What’s New At Insight Meditation Center

Teen Retreat with Gil Fronsdal

Teen Retreat with Gil Fronsdal

November 6, 1:00 – 4:00 pm Within Buddhism, meditation is one element of an integrated approach to living a wise and stress-free life. This retreat will include instruction and practice of meditation, and an introduction to the Four Noble Truths, the heart of Buddhist teachings. The Four Noble Truths point to a happiness and peace not tied to our experiences in life. Discovering this happiness brings balance through all the changes life can bring. There will be time for peer…

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Mindfulness of the Breath with Gil Fronsdal

Mindfulness of the Breath with Gil Fronsdal

Sat, October 17, 9:00am – 4:30pm 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 is a daylong retreat with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, instruction in mindfulness practice and a dharma talk….

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Introductory Course in Mindfulness Meditation taught by Gil Fronsdal

Introductory Course in Mindfulness Meditation taught by Gil Fronsdal

Six Wednesday eveningsOctober 7 to November 11, 7:30 to 9PM 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, it is also a…

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Dharma Practice Series: The Seven Factors of Awakening With Gil Fronsdal

Dharma Practice Series: The Seven Factors of Awakening With Gil Fronsdal

Fridays, 9:30am to 3:30pm Each of these Dharma Practice days will focus on one of the 7 factors of Awakening through teachings, meditation, and discussion. Everyone is welcome. Bring lunch. The dates for this event are: October 2, 2009: Mindfulness November 6, 2009: Investigation December 4, 2009: Energy January 22, 2010: Rapture February 26, 2010: Tranquility April 23, 2010: Concentration May 21, 2010: Equanimity June 4, 2010: Develop & Incorporate

Aging as a Spiritual Practice with Lewis Richmond

Aging as a Spiritual Practice with Lewis Richmond

Saturday, October 24, 9am to 4:30pm Assisted by Peter Schireson and Karen Geiger Zen teacher Lew Richmond will be offering a one-day workshop on “Aging as a Spiritual Practice.”  The experience of growing older is one important way we experience in our own bodies the fundamental Buddhist truths of suffering and impermanence: see Lew’s blog. The workshop will explore the connection between our own experiences of aging—loss, disappointment, loneliness, fear, as well as the positive aspects of gratitude, compassion, and…

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Ceremony of Remembrance and Love With Maria Straatmann

Ceremony of Remembrance and Love With Maria Straatmann

Friday, October 30, 7:30 to 9pm Anyone who has lost a family member, friend or other dear person over the last year is welcome to join us for a chance to remember and honor those who have died and who enriched our lives and community. With the Buddhist practices of mindfulness and compassion, we will have a period of silent sitting and rituals of remembrance, bereavement, and farewell.    Bring pictures or mementos for our altar of persons who you wish to…

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Daylong Retreat for People of Color with Spring Washam

Daylong Retreat for People of Color with Spring Washam

Saturday October 10: 9am to 4:30pm The joy of community! Please join us for a very special day of meditation and community building. This daylong will include periods of silent meditation, group discussion, sacred music and talks on the theme of the day which is community and sangha. Please invite all of your friends and bring a special dish for our potluck lunch! Spring Washam is a meditation teacher and co-founder of the East Bay Meditation Center. She has practiced…

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Article: Awakening to Dependent Origination

Article: Awakening to Dependent Origination

Deep, indeed is this dependent origination. It is through not understanding and penetrating it that people become entangled like a tangled ball of threads. —The Buddha (Long Discourse No. 15) When the Buddha awakened, he awakened to something. With the stilling of his mind and the dropping of his attachments, he awoke to Dependent Origination and attained liberation. This insight is the foundation of everything else he subsequently taught. The principle of Dependent Origination is that when anything arises dependent…

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Householder Retreat with Andrea Fella: Sept 13 – 19

Householder Retreat with Andrea Fella: Sept 13 – 19

1:30 pm – 5:00 pmLocation: IMCNotes:Integrating practice into our daily lives can be difficult. Many of us need support for this challenging but rewarding aspect of practice. We will integrate formal practice and Dharma discussion with our daily life by surrounding our usual workweek and workdays with practice & discussion. We begin with a half-day retreat with instructions and discussion on Sunday, and end with a daylong retreat on the following Saturday. During the week we will meet each morning…

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Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation

Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation

with Gil Fronsdal & Ines Freedman October 4 to November 21, 2009  COURSE HAS ENDED Course Description: This online course based on Gil Fronsdal’s six-week introduction to Mindfulness Meditation class. It’s supplemented with written material, mindfulness exercises for bringing the practice into daily life, and reflective questions. Ines Freedman, as the online teacher for the course, provides further teachings and email guidance. The course is not live, so it can be done at any time during the day, with support offered either by…

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Buddhism 101: A Course in the Buddha’s Teachings w/ Andrea Fella

Buddhism 101: A Course in the Buddha’s Teachings w/ Andrea Fella

Tuesdays, Sept. 22 to Oct 13: 7:30 to 9PM A series on the fundamental teachings of the Buddha. This course is designed to provide an overview of the key concepts that are discussed at IMC. We will discuss both the theory and practice of the teachings, and they relate to our day-to-day lives. This course is designed to provide an overview of the key concepts that are discussed in talks given at IMC. We will discuss both the theory and…

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