Meeting the Ground of Life and Death

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Sunday, January 31st, 2016
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Visual art and oral storytelling have much in common, as both depend on the well-crafted image. In two-dimensional drawings, as in sculpture and film, the images are chosen and arranged by the artist. In storytelling, the story’s images come alive in the imagination of the listener, in the unique moment of hearing the story. But in both cases, the images impact us on many levels, resonating with our own lived experience and suggesting new ways of viewing our lives.

Margo McLoughlin will be at the Comox Valley Art Gallery to offer an afternoon of storytelling performance, followed by a period of meditation. “Meeting the Ground of Life and Death: Stories from the Buddhist Tradition” explores many of the same themes as the exhibit Meeting the Ground by artist Renée Poisson, and draws on the material Margo has been translating and adapting from early Buddhist texts. Some of these tales recount the previous lives of the Buddha, while others present the lives of the Buddha’s first disciples. Of particular interest are the stories of women practitioners, who came from all walks of life. The storytelling will be followed by a unique opportunity to experience a guided meditation on dying.

“I’ve had the good fortune to be led through this type of meditation by two of my teachers, Rodney Smith and Thanisssara.,” said Margo in a recent conversation. “My hope is that participants will find the meditation deeply relaxing, but also inspiring. Most of us take our lives for granted. ‘Practicing’ dying, in a supportive environment, can awaken a greater awareness of the preciousness of life.”

Margo McLoughlin is a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School as well as Spirit Rock’s Meditation Center’s Community Dharma Leader program. She is the recipient of a Canada Council Explorations Grant and a BC Arts Council Grant. Margo has also edited two anthologies of world folklore: Seeds of Generosity: Storytelling in the Classroom and The Giving Heart: Folktales for Exploring Generosity. Her children’s book I Know a Crow, illustrated by local artist Joe Ziner, was published in 2014.

www.margostoryteller.net

 Advanced registration required, as space is limited. Please call us at 250.338.6211 or visit the gallery.