Befriending the Mind A half-day online retreat for Vermont Insight Date and times:1 June 20241:00 – 4:00 pm US Eastern10:00 am – 1:00 pm US West Coast6:00 – 9:00 pm UK One common misperception of meditation is that it aims to stop thinking. However, the aim of insight meditation is to develop a more skillfulContinueContinue reading “NEW: online and in-person practice opportunities – suitable for Northern Hemisphere”
Tag Archives: mindfulness
NEW! – online Insight Dialogue practice opportunity
Polishing the Pāramī An online Insight Dialogue course teachers: Elizabeth Faria, Jill Shepherd, Anita Bermont and occasional guest teachers.The series commences Wed 20 March 2024 (Aust/NZ/Asia) or Tues 19 March (Americas/UK) and runs for eighteen sessions (approx *2 sessions per month of 1.5 hours per session) through to December (*see specific dates below). The ten pāramī are ten noble qualities of character whichContinueContinue reading “NEW! – online Insight Dialogue practice opportunity”
NEW: day of online meditation
Compassion and Wisdom: A day of online meditation with Kamala and Jill The Two Great Wings of the Dharma: Compassion and Wisdom A day of online meditation with Kamala Masters and Jill Shepherd You are warmly invited to join our international sangha for a day of online meditation practice together, exploring the inter-relationship between compassion and wisdom: how theseContinueContinue reading “NEW: day of online meditation”
New neuroscience research on the lasting benefits of meditation
Dan Goleman and Richie Davidson are both well-known names in the fields of psychology, science journalism and neuroscience, and they have recently co-authored a book laying out their most recent research on the benefits of meditation. Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson, publishedContinueContinue reading “New neuroscience research on the lasting benefits of meditation”
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)”
July 2016 full moon – Hatred STILL never ceases by hatred …
Rainstorm near Te Moata Retreat Centre, Coromandel, New Zealand Exactly two years ago in July 2014, I wrote a post based on some well-known lines from the Dhammapada: Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law. 1 Lately, that same post has been getting someContinueContinue reading “July 2016 full moon – Hatred STILL never ceases by hatred …”
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 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”
Jill Shepherd: insight meditation 