make a separate pictures thread in the private section in order to keep people's privacy intact? Thoughts?

Totally understand that.

(He's an awesome author actually, published a lot in Outside magazine -- the titles are jokes, making fun of the outdoor adventure hero stories of old. He write about walking through jungles and being aware that he's the lowest status organism there. All the bacteria are eating him and all the monkeys are pissing on his head from up in the branches. It's insightful stuff and hillarious.)

Breakfast on Pearl St.

Not every day you run into Daniel Ingram as a volunteer in a magic show.

Thanks for the photos, Russell! Looks like it did 10 years ago (when I was last there). This is sparking an ambition to join you guys there one of the next times.

Russell wrote: Not every day you run into Daniel Ingram as a volunteer in a magic show.

When Dan volunteers it's a Magick show!

Hoping that as the bedazzlement subsides, the participants will give some accounts of their adventures.

Headed to a Tibetan restaurant now. Will share tomorrow!!

At the airport right now waiting for my flight.

I also felt that the conference itself was mixed. Since this was my 2nd year, I felt less obligated to subject myself to every single minute of it, so I skipped a few things. Yesterday a conversation with Beth, Russell, and others turned into a social noting circle which was awesome.

I enjoye the social justice part of the conference, including talks about sex and dharma, and race/power/unconscious cognitive bias and dharma, both of which struck a chord with me as a [personal moment] Jewish immigrant in a same-sex interracial relationship. [/personal moment]

As the others mentioned, the real reason I came to Boulder was to hang out with the pragmatic dharma family, and it was a really great weekend in that regard. It's surreal at first to talk about this stuff in person with people that I know in ways our friends and families likely don't even know, but have never/rarely met in person. Sweet. Also loved finding commonalities with new people, like striking a conversation with a couple of people at lunch and discovering that we all speak the same language, have gotten steam entry, etc. Endless chances for geeky meditation talk, like running into Eran on the bus to Denver today.

Will write more later, got some house shenanigans to tell! And pictures too.

Favorite thing overheard at the airport: "Cheers grandma! Here's to Vegas."

Finally back after a nice long day of travel. Trying to write about this will not do it justice. This was just a flat out amazing experience. I almost have reverse culture shock as I sit here at work. So anyways, as a first time conference attendee, I highly recommend that you go if you can. It is well worth it!

This gathering is really about the non-conference moments to me. Vince even alluded to this in his closing comments. He said he wished he wasn't putting on the conference so he could just hang out. As we all sat outside on Pearl Street the first day, it was really just surreal that here we were hanging out, and talking in person. I think I had a silly grin on my face the whole time. There was an energy that was so pleasant being around this crew (you guys).

What I didn't realize was how accessible the speakers would be. It made the whole process even more surreal. Moments include, hanging in the hallway talking to Leigh Brasington in detail about jhana's; having lunch with Gary Weber and talking to him about my business; playing cards for hours with Kenneth and Beth; and of course running into Daniel at a magic show (how perfect).

More memorable moments included "i don't know" noting with Beth, Nadav, James, Cedric, and Justin. Tom's, now famous, nightly readings of 'The new weird' fiction. Lunch in 'the anxiety chamber' @ The Sink. Finding out there are many more meditation geeks in my area than I realized.

Have to go to a meeting. That was a little stream of conscious...i'll try to keep posting more later, and more pictures as I can.

Wish I could have been there. Going next year. Already got approval from my accountant (wife).

Well what an amazing experience - it was well worth the many hours of travel and jetlag! So good to meet fellow network members, dharma celebrities (although I had no idea what to say to them except....'love your work' ) and other folks whose material I had read, or seen on Youtube etc. Really enjoyed staying with Russell, Nadav, Chris, Mike and Tom and hanging out with everybody else (Laurel, Abre, Colleen and many others who joined us) lots of fun and I think they even got used to my accent..! There was definitely a wonderful and augmented energy around our gatherings that was quite evident.
We stayed in a great house (thanks so much Tom for organising it and the T-Shirts and Chris for hiring the car and taxiing folks around) owned by 2 authors one of whose work we critically reviewed on the first night and found great joy in its nonsensical ramblings. Who would have believed that we grew to love it and had nightly readings (actually Tom was such a great reader, it could have been anything he was reading). We grew to love a new, edgy, alternative genre (New Weird) as we were enlightened by Mike's depth of knowledge on the subject. We also explored the world of Machine Elves - a subject that I will not get lost in here.
Oh yes, and then there was the conference. Amazing effort by Vince, Emily and the Geeks to pull it together - It was my first. Very broad range of subjects with experts very accessible and approachable. I was really glad to see discussion on Jhanas and found Leigh Brassington's unplugged discussion really helpful in confirming/informing my experiences in this areas. Also was able to catch up with him and have a seperate chat too which was great. Gary Weber's presentation but more importantly lunch with him was another highlight as I am particularly drawn to the non-dual concept and Gary's seemingly unique perspective on it. He was a great guy, and easy to talk to.
There were a few things that I think missed the mark a little such as the Meditation FMRI brain measurement presentation (very data/technical - needed to be 'interpreted' and translated more for the conference I think), the presentations on Dharma and its integration into society/everyday life etc - seemed to prove and then stop at the agreed conclusion that things in this world are bent out of shape - I would have been more interested in presenters and discussions proposing/exploring possible solutions in defined areas but acknowledge that 2 days is not much time.
A few of us (Awakenetwork) attended the 'unconference' yesterday hosted by Daniel Ingram ( I think). It was fantastic to spend some time with Daniel, Vince, Emily and a group of really high calibre dedicated practitioners. I think it started well but for a fair while the discussions got a bit lost in discussion on what to discuss (if that sounds confusing, its meant to be). There was an opportunity to visit the Integral Institute and participate in a 'circling' meditation trial which I did not attend (but should have). I did notice how Daniel is a really warm and geniune person (irrespective of eccentricities) and it was great to spend some time with him. It went from 10.00am to midnight but we left about 5.00 - pretty 'heady' discussions and we were all pretty tired I think.
So it will take some time to follow-up with people and process all the discussions had. I hope I can get to next year's BG and more Awakenetwork folks can make it too.

Great photo!

For those of us who couldn't attend, and, therefore, haven't met any forum members in person, who are we seeing in this photo, from left to right?

Thanks!

L-R: Mike, Abre, Tom, Chris, Nadav, Russell