? Joy ? Sunday 8 February 2026 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm UK timeSunday 8 February 2:30-4:00 pm US Eastern timeMonday 9 February 8:30 – 10:00 am NZ timeJoy is an important aspect of the Buddha’s path to freedom, appearing as both an awakening factor and one of the four heart qualities known as the brahmavihāra. However,ContinueContinue reading “Online evening workshop for London Insight”
Tag Archives: insight
NEW nine-day retreat – registration now open
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”
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”
December 2016 full moon – Wise Action, Wise Non-Action
The Noble Eightfold Path The Noble Eightfold Path is the Buddha’s prescription for completely curing ourselves of unhappiness. And like any good medicine, it doesn’t only work in one way. It’s a very holistic treatment that works on several different aspects of our lives at once – in fact, every aspect of our lives isContinueContinue reading “December 2016 full moon – Wise Action, Wise Non-Action”
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)”
February 2016 full moon – Motivation, Respect, Resolve
The rewards and challenges of technology Earlier this evening, I gave my first dharma talk via video-link, from the YHA in Sydney to Auckland Insight in New Zealand. Nothing too remarkable about that these days; but still, it was a delight to be able to connect with the group in this way, and I feltContinueContinue reading “February 2016 full moon – Motivation, Respect, Resolve”
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”
November 2015 full moon – gratitude
A few slightly random reflections on Gratitude “These two people are hard to find in the world. Which two? The one who is first to do a kindness, and the one who is grateful and thankful for a kindness done.” AN 2.118 As the three-month retreat at IMS comes to a close, there’s a definiteContinueContinue reading “November 2015 full moon – gratitude”
September 2015 full moon – Maintaining Motivation (or finding antidotes to “sloth and torpor”)
The five hindrances I’ve been back in New Zealand for the month of September, and with the Auckland Insight group, we’ve been exploring the Five Hindrances, five particularly unhelpful states of mind that get in the way of clear seeing, of insight. They appear in the Satipatthana Sutta under the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness, asContinueContinue reading “September 2015 full moon – Maintaining Motivation (or finding antidotes to “sloth and torpor”)”
Jill Shepherd: insight meditation 