Online: The Healing Journey Meets The Spiritual Path – How Pain and Illness Can Be a Vehicle for Awakening
with Paul Epstein
Thursday, February 26th, 2026 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm ET
There is no cure for the human condition; there is, however, a healing process and a spiritual path. How we choose to relate to, be with, and face our pain and life’s difficult challenges is as important as what we do to treat them.
This workshop with Insight meditation teacher Dr. Paul Epstein will be an exploration of how the teachings of the Buddha and mindfulness and compassion practice can be integrated in the process of facing and healing the dis-eases of our bodies, minds, hearts, and spirits.
We will sit with the questions: What is healing and how does it happen? How can we welcome and open to our pain and illness as an opportunity and the very vehicle for awakening, and what happens when we do? We’ll explore how being with the truth of suffering is at the heart of the healing journey and is the path to the end of suffering.
“When any experience of body, heart, or mind keeps repeating in consciousness, it is a signal that this visitor is asking for a deeper and fuller attention….Under all the tears, the pain, the fear, and the anger we have contracted ourself around, we can find freedom, joy, and ease in the face of all life.” – from Jack Kornfield, A Path with Heart
Note: This program will be recorded. The recording will be sent to all registrants after the program, so please feel free to sign up even if you cannot join in real time.
Online Registration:
Please register below. If you are able, registering at the “Supporter” level enables others to attend at the “Subsidized” level. Thank you for your generosity! (Please note that the registration price includes a base level of teacher support, and you will have the opportunity to donate more after the program.)
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Bring a Buddy: If you are a member of our Circle of Friends, you’re invited to bring a Dharma buddy to this program for no additional cost. Simply select “1” from the drop-down next to the Bring a Buddy level, and enter your special discount code (provided in your Circle of Friends welcome email) to reduce the price to that of a single, standard registration. This registration will grant attendance for you and your buddy.
Volunteering
All of our programs rely on volunteers to support our teachers and staff with various tasks and responsibilities. Volunteering allows you to participate in our programs at no cost. To inquire about volunteering opportunities, please fill out our inquiry form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Teacher(s)
Paul Epstein
Dr. Paul Epstein, a naturopathic physician and mind-body therapist, teaches that true healing involves integrating physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. He emphasizes that illness and pain are opportunities for self-awareness and transformation: the healing journey is inseparable from the spiritual path. His core philosophy is that by mindfully entering and exploring our pain—rather than resisting it—we uncover its meaning, release emotional trauma, and awaken the body’s innate capacity to heal. In this way, suffering becomes the doorway to freedom, and the heart of the pain contains the seed of healing itself.