(Remote) Introduction to Meditation with SIM Community Teacher Rich Howard

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To join this remote meeting, note the following:

Join Online: https://zoom.us/j/99560174057
Passcode: 229872
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833 ( Meeting ID: 995 6017 4057 )
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This 45-minute course is suitable for beginners or anyone who would like a refresher. It is offered on the fourth Thursday of every month before the regular sitting and dharma talk. There is no fee.

Rich HowardRICH HOWARD has been an active practitioner and volunteer at SIM since 2004. His area of interest is bringing meditative awareness into everyday life. He participated in SIM’s 2007 India Pilgrimage and is a graduate of SIM’s second Practice Development and Leadership (PDL) program. He served on the Board from 2010 until 2015, the last two years as president. He was one of the SIM representatives to the Inter-Sangha Coordinating Committee, predecessor to the Sacramento Dharma Center Board, which now runs our shared space for Buddhist sanghas in Sacramento. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in southern Africa in the 1970s and is fluent in Spanish. His teachers are Dennis Warren, Tony Bernhard, and Steve Armstrong. Rich completed online courses with Steve on the Abhidhamma (the Buddhist psychology) and the Manual of Insight. He took Gil Fronsdal’s online course on the Majjhima Nikaya (Middle-length Discourses of the Buddha). His interest in the environment led him to the One Small Planet training with Kerry Nelson and the Ecosattva training with One Earth Sangha. In 2018, he completed a 10-month Dhamma Awareness Training with Steve Armstrong and Kamala Masters called Touching the Earth. In 2019, he completed Meg Gawler’s 8-month course Preparing the Ground for Samadhi.

 

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(Remote) Introduction to Meditation with SIM Founding Teacher Dennis Warren

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To join this remote meeting, note the following:

Join Online: https://zoom.us/j/96475733398
Passcode: 879536
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833 ( Meeting ID: 964 7573 3398 )
For instructions on how to join the meeting, click here.

This 45-minute course is suitable for beginners or anyone who would like a refresher. It is offered on the fourth Thursday of every month before the regular sitting and dharma talk. There is no fee.

DENNIS WARREN is SIM’s Founding Teacher and has been teaching mindfulness, meditation and contemplative practices since 1998. He recently completed his 11th year as a Volunteer Clinical Professor in Mindfulness in the Division of Pain Medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center. He is certified as a Mindfulness Teacher, Professional Level (CMT-P), by the International Mindfulness Teachers Association. He is a graduate of the professional trainings in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression. He also is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Medication Center’s Dharma leaders training program. You can learn more about Dennis’ background and activities at https://www.denniswarren.net/ .
Dennis has been participating in residential meditation retreats, and has maintained a daily meditation practice, in the Theravadan Buddhist tradition for over 30 years. 2018 was his 20th year of teaching Insight Meditation and mindfulness practices in residential, retreat, educational, medical, corporate and community settings. In 2007 and 2014, Dennis led month long pilgrimages and moving retreats in Thailand, India and Nepal. A third is being planned for late 2021.

 

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(Remote) Introduction to Meditation with Diane Wilde

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To join this remote meeting, note the following:

Join Online: https://zoom.us/j/91350320475
Passcode: 201642
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833 ( Meeting ID: 913 5032 0475 )
For instructions on how to join the meeting, click here.

This 45-minute course is suitable for beginners or anyone who would like a refresher. It is offered on the fourth Thursday of every month before the regular sitting and dharma talk. There is no fee.

Diane Wilde

REV. DIANE WILDE has studied meditation in various traditions since 1990. In 2001 she was a founding member of Sacramento Insight Meditation. She founded Buddhist Pathways Prison Project (aka Boundless Freedom Project) in 2010 and has been a prison chaplain for 18 years. She is a graduate of Sati Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy program and graduated from Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Community Dharma Leadership Training Program. She is a board member of Sati Center for Buddhist Studies at the Sacramento Dharma Center. In 2015 she was lay-ordained as a Buddhist minister by Gil Fronsdal.

Sacramento Insight Meditation events are sustained by the generosity of instructors in offering teachings freely and on the generosity of students and members of the meditative community in the form of financial support, service and participation in events. With our practice of dana, we support our Sangha. If you wish to make a donation, click here.

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(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

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Passcode: 368823
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833 ( Meeting ID: 976 5761 4590 )
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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
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Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833 ( Meeting ID: 931 9248 2092 )
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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

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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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