Teaching – Online – Jill Shepherd: insight meditation

Ongoing: Start Your Week Well – Monday Morning Online Sitting

with the Auckland Insight Meditation Community

Start your week well by joining Auckland Insight for a regular Monday morning Zoom sitting hosted by Guiding Teacher, Jill Shepherd
Mondays 7:30- 8:15 am NZT. Everyone is welcome.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3011573331 Meeting ID: 301 157 3331

Start Your Week Well – Monday Morning Online Sitting

with the Blue Mountains Insight Meditation Centre community

Start your week well by joining BMIMC for a regular Monday morning Zoom sitting hosted by Jill Shepherd and others from the BMIMC community
Mondays 7:30-8:00 am AEST. Everyone is welcome.

Befriending the Mind: Half-Day Online Retreat with Jill Shepherd

suitable for US and UK time zones

One common misperception of meditation is that it aims to stop thinking. However, the aim of insight meditation is to develop a more skillful relationship to every aspect of our experience, including our thoughts and emotions.

During this half-day workshop, we will explore ways to befriend the mind, to soften unhelpful mental habits such as the “inner critic,” and to cultivate helpful ones: states of heart and mind that lead to greater ease, happiness, and freedom. The afternoon will include a mix of short talks and guided meditations with time away from the screen for walking meditation or movement practice. There will also be a Q&R session for questions and reflections from the teacher.

Time and Date:
Saturday 1 June 1:00-4:00 pm US Eastern
Saturday 1 June 6:00-9:00 pm UK

To register: click here

Polishing the Pāramī

An online Insight Dialogue course with 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 (18) sessions (approx *2 sessions per month of 1.5 hours per session) through to December (*see website for details).

You can join midway through the series, on 3 July (Asia/Aust/NZ) or 2 July (Americas).

The ten pāramī are ten noble qualities of character which powerfully support the path to freedom. They are: generosity, ethical conduct, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, resolve, kindness and equanimity.

It’s said that the Buddha-to-be diligently cultivated these qualities in his everyday life before he attained complete liberation of heart and mind. As laypeople following in his footsteps, the ten pāramī offer us a framework for living our lives in ways that deepen our dhamma understanding, right in the midst of every activity and relationship in which we engage.

Over the course of eighteen online sessions we will use ‘wise reflection and the voice of another’ to strengthen and deepen the pāramī in the context of our own lives. Each session includes some silent or guided meditation practice, a short dhamma reflection by the teacher, instruction in the six guidelines of Insight Dialogue and time to explore a range of contemplations together in relational practice.

Prerequisite: Prior Insight Dialogue experience with working knowledge of the Insight Dialogue Guidelines and to have at least completed an ‘Introduction to Insight Dialogue’ course or retreat#. If you have not joined an IDAP series previously, please provide a brief outline of your Insight Dialogue experience when registering.

See here for more info and to register: https://insightdialogue.org/programs/11026/polishing-the-parami/

*In keeping with Buddhist tradition, the teachings are offered on a dāna basis which means the teachers are not paid to offer this workshop. Instead, they rely on the generosity of the participants to help them continue to share their teachings with others, and there will be an opportunity at the end of the workshop to offer donations to support their ongoing teaching.