Dates: 20 February – 1 March 2026Teachers: Jill Shepherd and Di RobertsonLocation: Te Moata Retreat Centre, Tairua, Aotearoa / New Zealand Requisites for the journey: The seven factors of awakening Insight meditation harnesses the power of mindfulness to develop understanding in all aspects of our lives, which leads to greater ease, happiness, and freedom.In thisContinueContinue reading “NEW nine-day retreat – registration now open”
Tag Archives: compassion
What now?
After a silent retreat, have you ever wondered “What now? How do I carry the benefits of this into daily life?” If yes, this six-day retreat in Byron Bay, Australia, could be for you. It brings together traditional Vipassanā and the relational practice of Insight Dialogue to deepen both wisdom and compassion, on and offContinueContinue reading “What now?”
NEW: planned six-week retreat in Aotearoa / New Zealand
Dates: 3 April – 22 May 2027Teachers: Jill Shepherd and Willa Thāniyā Reid, with Elizabeth Day Kalyāna: Cultivating the Beautiful in the Spiritual Life The Buddha has pointed out the way:beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle,and beautiful in the end. Supported by spiritual friendship and seclusion, this six-week retreat offers the ideal conditionsContinueContinue reading “NEW: planned six-week retreat in Aotearoa / New Zealand”
Dharma as confrontation and consolation – Part 2: Consolation
A few practices that might help mitigate sorrow and despair flower offerings at Mahabodhi temple, Bodhgaya, India Mettā / kindness and rest A short talk exploring mettā: how it’s supported by our capacity to rest, and is itself a restful quality In the language of the suttas, the Buddha’s discourses, many of the words thatContinueContinue reading “Dharma as confrontation and consolation – Part 2: Consolation”
September 2016 full moon – wisdom and (self) compassion
Emaciated Buddha figure, Spirit Rock The ascetic Buddha Back at the end of July, I was an assistant teacher on a nine-day retreat at Spirit Rock, together with a friend and fellow teacher-trainee, DaRa Williams. One day, as we walked from the teacher housing to the meditation hall, I happened to notice a solitary BuddhaContinueContinue reading “September 2016 full moon – wisdom and (self) compassion”
August 2016 full moon – Seven Factors of Awakening and Equanimity (again)
Seven Factors of Awakening I’ve recently enjoyed leading a couple of longer residential retreats in New Zealand and Australia, exploring the teachings from the Satipatthana Sutta on the Seven Factors of Awakening: mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy or rapture, tranquillity, concentration or stability of mind, and equanimity. When cultivated together and brought into balance with eachContinueContinue reading “August 2016 full moon – Seven Factors of Awakening and Equanimity (again)”
March 2016 full moon – Retreat and pre-retreat practice
Planning to go on retreat? I’ve had a few conversations recently with people who are planning to go on retreat soon, and at some stage in the discussion, there’s often an embarrassed acknowledgement of feeling some anxiety about it. Even for people who have been on retreat before and have some familiarity with the set-up,ContinueContinue reading “March 2016 full moon – Retreat and pre-retreat practice”
February 2016 new moon – sea anemone heart
Sea anemone by Virginia Draper http://www.virginiadraper.com/p822038089 Opening, closing, opening, closing … Everything has its natural rhythm, including the human heart. I’m not sure why it took me so long to understand this, but a childhood memory – of exploring rock-pools with my father while on holiday in Scotland – helped. On family visits to chillyContinueContinue reading “February 2016 new moon – sea anemone heart”
Three new and interesting books for experienced meditators
I’m currently working my way – slowly! – through three new books that may be of interest to experienced meditators: Seeing That Frees: Meditations on Emptiness and Dependent Arising Rob Burbea 10 October 2014 Hermes Amara Right Concentration: A Practical Guide to the Jhanas Leigh Brasington 13 October 2015 Shambala Compassion and Emptiness in EarlyContinueContinue reading “Three new and interesting books for experienced meditators”
February 2015 full moon – freedom from the fetter of views
While in San Francisco recently, I had an opportunity to visit Alcatraz island, the former federal penitentiary, 19th-century military fortress, site of Native American heritage and protest, and now one of America’s most visited national parks. As we walked through the decaying cell blocks, I was struck by the layers and layers of defence thatContinueContinue reading “February 2015 full moon – freedom from the fetter of views”
Jill Shepherd: insight meditation 