Coming up this weekend, 25-26 July, a rare opportunity to learn the relational meditation practice of Insight Dialogue.There are just a small number of places left, so please register soon to avoid missing out Finding (Moments of) Ease in the Midst of it All In these uncertain times, deep steadiness of heart and mind canContinueContinue reading “Last chance to join my Sydney Insight Dialogue workshop”
Tag Archives: insight
NEW five-week online study and practice course
Cultivating resilience in challenging times: Learning from the “heavenly messengers” This five-week online course offers an opportunity to develop and strengthen our inner resources of kindness, compassion, calm and clarity, through an exploration of what are traditionally known as “the four heavenly messengers.” In Buddhist teaching, these are four archetypes that symbolise the existential challengesContinueContinue reading “NEW five-week online study and practice course”
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”)”
July 2015 full moon 2 (blue moon) – anatta or not-self
‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ ‘There is nothing in the experience of the cosmos that fits the bill of being eternal, unchanging, or that deserves to be clung to as “me” or “mine.’ In last month’s post, I wrote about dukkha, the second of the three “universalContinueContinue reading “July 2015 full moon 2 (blue moon) – anatta or not-self”
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”
January 2015 full moon – resolution and determination
“The days and nights are relentlessly passing; how well am I spending my time?” (A question that the Buddha advised practitioners to contemplate frequently) 2015. Each year this changing-of-the-calendar-numbers seems to arrive a little more quickly. Each year, it seems that somehow there is less TIME … and so at first reading, the above reflection can seem to reinforce a senseContinueContinue reading “January 2015 full moon – resolution and determination”
December 2014 full moon – wisdom and compassion
This December full moon I happen to be assisting James Baraz with a seven-day retreat in the Yarra Valley, outside of Melbourne, Australia. Those of you who are familiar with James’ teaching know that he infuses the traditional mindfulness practices that lead to insight, with the “heart practices” known as the four brahma vihara: kindness/metta,ContinueContinue reading “December 2014 full moon – wisdom and compassion”
November 2014 full moon – Right Effort and the Middle Way
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”
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”
August 2014 full moon – Equanimity
Gain/loss, status/disgrace, censure/praise, pleasure/pain: these conditions among human beings are inconstant, impermanent, subject to change. Knowing this, the wise person, mindful, ponders these changing conditions. Desirable things don’t charm the mind, undesirable ones bring no resistance. His [or her] welcoming and rebelling are scattered, gone to their end, do not exist. Knowing the dustless, sorrowlessContinueContinue reading “August 2014 full moon – Equanimity”
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”
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”