The Paramitas as a path to awakening in daily life

Sit & Dharma Talk with Visiting Teacher Sue Taylor

The paramitas offer us a practice path that helps us identify what Thanissaro Bhikku refers to as the “priorities” of awakening. This reflective investigation is often referred to as a Bodhisattva path. Its focus is on ten elements: generosity, virtue/morality, renunciation, discernment/wisdom, energy, patience, persistence, truthfulness, determination, and good will. Using the paramitas as teachings for both a beginning journey and the culmination of an end of life reflection, they allow those new to Buddhist practice, as well as those who have aged with the teachings, a common framework for the exploration of a fully embraced life.

• Talk Handout: A list of Readings, Audio courses, video courses (.pdf)

 

Sue Taylor, PhD, MSW, is a member of the Sacramento Dharma Center Board, an ordained Theravada Minister, and an Environmental Chaplain. She is a professor at CSU Sacramento in the Department of Social Work.

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.

Thursday Night Talk Dana
“Generosity is the virtue that leads to peace.” – The Historical Buddha
We recognize that donating by cash or check at the time you attend this event may not always be convenient for you. If that’s the case, please use the form below to donate by credit card or your PayPal account. Enter the amount you’d like to give and your donation will be shared with this presenter and SIM.

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Difficult, Problematic and Obsessive Thinking – Part II

Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Founding Teacher Dennis Warren

This will be the second talk, in a series of two, on working with difficult, problematic and obsessive thinking. A four page handout accompanied Dennis’ first talk on this topic on March 7th. It would be helpful to review that handout. It would also be helpful to try the strategy for working with thought as well as the exercise on Thought and Listening, contained in the handout, in preparation for this evening.
The discussion this evening will look at the differences between working with thought during meditation and working with thought during daily lives. These are two different approaches.
For example, the traditional instruction is to “not go into the content of thought” during meditation. Is that the whole instruction? Doesn’t the Insight Meditation process involve some form of evaluation of thought while one is meditating? How does this basic meditation instruction apply to thought in daily life?
Among other thing, the evening will explore the five strategies the historical Buddha recommended for dealing with difficult, problematic and/or obsessive thoughts that distract us for seeing into their implications or true nature of being either harmful or unhealthy nature.
(Note: This talk will not cover the same materials present in the talk on the “Two Types of Thinking” presented earlier this month on April 18 by Community Teacher Diane Wilde.)

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.

Thursday Night Talk Dana
“Generosity is the virtue that leads to peace.” – The Historical Buddha
We recognize that donating by cash or check at the time you attend this event may not always be convenient for you. If that’s the case, please use the form below to donate by credit card or your PayPal account. Enter the amount you’d like to give and your donation will be shared with Dennis Warren and SIM.

Developing Right Effort in Our Practice
Sit & Dharma Talk with Visiting Teacher Walt Opie

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.

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.