Dharma talk and meditation retreat set Feb. 3, 4

Insight Meditation Community of Lewes will host Larissa Kitenko, a longtime practitioner and teacher of insight meditation, for a Dharma talk from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 3, at St. Peter’s parish hall. The topic will be Buddhism in Everyday Life - Wanting a Different Past. There will be time for group discussion and refreshments.

Kitenko will lead a full-day retreat from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4, at the parish hall. The day will include a Dharma talk on Buddhism in Everyday Life - Letting Go of Negative Habits, sitting and walking meditation, and discussion. Lunch is provided. The suggested donation for Friday's talk is $10 and $45 for the Saturday retreat. For those with limited income, 50 percent or any amount of the suggested donation offered is welcome. If budget does not allow for a donation, simply show up; no explanation is needed.

Non-meditators as well as beginning and experienced meditators are all invited to attend this weekend of learning to live effectively in the present moment.

Kitenko is a longtime practitioner of insight meditation, studying and practicing Buddhism in the Theravadan tradition. She has trained at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California and is a teacher at IMC-Washington, D.C., led by Tara Brach, PhD. She has trained with Jon Kabat-Zinn and has been teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction since 2005 and is certified as an associate clinical chaplain at Shore Health System in Easton, Md.

Leader of the Easton Meditation Sangha, Kitenko also teaches at the Salisbury Buddhist Community, Mindfulness Meditation in Dover and the Insight Meditation Community of Grasonville, Md., as well as the Insight Meditation Community of Lewes. She also leads workshops and retreats all throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

St. Peter's Episcopal Church parish hall is at 211 Mulberry St. in Lewes. Chairs are provided, but attendees may bring their favorite floor mediation cushions for the retreat. For information and to preregister for Saturday contact Carolyn Quinn at cquinn@quinnassoc.com or 302-644-7650, or email info@imclewes.org. For more information on Larissa Kitenko, go to www.stillpointmeditation.org. For directions, scheduled events and weekly meditation meetings, go to www.IMC-Lewes.org.