(Remote) Sit & Dharma Talk – Vance Pryor – the 5 Hindrances

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Reflections on Practicing with the 5 Hindrances

Sit & Dharma Talk with Visiting Teacher Vance Pryor

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/j/97657614590
Passcode: 368823
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833 ( Meeting ID: 976 5761 4590 )
For tips and instructions on how to participate, check this news blog.

Thursday Night Talk Dana
[give_form id=”19397″ show_title=”false” show_content=”none” display_style=”reveal”] “Generosity is the virtue that leads to peace.” – The Historical Buddha
For remote meetings, please use the form above to donate by credit card or your PayPal account. Enter the amount you’d like to give and 100% of your donation will be shared with Vance Pryor.

VANCE PRYOR, PsyD, began insight meditation in 1998. He has been deeply influenced by the teachings of Sayadaw U Pandita and Sayadaw U Tejaniya. His training to become a teacher has been supported by the mentorship of Steve Armstrong and Kamala Masters. He is currently participating in IMS’s 2017-2021 Teacher Training Program.

 

Topic Details:

The five mental states of sensory desire, aversion, sloth/torpor, restlessness, and doubt are some of the most common experiences that arise over the course of a meditation period. They are collectively referred to as the hindrances, because they hinder the clear seeing which leads to insight into the nature of the mind and body experience. Learning how to skillfully recognize, understand, and engage with the 5 hindrances is integral to the path of meditation, and will be the focus of this Thursday night’s discussion and reflection period.

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(Remote) Sit & Dharma Talk – Dennis Warren – Loving Kindness

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Virtual Event

March 18, 2021 @ 7:00 pm – 9:15 pm PDT

Loving-Kindness (Metta) – Elaborations & Further Guidance from the Historical Buddha

Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Founding Teacher Dennis Warren Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/j/94777805204 Passcode: 606098 Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833 ( Meeting ID: 947 7780 5204 ) For tips and instructions on how to participate, check this news blog.
Thursday Night Talk Dana [give_form id=”10310″ show_title=”false” show_content=”none” display_style=”reveal”] “Generosity is the virtue that leads to peace.” – The Historical Buddha For remote meetings, please use the form above to donate by credit card or your PayPal account. Enter the amount you’d like to give and 75% of your donation will be shared with Dennis Warren.
Topic details: Our usual understanding of Loving-Kindness (Metta) comes from the Historical Buddha’s Karaniya Metta Sutta. In contrast, the most popular and widely used instructions on how to practice Loving-Kindness were not taught by the Historical Buddha. They were developed by others, and adopted as skillful forms of practice, long after his death. It turns out the Historical Buddha provided elaboration and further guidance on the experience of Loving-Kindness, what it is and how to develop our capacity to experience it in a number of other talks. These are a value source of help in gaining a fuller, deeper, richer understanding of this pivotal quality of heart and the role it can play in our individual lives, in community and in the larger world. This is what we’ll explore Thursday evening. You are encouraged to read this Karaniya Metta Sutta – The Metta Sutta several times, s l o w l y, as preparation for this evening. It’s well worth the effort. Topic headings have been added to support reading and understanding the sutta. The subject matter of this evening is appropriate for all stages of practice. All that is necessary is showing up with an open, curious mind.

Details

Remote Meeting Zoom

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(Remote) Sit & Dharma Talk with Visiting Teacher Neesha Patel

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Talk Topic: to be announced

Sit & Dharma Talk with Visiting Teacher Neesha Patel

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/j/93192482092
Passcode: 009393
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833 ( Meeting ID: 931 9248 2092 )
For tips and instructions on how to participate, check this news blog.

We are fortunate to have NEESHA PATEL, PhD returning to SIM this evening. This event will not be recorded.

Thursday Night Talk Dana
[give_form id=”16147″ show_title=”false” show_content=”none” display_style=”reveal”] “Generosity is the virtue that leads to peace.” – The Historical Buddha
For remote meetings, please use the form above to donate by credit card or your PayPal account. Enter the amount you’d like to give and 75% of your donation will be shared with Neesha Patel.


NEESHA PATEL, PhD is deeply grateful for the liberative teachings of the Buddha. She has been fortunate to have practiced in both Asia and the US. Her practice has been influenced by the guidance of many wonderful teachers including Sayadaw U Tejaniya and Thai Forest Tradition teachers. She teaches mindfulness meditation at UC Davis and is a participant in the 2017-2021 Insight Meditation Society Teacher Training Program.

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(Remote) Sit & Dharma Talk – Walt Opie – Advice on Not Clinging

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Advice to Anathapindika on Not Clinging

Sit & Dharma Talk with Visiting Teacher Walt Opie

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/j/98278819416
Passcode: 545672
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833 ( Meeting ID: 982 7881 9416 )
For tips and instructions on how to participate, check this news blog.

Thursday Night Talk Dana

[give_form id=”14984″ show_title=”false” show_content=”none” display_style=”reveal”]

“Generosity is the virtue that leads to peace.” – The Historical Buddha
For remote meetings, please use the form above to donate by credit card or your PayPal account. Enter the amount you’d like to give and at least 75% of your donation will be shared with Walt Opie.

Topic details:

When the generous lay supporter of the Buddha, Anathapindika, was ill near the end of his life, he was visited by the renowned monk Sariputta who offered him what was then considered an advanced training (for lay people anyway) on not clinging. In this talk, we will explore and discuss this teaching and compare it with some other teachings in a similar vein. You are welcome to read the sutta ahead of time (Majjhima Nikaya 143), although that is certainly not required.

WALT OPIE was first introduced to insight meditation in 1993 at Spirit Rock and began attending regular residential retreats in 2005. He is a graduate of both the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders’ (CDL4) training program and the Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy program. He has led sitting groups for people in recovery since 2011. Walt also serves as a volunteer chaplain with Buddhist Pathways Prison Project (BP3) at Solano state prison in Vacaville, CA. In addition, he is currently a trainee in the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) Teacher Training program based in Barre, MA. Visit https://www.waltopie.com/ for more information.

 

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02/11/2021 “Reflection on Patience” with Gullu Singh

To download this talk, right-click and select ‘save audio as’ or select the 3-dot menu to the right of the speaker icon.
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02/04/2021 “Finding and Losing Your Self” with Rich Howard

Who Am I? What Do I Want? What Do I Believe?:
Finding and Losing Your Self

To download this talk, right-click and select ‘save audio as’ or select the 3-dot menu to the right of the speaker icon.

The Buddhist concept of “not self” can be very confusing if we let it linger as a subject of philosophical speculation or distant conceptual notion. On the other hand, the Buddha taught the illusion of self (anatta in Pali) as one of the three universal characteristics of experience, along with impermanence and unsatisfactoriness; living an embodied insight into how this process works is one avenue to awakening.
Two of the basic processes we have taught often at SIM offer ways of seeing into how we construct and maintain the sense of self: the five aggregates of clinging and dependent origination. In this presentation, Rich will share some other approaches from classes he attended with Steve Armstrong and Kamala Masters at the Vipassana Metta Foundation and Jay Garfield at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. We will place particular emphasis on the ethical and liberating aspects of these teachings.

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01/28/2021 “Javana Hamsa: The Swift Swan” with Greg Scharf

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Greg Scharf uses a Jataka story (Javana Hamsa: The Swift Swan) as an introduction to a talk on insight into impermanence and its relationship to what the Buddha called “An Independent Abiding”.

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(Remote) Daylong Retreat – Heather Sundberg – Suchness: Understanding Conditions…

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Virtual Event

April 24, 2021 @ 10:00 am – 3:30 pm PDT

An Online, Daylong Retreat with visiting Senior Teacher Heather Sundberg

Suchness: Understanding Conditions, Responding with Compassion

From the perspective of Suchness we understand causes and conditions which lead to suffering and to freedom, and from that we can connect with what Ajahn Amaro calls ‘the texture of experience’, opening our hearts with a caring attitude to things as they are. Enjoy a day of quiet sitting and walking meditation, which allow our body & mind to settle down and our hearts to open to an inner wisdom. In addition to insight meditation practice, Heather will offer teachings & guided meditations on the theme, as well as optional Qi Gong practice & discussion about how to live these teachings in our daily lives. In this daylong we will explore this Subtle Characteristic of Suchness from the following perspectives:
  • Using the Buddha’s teaching to Bahiya as well as the teaching of the Two Arrows, and teachings on Conditionality.
  • Exploring practices from the Thai forest tradition, including Ajahn Sumedho’s famous teaching ‘It’s like this’.
  • Deepening the Heart Practice of Compassion.
  • Deepening inner Resiliency through Somatic Practices.
Note there will be a lunch break from Noon to 1:00 pm.
HEATHER SUNDBERG has taught insight meditation since 1999, has completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training, and is currently on the Spirit Rock Teacher’s Council. Beginning her own meditation practice in her late teens, for the last 25 years Heather has studied with senior teachers in the Insight Meditation (Vipassana) and Tibetan (Vajrayana) traditions and has sat 1-3 months of retreat a year for the last 25 years. She was the Spirit Rock Family & Teen Program Teacher & Manager for a decade. Between 2010 and 2015 she spent a cumulative one-year in study, practice, and pilgrimage in Asia. Since 2011, she has been a Teacher at Mountain Stream Meditation Center and sister communities in the Sierra Foothills, and teaches retreats nationally and internationally. Her teaching emphasizes embodiment, compassion, awareness, and practical wisdom. For more information about Heather visit www.heathersundberg.com.
The Teacher offers the teachings freely in the tradition of the Buddha, and her livelihood is completely sustained by the generosity of the communities she serves. Dana (donation) for these priceless teachings will be gratefully accepted by the teacher, giving participants the opportunity to freely engage in the practice of generosity, the first step toward freedom. You may donate for this event online using a credit card or PayPal account.

Summary of Important Dates

  • 02/23/2021 – Registration opens.
  • 04/24/2021 – Attend and enjoy the wonderful retreat. (There will be a lunch break from Noon to 1:00 pm.) Registration via this website closes 30 minutes before the start of the retreat on Apr 24.

Registration Details

Registration is $15.00 per person due before the start of the event. If you are able and interested in further supporting SIM financially, you have the option of a registration fee of either $25 or $35 dollars. To pay the registration fee online, use the “Tickets” section at the bottom of this page. Specify the number of people you are registering to this retreat and click the button “Get Tickets”. You’ll be automatically directed to a secure web-page where your registration payment can be made by credit card as a guest (no PayPal account required) or payment can be made by PayPal after you sign-in to your PayPal account if you have one. For the registration fee, we also accept personal checks. No one will be turned away for lack of funds; please contact the registrar for more information. Before registering to this event, click here to review the terms of use for this website.

Questions for the Registrar?

If you need to contact the retreat registrar with any questions, click here.

How to attend this online retreat

Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive an email “Ticket” that also includes the link to join the Zoom meeting. Use this link at the start of the retreat to participate in the retreat. Additionally, the evening before or the morning of the retreat, the registrar will send you a welcome email that also includes the link to join the Zoom meeting. 
Join online meeting: The hyperlink is included in your emailed "Ticket" and also in the email sent by the retreat registrar.
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833 ( see email sent by retreat registrar for the Meeting ID )
For tips and instructions on how to use Zoom to attend the retreat, click here.
To give a donation after attending this retreat, click here.

Details

  • Date: April 24, 2021
  • Time:
    10:00 am – 3:30 pm PDT
  • Cost: $15.00 – $35.00
  • Event Categories: ,

Remote Meeting Zoom

Tickets

The numbers below include tickets for this event already in your cart. Clicking “Get Tickets” will allow you to edit any existing attendee information as well as change ticket quantities.
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Who's coming?

32 people are attending (Remote) Daylong Retreat – Heather Sundberg – Suchness: Understanding Conditions…

Elli Sandis Jennifer Sharples Marian Baldy Jan Eisenman Kate MacNeil curtis watkins Cheryl Dell Joe Kellett Sedna Cedarstone Tony Pruitt Kristie Wells carol Fernandes Matt Norby Cecilia Richards Stillness Healing Arts rosemary ogrady Thomas Gangloff Jackie Garcia cedric orange sr Robin Boyer Ossian MacDonald Jon Siiteri Amanda Kimball Robert Bakke Jim Lerner, Ph.D. steven glass Sara Denzler Charlesly Joseph Luiza leite photography Temira Lital
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01/21/2021 “Reconsidering Mindfulness” with Dennis Warren

To download this talk, right-click and select ‘save audio as’ or select the 3-dot menu to the right of the speaker icon.

Mindfulness is the operational centerpiece of good practice, sound problem solving and living well. It supports and enables all the different teachings, methods and psychology of the historical Buddha which are designed to help us live a rich, full, satisfying life.
One way of understanding mindfulness is that it has two interlocking dimensions: One is practical and functional. The other is oriented towards awakening or liberation. As a community practitioner, we can inadvertently slip into the habit of relating to mindfulness, and practice itself, as only functional and practical.
When this happens, mindfulness and practice can become self-restricting and self-limiting. Such an approach can accidently obscure, and potentially cut us off from, spontaneous discovery and the deep, intuitive, healing wisdom of our bodies and hearts. We can become disconnected from the beauty and power inherent in exploring the mystery, and the dilemma, of being human, of being in relationships and of being alive on this planet.
This is the territory we’ll explore on Thursday evening: functional mindfulness; awakening or liberating mindfulness; and the unifying and inspiring experience at the center of practice which is beyond words, language and concepts.
The subject matter of this evening is appropriate for all stages of practice. All that is necessary is showing up with an open, questioning mind.

The book that Dennis references: In Love with the World – By YONGEY MINGYUR RINPOCHE and HELEN TWORKOV

Zoom Chat

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Special 2020-Tax Note

SIM is grateful for all our donors and we’ve already emailed tax letters to those who gave $250 or more in 2020. If you have not received the tax letter and you think you should have, please check your email Inbox, as well as your Spam or Junk folder. If you still don’t find it, please contact SaraD@sactoinsight.org.

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