TAT 2012 November Gathering

Friday through Sunday, November 9-11
What Is A Person?

Scanning the index of TAT Forum issues going back to November 2000, there are three articles written by TAT members or friends with personality, personhood or person featured in their titles. And here's a peek at what they had to say:

I'm convinced that self-observation, when done correctly (without getting sucked into analysis), is a technique which "maneuvers" the awareness away from identification with the ego, so that in an instant ALL of ego becomes the view—the dreary details just aren't important then.... You could reject the argument you know so well and instead of giving it form in words, look at how you FEEL, and give expression to that. I wonder what thoughts would then arise is you, and what verbal form they would take.... Before you observe clearly, or perhaps just at the moment when you do, reaction immediately sets in: defense, rejection, yes, no, good, bad, aversion, attraction. Analysis results. The ego-based arguments get verbalized and you are sucked right back into identification with the fictional you. — On Personality, Analysis & Going Within, by Bob Cergol

Somewhere along the line we read or heard someone say to us, this self you think is you, is not you, it is an elaborate production—it is a trick. Or maybe, if we were lucky, we got a peek behind the scenes via an experience of trauma, or maybe even some sort of spiritual or satori experience. Whatever the case, however it happened, we got attuned to the notion that person we took ourselves to be was not as solid, continuous, and consistent as we once thought. Indeed, we noticed that we were, to one degree or another, being tricked. — ... But it Feels Like Me!: Discerning the Fabric of Personhood, by Alex Danilowicz

Ramana Maharshi stated his view succinctly: "'I am a man' is not natural. You are neither this nor that." Nisargadatta Maharaj put it even more forcefully: "You have squeezed yourself into the space of a lifetime and the volume of a body, and thus created the innumerable conflicts of life and death. Have your being outside this body of birth and death, and all your problems will be solved. They exist because you believe yourself born to die. Undeceive yourself and be free. You are not a person!"

Are you a person? Then you will be alternately happy and unhappy. The fun prospects of life are ruined by death waiting in the wings. Of course death may eventually seem appealing. You will never be fully satisfied. An individual (a separate thing) is never going to be whole. — Are You a Person? by Art Ticknor

TAT's fourth and final gathering for the year presents an opportunity to come together on the "grand work" for which Richard Rose founded the TAT Society:

After all, are we not all working for the same goal, which is Truth, which is God if God is found through the search for Truth, or for the Absolute, if the Absolute is found through a search for Truth?" — Richard Rose

The registration deadline for the November Gathering is Friday, November 2nd.

 

Location and Facilities

T he event is being held at Penn Scenic View in southwestern Pennsylvania. The facility includes a conference room in Stable Lodge, which has an upstairs bunkhouse room and several dormitory rooms for overnight lodging. Penn Scenic provides bed linens, pillows, and bath towels for overnight guests. During the registration process, we will do our best to accommodate room preferences, but all guests should expect to share sleeping quarters and bathrooms with other participants. On-site camping is available in the lawn area near Stable Lodge.

Penn Scenic View, at 118 Scenic View Lane, Rockwood, PA 15557, is one and a half hours from the Pittsburgh International Airport.

 

Costs

The November Gathering fees per person for TAT members are as follows:

• $60 for members, which includes meeting registration and overnight lodging on Friday and Saturday in the Stable Lodge, or
• $45 for members who arrange alternative lodging; this includes meeting registration and on-site camping if desired. Camping is informal; restrooms are located in another building.

The non-member fees per person are:

• $100 for non-members, which includes meeting registration and overnight lodging on Friday and Saturday in the Stable Lodge, or
• $80 for non-members who arrange alternative lodging; this includes meeting registration and on-site camping if desired. Camping is informal; restrooms are located in another building.

Full-time students should contact for information on discounted registration fees.

Use PayPal to pay with these credit cards (PayPal account not necessary). PayPal is "fast, free and secure" and allows payment by credit card or electronic withdrawal from a bank account. Checks (in U.S. dollars, drawn on a U.S. bank) or money orders (domestic only) made payable to the TAT Foundation are also accepted if received by the registration deadline.

Note: If cost is a serious issue that will make or break your attendance, please let us know. We do not want someone to refrain from attending for reasons of cost.

* The TAT Foundation hosts four public events each year. Registration fees vary depending on the event location. Because we are an all-volunteer organization, please allow up to 5 business days before receiving confirmation of your payment. See our membership overview or email if you have questions about registration fees.

Space is limited, so registration is required. The deadline for registration is Friday, November 2nd. Upon receipt of your registration, a packet containing information on lodging and driving directions will be sent to you. You may cancel your registration on or before Friday, November 2nd and receive a refund, minus a $5 handling fee. Cancellations after November 9th will not be refunded. Because ADA-compliant facilities are limited in the Stable Lodge, persons with a disability should contact before registering.

 

Meals

Saturday lunch and dinner are provided. Continental breakfasts are potluck style for Saturday and Sunday. As a good rule-of-thumb, we ask that each TAT member bring enough breakfast food to feed 8 people. All meals are included for non-members. Sorry, we cannot reduce fees for those who prefer to bring their own food. TAT will provide coffee and tea.

 

Off-Site Lodging

For those who register using the alternative (off-site) lodging option, the following overnight accommodations are located near Penn Scenic View:

• Americas Best Value Inn, 165 Waterworks Road, Somerset, PA (814) 445-3996
• Budget Host, 799 North Center Avenue, Somerset, PA (814) 445-7988
• Comfort Inn, 202 Harmon Street, Somerset, PA (814) 445-9611
• Days Inn Somerset, 220 Waterworks Rd, Somerset, PA (814) 445-9200
• Hampton Inn, 324 Laurel Crest Road, Somerset, PA (814) 445-9161
• Log Haven Bed & Breakfast, 1322 Trent Road, Rockwood, PA (814) 352-8971
• Quality Inn & Conference Center Somerset, 215 Ramada Road, Somerset, PA (814) 443-4646
• Rockwood Trail House, 131 Rockdale Road, Rockwood, PA (814) 926-4778
• Somerset Country Inn, 329 North Center Avenue, Somerset, PA, (814) 443-1005
• Somerset Plaza Hotel, 147 Gateway Road, Somerset, PA (814) 445-8933
• Super 8 Somerset, 125 Lewis Dr, Somerset, PA (814) 445-8788
• The Gingerbread House B&B, 156 Rockdale Road, Rockwood, PA (814) 926-2542

What is the TAT Foundation?

A group encouraging people to think rather than believe. A group determined to help people find ways and means to answer their deepest philosophical questions. A gathering of folks who are not afraid to be honest with one another. An island of hope and sanity (or at least the hope for sanity!). Last, but not least, TAT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization chartered in 1973.