What’s New At Insight Meditation Center
May 21, 9am to 4:30pm The Brahma Viharas are four states of heart and mind that the Buddha encouraged us to develop: unconditional kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), appreciative joy (mudita) and equanimity (upekkha). Arising out of our practice, they are available to us in softening and awaking the heart. We will explore these qualities in a day of meditation, talks and guided meditations in specific practices. Bring lunch. Maria Straatmann Biography/Talks Chris Clifford Biography/Talks
Sunday April 3, 1-5pm Relax, let the stress and anxiety go…Spend a day with yourself and other great teens in a supportive and fun environment that welcomes you, just as you are! During this Teen Retreat you will learn to meditate, practice yoga, play games that build community and safety, and get to be who you are! This event is suitable for teens in high school. Beginners welcome, no previous meditation experience needed. Welcoming all levels of experience. Join teachers guest…
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Saturday June 11, 9:30am to 4:30pm Generosity, the first of the ten foundational practices (Paramis), is the beginning of the path to liberation. This daylong will develop generosity and mindfulness and will explore a range of meaning and application of generosity beyond that associated with monetary offering through periods of silent sitting, guided meditation and group exercises.The focus will be to inspire inquiry into and explore practices of generosity, allowing time to discover the joy that can emerge from this…
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Saturday June 4, 6am to 9pm This is a great opportunity for a full day of immersion in silent Dharma Practice. Practicing mindfulness on retreat is one of the foundations for maturing insight meditation. The simplicity, silence and support of retreats contribute to letting go of many of the distractions that get in the way of clear seeing. Retreats also are a wonderful environment for developing a continuity of awareness for an extended period. Fifteen minute Interviews with Gil will…
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Saturday April 9, 8:30am to 5pm Practicing mindfulness on retreat is one of the foundations for maturing insight meditation. The simplicity, silence and support of retreats contribute to letting go of many of the distractions that get in the way of clear seeing. Retreats also are a wonderful environment for developing a continuity of awareness for an extended period. This particular daylong retreat is meant for people who already understand the basic practice of mindfulness; no instruction will be given….
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Gil Fronsdal has written an inspiring document, A Broader Vision, about the relationship between the Insight Meditation Center (IMC), the Insight Retreat Center(IRC) and the Sati Center.
After a person has been meditating for some time, it’s important that he or she evaluate how the practice is developing. Is it working? Does it need adjustment? Is it the right practice to be doing? Can it be improved? Some of this evaluation can be done on one’s own, some with a teacher or with friends. Taking a step back to assess our meditation shouldn’t be seen as a difficult task. We are evaluators by nature. We evaluate all…
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Wednesdays 7:30pm to 9pm, May 25, June 1, June 8, June 15, June 22 Insight Meditation or Vipassana, is a simple technique, beginning with focusing the attention on the breath. The practice concentrates and calms the mind. At the heart of Insight Meditation is the practice of Mindfulness, a practice of moment-to-moment observation which cultivates a clear, stable and non-judgmental awareness. While mindfulness practice can be highly effective in helping bring calm and clarity to the pressures of daily life,…
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Saturday, April 23, 2011 9:00 am – 4:30 pm Speaking is often one of the most difficult places to be mindful. One of the reasons it can be so challenging to integrate speech into our mindfulness practice is that we often don’t practice it! This daylong offers an opportunity to explore practices, reflections and teachings that support wise and mindful speech. The day will integrate some periods of silence with periods of practicing mindful speech, with ample opportunity for discussion….
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November 18-27, 2011 With Andrea Fella, Anuskha Fernandopulle, Will Kabat-Zinn and Teja Bell (qigong) Registration opens July 18th. For more information see the Spirit Rock website: https://www.spiritrock.org/calendarDetails?EventID=2950
Fridays, 7:00 – 8:30 pm on Oct 14, Nov 11, & Dec 9 An opportunity for parents to practice in community with mindful speech and listening, meditation and stress reduction. Each participant will have time to share their mindful parenting experiences. The monthly series will include council practice sessions alternating with sessions featuring local dharma teachers who also practice mindful parenting and mindfulness for children. Facilitated by Patty McLucas and Liz Powell.
Sunday, May 22, 11am to 12pm This panel is informational—to give some insights into the role of a volunteer chaplain in prison, what it’s like to share the dharma through prison visits or being penpals with an inmate, and to share some of the mens’ writing and the joy that is often found, even in prison. Panel Members: Heidi Rentería, who has served at CTF for 8 years, is a graduate of the Sati Center Chaplaincy Program and sits with…
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Saturday, June 25, 9:30am – 5pm Aversion to anxiety is often accompanied by reactivity and actions that worsen how we feel. We suffer. Instead of running from anxiety, our focus for this day will be on kindhearted mindful awareness and intentional cultivation of non-reactive attention to this mood state. Guided meditations will be offered as we practice stopping and quieting the mind so that we slow down enough to see what is actually happening internally. The natural state of a…
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Dear Sangha, For those of you who are interested in receiving occasional updates on the Retreat Center, please either check the IRC website Updates or sign up on the Retreat Center email list. Last Monday night, Gil gave a talk about retreat practice, followed by a discussion about the retreat center. You can listen to the recordings here: Retreats as Sanctuary (Dharma Talk) 23:04 min Community Meeting (Discussion) 39:54 min Warm Wishes, Ines Freedman Managing Director Insight Retreat Center (IRC)
The Sangha Yellow Pages are being updated for 2011. If you would like to advertise in the Yellow Pages, please submit no more than one pags of information about your work in a page protector and one business card protector with cards to the library for approval and inclusion. All papers must be approved before they are added to the book. Please include the following: category, Sangha members name, business name, contact information: name, address, city, phone number, email, website,…
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