*Sit & Dharma Talk with Visiting Teacher, Heather Sundberg

Dancing with Uncertainty

Using a story from the elders as a center point, the teaching & practice will dance with the theme of being in wise & compassionate relationship with uncertainty – in our bodies, hearts, lives and wider world climate.

Because Heather doesn’t promise to record her teachings, best to come and join us if you want to experience them (smile).

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*Sit & Dharma Talk with Community Dharma Leader, Bruce Pardoe

The Practice of Stop, Drop, & Ask – with Community Dharma Leader Bruce Pardoe

Community Dharma Leader Bruce Pardoe will be with us this Thursday evening. He will talk on the practice of Stop, Drop and Ask. He will also lead a reflection on how wisdom and love are one.
Bruce has practiced Vipassana meditation for the past ten years including numerous 1, 2 & 3 month retreats at Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock. He has been on pilgrimage and practiced in Asia, and sat numerous extended solo retreats. All combined he has spent more than one and a half years in silence. He is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Dharma Leaders Program.
Bruce expresses his wonder for awakening and dharma in direct, joyous and experiential teachings. His focus on sensory feeling to convey wisdom derives from his years of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement and Hakomi Body-Centered Psychotherapy experience. He also draws extensively upon his deep experience with both Advaita and the path of devotion to complement and enrich his offerings
Don’t miss this evening with our friend Bruce Pardoe.

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Introduction to Meditation with SIM Founding Teacher Dennis Warren

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.

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*Day-long Retreat on Earth Day with SIM Community Mentor, Rich Howard

Day-long Retreat on Earth Day with SIM Community Mentor, Rich Howard.

The Buddha touched the Earth as witness to his awakening. He encouraged meditating under trees. Our practice benefits ever-expanding circles of beings when we connect it to the Earth. In this daylong retreat on Earth Day, we will combine mindful discussion with silent practice, including outdoor awareness exercises, working with the Four Elements, and eating meditation. We will open to the grief and the joy of our current relationship with the Earth and all its inhabitants.

Bring a lunch and sun protection (hat and/or fragrance-free sunscreen). At the retreat and at the bottom of the webpage, participants will have an opportunity to offer monetary dana. All dana collected will be shared with One Earth Sangha, whose mission is “to bring the essential wisdom and practices from the Buddhist tradition to collective engagement on critical ecological crises.”

Additional Dana

“Generosity is the virtue that leads to peace.” – The Historical Buddha

If you’d like to provide additional Dana for this retreat beyond the registration fee, enter the amount you’d like to give. This donation will be shared with One Earth Sangha, whose mission is “to bring the essential wisdom and practices from the Buddhist tradition to collective engagement on critical ecological crises.”

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Donation Total: $1

Questions for the Registrar?

Use the form below only if you need to contact the retreat registrar with any questions.

[contact-form to=’website@sactoinsight.org’ subject=’Question about April 22 Day-long Retreat’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Comments/Questions’ type=’textarea’/][/contact-form]

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*Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Community Mentor, Rich Howard

Engaged and Aware: Finding a Balance

Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Community Mentor, Rich Howard.

For many of us, commitment to justice and ethics leads us to engage in action in the real world. But our practice of meditative awareness calls us to “be” not just “do.” Are these impulses opposed to each other? Or are they mutually supportive? How can we sustain our engagement and connect our mindfulness to the suffering all around (and within!) us? Let’s explore the implications of bringing our practice into every day life. This evening will serve as a good preparation for SIM’s Earth Day Daylong Retreat on Saturday April 22.

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*Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Community Mentor, Diane Wilde

“What About God?”  Part 2     –     Sit & Dharma Talk with Diane Wilde

“What About God” Part 1 addressed the Buddha’s perspective concerning god, which of course was strongly influenced by his own cultural imperatives.  Tonight we’ll begin the evening with a brief overview of how various contemporary teachers address this topic both personally and in their sanghas.  The remainder of the evening will be a community discussion on the topic.  Some of us incorporate “god” into our practice due to cultural mores or personal spiritual values. Others experience a sense of relief practicing a path which is non-theistic.  Please come and share your own perspective!  Should be an interesting discussion.

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*Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Founding Teacher Dennis Warren

Forgetting  and Remembering

The original definition of Mindfulness contains the element of “remembering.” What does this mean? And why is it important? What are we “forgetting?”  What are we trying to “remember?” Does it mean remembering to engage in “moment-to-moment non-judgmental awareness”?  As difficult as it is to maintain such a state of mind, is that it? Is that all? Or is there more? Or is there much more?
Understanding these questions, and their answers, in the context of the historical Buddha’s teachings, is important to practicing well and developing a progressively maturing practice. Reflect on these questions and come prepared with your questions to supplement the talk and discussion.

Sitting and Dharma Talk, with Dennis Warren, SIM Founding Teacher

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Blog Subscriptions Available

If you’d like to stay abreast of Sacramento Insight Meditation’s late breaking news and audio dharma posts, you can subscribe to this blog. We post approximately 2 to 8 times per month depending on what’s happening. This subscription will not change or affect any subscription you may already have to our weekly eNews.

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12/08/2016 “The Greatest Blessing” with Rich Howard

The Greatest Blessing: Reflecting on the Maha-Mangala Sutta Seeing things as they are requires opening both to life’s pain and to life’s gifts. For his first presentation in our new home at Sacramento Dharma Center this Thursday, Rich will bring reflections on the blessings listed in the Maha-Mangala Sutta. This beloved sutta reminds us that our ordinary lives contain so many sources of happiness, many of which we may overlook. Bringing awareness to these blessings provides a balance to our…

If you would like to download this talk, please right click and select “save as” here

Here is the lyric-poem that Rich recited during this talk: Love Minus Zero by Bob Dylan

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Dress Warmly for Rich’s Talk Tonight

Everyone planning to attend SIM (at the SDC) this evening, December 8, for meditation and Rich Howard’s dharma talk: there is no heat in the sanctuary. There are a few space heaters that will warm limited spaces. Please dress warmly, bring extra shawls or blankets, and plan to keep on coats, jackets, etc.

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