friendliness – metta – Jill Shepherd: insight meditation

Reflections on the Brahma Vihara practices

This article (with minor amendments) was first published in the March 2014 BMIMC newsletter. Since returning to Australia and New Zealand from the United States eighteen months ago, I’ve been teaching several weekend retreats, day-long workshops and evening classes in New South Wales and Auckland. Alongside the insight meditation practice, I’ve usually included some focusContinue reading “Reflections on the Brahma Vihara practices”

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 theContinue reading “Insight Meditation weekend – Auckland, New Zealand”

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!

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 aContinue reading “Effort and Enjoyment”