Imprints and Triggers: Catching Karma in Real Time with David Nichtern

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Have you ever been irrationally irritated by something, or someone? Triggered. Activated. Zero to 120 in one second flat.

And after years of work on yourself, you are still standing there thinking: how does this little thing still get me?

That is karma. Rarely celebrated on social media or printed on a bumper sticker, it is the actual residue that our thoughts, words, and actions leave behind, sitting quiet in the mind until something sets it off.

This workshop tracks that whole hidden machine. The imprints. The triggers. The half-second between something happening and our reaction to it, the half-second where many Buddhist teachers say our entire life is actually taking place.

We will work from the Abhidharma, the classical Buddhist teachings on how the mind actually gets built, and use meditation and plain attention to catch this process live, while it is happening, before it turns into the story we tell about it later. You will begin to see how a pattern gets laid down, how it gets pulled, and how much suffering we generate over things that, looked at closely, often turn out to be smaller than they first appear.

This is the kind of close, curious attention that Emberlight's values are anchored in. We practice meeting our own minds with honesty and loving presence, and learning to rest in that half-second before we react is one of the most tender and practical forms that practice can take. We are grateful to welcome David into this circle to guide us.

The workshop includes meditation instruction and practice, teaching, discussion, and breakout groups. All levels are welcome, and nothing is required but your curiosity.

We will gather in the Lighthouse, our education and gathering space on the Emberlight campus.

About David Nichtern

David Nichtern was in his twenties in 1970 when Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche arrived in the United States from Tibet, by way of England, and he became one of the first Americans to study with him. More than fifty years later, he is a senior teacher in that lineage, the founder of Dharma Moon, and still teaching people how to catch karma in the act.

He is also the songwriter behind Midnight at the Oasis and much other music, with four Emmys and two Grammy nominations. He has worked with Stevie Wonder, Jerry Garcia, Lana Del Rey, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Paul Simon, and has produced records for and toured with Krishna Das.

Most dharma teachings come from people who left the world to study the mind. David spent his life in the middle of it instead, in studio sessions and on tour buses, raising a family, watching his own imprints and triggers fire in real time. He brings the teaching back with the fingerprints still on it.

100% of proceeds go to support the mission and vision of Emberlight: Center for Conscious Living & Dying.

This event is open to all, with a suggested donation of $35 so that cost is never the reason someone cannot join us. We encourage you to give what feels right and possible for you. Every contribution is a gift to Emberlight and helps sustain this work and the care at the heart of it.

Please note that all event tickets are non-refundable, except in the case that Emberlight cancels the event for any reason, a full refund will be issued.

Questions? Contact the Events Team at events@emberlightway.org.