Last month, I wrote about the quality of viriya, sometimes translated as “heroic energy,” and how at times, just signing up for a retreat can seem to kick-start an inner process where qualities such as determination, dedication, commitment, effort, and trust begin to deepen – even before we actually arrive at the retreat itself. AlsoContinueContinue reading “November 2014 full moon – Right Effort and the Middle Way”
Category Archives: Insight meditation – vipassana
October 2014 full moon – viriya / heroic energy
Viriya: persistence; energy; vigour; courageous effort; heroic exertion I recently had the good fortune to sit a two-week retreat offered by Gil Fronsdal at the Insight Retreat Center near Santa Cruz, California. As Gil led us deeper and deeper into one of the core texts on mindfulness of breathing, the Anapanasati Sutta, I again foundContinueContinue reading “October 2014 full moon – viriya / heroic energy”
July 2014 full moon – Hatred never ceases by hatred …
Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law. quoted in “The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times” by Pema Chödrön 2001 Hatred never ends through hatred. By non-hatred alone does it end. This is anContinueContinue reading “July 2014 full moon – Hatred never ceases by hatred …”
Danish retreat with Joseph Goldstein and Uffe Damborg, June 2014
A view of Kerteminde harbour Just wanted to share a few photo souvenirs from this retreat, which took place last week on the outskirts of Kerteminde, an old fishing village a couple of hours from Copenhagen. The retreat was led by Joseph Goldstein and Uffe Damborg, who have known each other for over forty years,ContinueContinue reading “Danish retreat with Joseph Goldstein and Uffe Damborg, June 2014”
April 2014 full moon
This is peaceful This is sublime Namely: the stilling of all formations The letting go of all attachments The destruction of craving Fading away / dispassion Cessation Nibbana
Insight Meditation weekend – Auckland, New Zealand
This weekend’s insight meditation retreat at St Francis Retreat Centre in Auckland was blessed by good weather, good food, good friends – and good singing and chanting, courtesy of a Pasifika dance group on Saturday and a Hindu meditation group on Sunday! Much gratitude to everyone who contributed to providing such powerful conditions for theContinueContinue reading “Insight Meditation weekend – Auckland, New Zealand”
Welcoming the New Year
Greetings from snowy Massachusetts! I intended to write this post a few days ago, but I’ve been under the weather with a combination of jet lag, a head cold, AND a gastro bug. So I wasn’t exactly the life of the party on New Year’s Eve, but being forced to take time out has givenContinueContinue reading “Welcoming the New Year”
Joseph Goldstein’s new book Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening
Joseph Goldstein has just published a new book which looks in detail at the Satipatthana Sutta, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, which is the key text for the practice of insight meditation. It should be a very helpful resource for anyone who wants to refine their understanding of mindfulness and its role in the developmentContinueContinue reading “Joseph Goldstein’s new book Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening”
Rick Hanson interviews Joseph Goldstein on mindfulness
This is a recent interview by neuroscientist Rick Hanson with his teacher, Joseph Goldstein, who is one of the founding teachers of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. Joseph gives a very clear explanation of the full range of what mindfulness is, and also what it isn’t, based on his forty years experience ofContinueContinue reading “Rick Hanson interviews Joseph Goldstein on mindfulness”
Generosity part 4: Giving and Receiving
Greg Scharf and volunteer cook Donald Elniff enjoying cake dana at the Blue Mountains Insight Meditation Centre Right now, I’m assisting my friend Greg Scharf teach a two week retreat at the Blue Mountains Insight Meditation Centre in New South Wales, Australia. And right about now, the annual three-month retreat at the Insight Meditation SocietyContinueContinue reading “Generosity part 4: Giving and Receiving”
Metta weekend – Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia
Gratitude to all the dedicated meditators who attended this weekend’s metta retreat at the Blue Mountains Insight Meditation Centre. A radiant group!
Non-residential weekend retreat, Auckland, New Zealand
Update 24 July – ONLY 2 PLACES LEFT Freeing the Heart-Mind A non-residential weekend retreat exploring Buddhist meditation practices for developing wisdom and compassion During this non-residential weekend retreat we will explore two main forms of Buddhist meditation, insight (vipassana) and loving-kindness (metta). Together, these two practices help us to cultivate more awareness of ourselvesContinueContinue reading “Non-residential weekend retreat, Auckland, New Zealand”
Metta weekend, Auckland, New Zealand
Gratitude to all the participants in the recent Metta weekend retreat held at Bella Rakha in Auckland, New Zealand. The dedicated team! Shrine prepared by Sue, with everyone’s aspirations in the bowl below
Insight Meditation in Silicon Valley
This article from Wired magazine gives a snapshot of how insight meditation is being used – and/or misused – in big tech companies such as Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, PayPal, etc. It’s not meditation any more, it’s “neural self-hacking!” http://www.wired.com/business/2013/06/meditation-mindfulness-silicon-valley/
Winter in Australia and New Zealand – study and practice opportunities
This year is flying by, and in less than two weeks I plan to be in retreat at the Forest Refuge for the whole month of May. So I wanted to take the opportunity now to remind NZ friends that there are still some places available for the 14-16 June weekend retreat at Bella RakhaContinueContinue reading “Winter in Australia and New Zealand – study and practice opportunities”
Parami – a new book by Ajahn Sucitto
I was recently given a copy of Ajahn Sucitto’s latest free book, “Parami: Ways to Cross Life’s Floods,” and have found it to be one of those rare books that I don’t want to put down, and can’t wait to come back to. The ten parami (sometimes translated as “ten perfections”) are qualities of heart/mindContinueContinue reading “Parami – a new book by Ajahn Sucitto”
Doing and being
Mangawhai Beach One of the delights of teaching insight meditation retreats is experiencing first-hand how even though the form and content of each retreat is similar, the mix of people attending each event is unique, and out of this uniqueness, different practice themes naturally emerge. Recently I taught a couple of day-long silent retreats inContinueContinue reading “Doing and being”
Effort and Enjoyment
Chicago lake shore Last week I gave a talk to the Lakeside Vipassana meditation group in Chicago. It was an incredibly cold evening outside (by my standards) but there was a good turn-out and a warm response to my exploration of Effort and Enjoyment in meditation practice. I’ve been meeting with meditation groups in aContinueContinue reading “Effort and Enjoyment”