Ken Wilber said that the Big 
Mind "is arguably the most 
important and original 
discovery in the last two 
centuries of Buddhism. "
Read more on his blog here:


Back to schedule of events



Western Zen Roshi Dennis Genpo Merzel, founder of Big Mind 
Process seen here during a recent book tour in Barcelona with author 
Mick Quinn and his wife Debora 
Prieto who trained in the Big Mind
process (more photos).


     

Big Mind / Big Heart is a method of self investigation that is straightforward and effective, and it will open your heart and mind to the fullness and richness of life. It’s a new combination of tools, a blend of western psychology, specifically the insights of Carl Jung’s Shadow, Hal and Sydra Stone’s Voice Dialogue and certain aspects of Gestalt, with the non-dual wisdom traditions passed on to us. The Big Mind Process has been developed for the express purpose of helping us better understand the mind and the nature of human life.
 

  (Read the full article here)

"Big Mind is an experience of our mind and self, without boundaries," 
Merzel says. "In other words, we draw the sense of limited, confined, 
and restricted self and experience ourselves at one with the universe, 
the cosmos, and all beings. It eliminates the concept of self and other. 
Big Mind is a process to give an immediate, direct Zen experience which, 
up to now, has always been hit and miss."

The Big Mind / Big Heart process empowers the participants to make a fast shift 
without feeling threatened, from a narrow and egocentric view to an open, clear and free perspective, that allows them to identify themselves with all the people and all the things. Big Mind helps people to become fully functioning human beings.

Big Mind / Big Heart is self-development and healing through guided
conversation. This process is a simple, powerful and fast way of helping people 
to change their perspective.  Big Mind helps people to find the wisdom that meditators may take many years to achieve.

(Read the full article here)

"Genpo Roshi is one of the highest ranking American Buddhists and a 
deeply respected teacher. He has been described as a revolutionary in 
the tradition of the old Zen masters who so embodied Buddhist 
teaching that they were able to revitalize and transform it for their 
own day and age. Since 1999, he has been sharing a simple yet powerful
process he calls Big Mind that offers an experience of the awakened 
state. His unique adaptation of Eastern wisdom for the Western mind
ultimately invites us to become fully integrated, free-functioning human
beings. The following is a conversation between Genpo Roshi and Grace 
Welker, Kripalu’s Senior Editor, that took place on June 15, 2006."

With Big Mind / Big Heart, you get to know yourself and your Self quickly, in a fun
and easeful conversation with the facilitator. The true beauty of this process is 
that no prior experience in meditation or other practices of self-development is required to glimpse a taste of your True Self in a matter of a few hours.

The Big Mind / Big Heart process can be implemented in individuals, groups, families, seniors, corporations, and communities. A typical class lasts about 3-6 hours in which participant can have an experience of their True Nature - of the Mind of the Buddha! 

With Big Mind / Big Heart you will:

Taste your True Nature in just a few hours.

Find out who you really are by observing the voices that make 
up the sense of “I”.

Find out where your potential for happiness is being limited and 
then release those blockages - all by simple conversation.

Learn to observe the world with new eyes, from a perspective 
of compassion that you may have never before imagined.

Discover that there is no separation between you and the other, 
because you are one and the same.

Reduce stress, increase mental flexibility and learn new ways to 
resolve conflict.  

Big Mind / Big Heart takes place through guided or facilitated conversations in half-day or full-day classes in group or individual settings. This process reveals 
the wisdom of our inner voices so we can learn from them. With Big Mind / Big
 Heart, we get to know ourselves quickly, in a fun and easy conversation 
between us and the facilitator.  

(Read the full article here)

Dennis Genpo Merzel offers a practice to work with our shadow sides 
and awaken our enlightened nature.

"IMAGINE YOUR very body-mind-spirit as a company, like General 
Motors, Ford, or IBM. You’re a company with many employees, and 
not one single employee knows his job title, job description, function, 
what the product is, or who the CEO is. To make matters worse each 
employee thinks that he’s the boss, the one in charge, and all the 
other employees are working for him."

We all know that there are many ‘voices’ competing for our attention. Because many of these voices are “stuck”, repressed or denied, they often manifest in unhealthy ways (i.e. impatience, frustration, depression, anger or even losing one's temper) at inappropriate times. One goal of Big Mind / Big Heart is to bring each one of these voices into full consciousness. Through conversation the voice loses its influence of our actions and instead can be expressed in a healthy manner.  

The facilitator of this process does not teach anything; he or she creates a safe
and pleasant environment in which the participants become their own teachers 
and at the end of the day their own Masters.