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Tag Archives: insight
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 isContinue 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 eachContinue 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 feltContinue 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 chillyContinue 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 definiteContinue 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, asContinue 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 “universalContinue 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 thatContinue 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 senseContinue reading “January 2015 full moon – resolution and determination”
Jill Shepherd: insight meditation 