A Fortunate Rebirth… 

A talk and discussion on what rebirth means, both in the future and in this lifetime, with Diane Wilde.

Raphael Calix will share his own story of rebirth as a former “lifer” in prison and the changes that came with his mediation practice.
Diane Wilde will lead a Dharma talk/discussion on rebirth, both from the orthodox viewpoint, as stated in the Pali Cannon, and as the rebirth of our authentic selves when we courageously look at our lives. We will discuss the importance of recognizing what is “kusala” (skillful) and what is “akusala” (unskillful) karma, and the importance of investigating our lives on and off the cushion.

Raphael Calix has been invited to share his own story.  Raphael was an inmate at San Quentin prison until January 2017.  As a “lifer,” he was told he would never be released. He created his own akusala karma as a young man, and yet found “freedom” with his mediation practice while incarcerated.   As he pursued meditation and daily mindfulness practice, he began courageously facing the harm he caused others, as well as his own self-hatred. His story is a profound statement on the changes that can take place when each of us we are able to investigate ourselves with “scales falling from our eyes.”
If you are so inclined, please read pages 145 – through the first paragraph on page 147 In Bikkhu Bodhi’s book “In the Buddha’s Own Words”; the chapter on “The Way to a Fortunate Rebirth.”  Please read the first sutta, “The Law of Karma” on page 155-156.

The Arising Of Wisdom Through Engaging “The Five Aggregates” – Part 2

Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Founding Teacher Dennis Warren.

Wisdom (Insight), from a Buddhist perspective, arises from “hearing” (listening to the Dharma), study and reflection capped by non-conceptual direct experience. This formula involves intentionally focusing the mind and attention on a number of different experiences, supported by the underlying psychology outlined by the historical Buddha.
This will be the second in a series of interlocking talks about the arising of Wisdom (Insight). The first talk focused on the dilemma of suffering thru clinging (becoming attached) to, then identifying with five separate, but tightly related features of human experience – form, feeling, perception, volitional or mental formations (deeply embedded habits of mind) and consciousness. It will be helpful to review the first talk in this series https://sactoinsight.org/06292017-engaging-the-five-aggregates-with-dennis-warren/.

For those who are using the book In The Buddha’s Words – An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Cannon, edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi as a reference, please read the following: VII. The Path To Liberation – Introduction, pages 301-309, and the sutta at pages 335 to 337.

In the alternative, follow these links to see Samyutta Nikaya 22, The Connected Discourses on the Aggregates, 56 (on https://suttacentral.net/):

• The Phases of Clinging Aggregates (SN 22.56)
• The Seven Cases (SN 22.57)

Becoming Authentic – Part II – Sit & Dharma Talk – A three part series with Community Mentor Diane Wilde

To review Part I of the series, click here.

Bringing our authentic selves into the world.

Please read this short discourse from the Sutta Nipata* in preparation for the evening, Confession-and-Forgiveness.pdf.

This sutta describes the importance of confession and forgiveness… in other words, being vulnerable. Practice in this way moves us away from the confines of protecting the small self, to a more spacious, “authentic” way of being. After reading the sutta, consider what is your experience with what it describes?

We will discuss bringing authenticity into the world. Authenticity for this purpose means accepting those personality traits with which we navigate the world, in conjunction with the Buddha’s advise on how to create harmony and ease in our society.

*The Sutta Nipata is a Buddhist scripture, a sutta collection in the Khuddaka Nikaya, part of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism. All its suttas, are thought to originate from before the Buddha’s death and consist largely of verse, though some also contain some prose. Some scholars — including Bhikkhu Bodhi — believe that it describes the oldest of all Buddhist practices. Bhikkhu Bodhi,’s book, “In the Buddha’s Words” will be our main course of study for the foreseeable future. This discourse is found in his recently published book “Social and Communal Harmony” and not in “The Buddha’s Words.”