To download this talk, right-click and select ‘save audio as’ or select the 3-dot menu to the right of the speaker icon.
Anger gets a bad rap in Buddhism.
8th-century Buddhist scholar Shantideva described anger as the most extreme negative force. Buddhist psychology identifies anger as a detrimental emotional state that clouds the mind and causes suffering. In the Theravada tradition, we practice loving-kindness and compassion as antidotes to anger.
Yet, there is ample modern research showing that suppression of anger heightens stress response and leads to poor health outcomes. According to this science, being a nice Buddhist who never gets angry might be bad for your health!
So what’s the deal with anger? Does anger always lead to suffering? Can anger be healthy or even skillful? Does fully feeling anger lead to its resolution? Or to getting better at being angry?
This talk will revisit the question of how to cultivate a skillful relationship with this tricky and seemingly inescapable aspect of being human.
https://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.png00Sabitrehttps://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.pngSabitre2023-06-01 22:00:002023-06-01 22:00:0006/01/2023 “Does Anger Always Lead to Suffering?” with Matt Russell
To download this talk, right-click and select ‘save audio as’ or select the 3-dot menu to the right of the speaker icon.
“Patience” is one of the most important and useful, but undervalued, skills from a Buddhist perspective. It is not merely tolerance, enduring or resignation. It is, instead, a purposeful process that can act as a source of safety, help and creativity in meditation, practice and daily life. It is something we can use regularly to support making choices and decisions that enrich, rather than diminish us. This will be the field of exploration for this Thursday evening. Dennis Warren, SIM’s Founding Teacher, will explore these issues in the context of his recent major accident, and rehabilitation, involving multiple fractures to his back and ribs. This subject is appropriate for all stages of practice.
https://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.png00Sabitrehttps://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.pngSabitre2023-05-25 22:00:002023-05-25 22:00:0005/25/2023 “Patience as Safety, Help & Creativity” 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.
Tonight’s teaching from Heather will focus on the theme of Emptiness, and how it relates to our sense of self. Short guided practices and inquiries will be a part of the teaching.
https://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.png00Sabitrehttps://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.pngSabitre2023-05-18 22:00:002023-05-18 22:00:0005/18/2023 “Teachings & Practices for the Experience of Filling Up and Emptying Out the Sense of Self” with Heather Sundberg
To download this talk, right-click and select ‘save audio as’ or select the 3-dot menu to the right of the speaker icon.
According to Bhikkhu Bodhi, upekkha, the Pali term we usually translate as equanimity, could literally be translated as “there in the middleness.” This points to the balancing power of equanimity. It is also sometimes described as an evenness of mind. When we have cultivated this quality over time in our practice, we are not as easily swayed by the eight worldly winds of gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disrepute, or pleasure and pain. Another reason this is an important quality to cultivate is related to the law of impermanence, that everything is constantly changing, and therefore unreliable, unsatisfactory, not a true refuge. We will discuss how to keep balance of mind in the face of this reality, as well.
https://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.png00Sabitrehttps://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.pngSabitre2023-05-11 22:00:002023-05-11 22:00:0005/11/2023 “Equanimity: ‘There in the Middleness’” with Walt Opie
To download this talk, right-click and select ‘save audio as’ or select the 3-dot menu to the right of the speaker icon.
Because so many people have serious reservations about the idea of doing without, Dharma teachers in America are often reluctant to teach renunciation. Renunciation, or nekkhamma in Pali, often conjures a life made up of “good and the bad” an almost puritanical way of living life. This is a mis-understanding of the practice of renunciation. The Buddha did not teach renunciation as a form of denial or asceticism but rather taught letting go as a way to achieve a greater good, a greater happiness, and ultimately to attain what might be called the “sacred” dimension of liberation. Our resistance or our acceptance of nekkhamma is an indicator of how our practice is really taking shape. Tonight we will discuss the various ways we can practice renunciation as lay people, and the joys and benefits that it offers.
https://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.png00Sabitrehttps://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.pngSabitre2023-04-27 22:00:002023-04-27 22:00:0004/27/2023 “Responsiveness and Reactivity” with Seth Castleman
To download this talk, right-click and select ‘save audio as’ or select the 3-dot menu to the right of the speaker icon.
Schadenfreud is defined as “taking delight in another’s misfortune”. And if we are honest with ourselves, we have all “enjoyed” our own schadenfreuden moments, especially when someone we dislike experiences an unfortunate turn of events. Inexplicably, we can also experience schadenfreud when a friend experiences some bad luck. Schadenfreud also makes an appearance when someone else finds great happiness in their personal or professional lives and we haven’t. In this instance, we believe the good fortune of others deprives us of our own… as if there is only so much joy to go around.
Schadenfreud is also the opposite — the “far far enemy” — of the third brahmavihara, mudita. Mudita is described as “joy in the happiness of others.” This state of joy in the happiness of others is also called “Freudenfreud”.
What social psychological research reports is that schadenfreud exacerbates depression and anxiety for those who frequently find themselves in this state of mind. Freudenfreud does the opposite. Not succumbing to schadenfreud isn’t easy since in our duplicitous world it is a tool to capture interest. It is used to sell us everything, from movies to goods and services.
Tonight we will learn a few practical methods for decreasing schadenfreud and elevating mudita or freudenfreud in our lives, thus increasing our own contentment and ease.
https://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.png00Sabitrehttps://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.pngSabitre2023-04-06 22:00:002023-04-06 22:00:0004/06/2023 “Schadenfreud. Do you ever experience this confounding state of mind?” with Diane Wilde
In response to a number of requests, the Sacramento Insight Meditation Board of Directors, in consultation with the faculty, has decided to make a change for the Thursday evening format.
Our Thursday evening will continue to begin at 7 PM as usual. After 10 minutes for announcements, the silent sitting meditation period will begin at 7:10 PM and last for 30 minutes. At 7:40 PM there will be a 10-minute break and then return promptly for the Teacher’s Dharma talk and discussion from 7:50 until 8:30 PM.
Sangha members and visitors are welcome to remain at the Dharma Center to visit and hold conversations until 9:00 PM. Meanwhile the Volunteer Set-up and Closing Crew would appreciate any assistance in order to leave soon thereafter.
Please share your comments with the Board or Faculty in-person, or email us at any of our addresses found on our website at https://sactoinsight.org/contact-us/.
As you may be aware, SIM’s Founding Teacher was involved in a major accident on February 19 resulting in fractures of five (5) vertebrates and one (1) rib. He is doing well in recovery and rehab. His first post-accident presentation will be on Thursday, April 13. It will focus on dealing with unexpected life events. He is planning on leading the monthly one-day retreat on Saturday, April 29.
(This update was initially published on 3/4/23 and revised on 3/31/23)
To download this talk, right-click and select ‘save audio as’ or select the 3-dot menu to the right of the speaker icon.
Women’s voices have brought inspiration and wisdom to our Vipassana/Insight tradition since the time of the Buddha. Our tradition has not always honored the contributions of their teachings, and in some cases, sadly, has put up roadblocks to full participation by women as teachers and practitioners. In this presentation, Rich will let Buddhist women speak through their own words, as presented in several sources: Leaving It All Behind (by Bhikkhuni Anandabodhi and Bhikkhuni Santacitta), The Hidden Lamp (edited by Florence Caplow and Susan Moon), Discovering Kwan Yin, Buddhist Goddess of Compassion (by Sandy Boucher), and others. The presentation will be enriched by poetry, from the verses of the enlightened women of the Buddha’s time (the Therigatha) to contemporary poets.
A list of the readings mentioned in this recording are included below:
2023 Women’s History Month Theme: “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories”
Nona Olivia, editorial, Sati Journal, 2014, page 2
Therigatha, Ambapali, Disciples of the Buddha, page 301
Anoja Seeks the Self, The Hidden Lamp, page 20.
Discovering Kwan Yin, Sandy Boucher, page 5
Leaving It All Behind, Brahmavihara, page 44, Mitta, page 59
Lovingkindness, Sharon, The Gift of Equanimity, page 144
Pay Attention for Goodness Sake, Sylvia, Determination: The Powers of Practice, page 211
Poems:
Jane Kenyon, Otherwise
Edna St. Vincent Millay, Time Does Not Bring Relief
Jacqueline Suskin, The Relief of our Endless Becoming
https://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.png00Sabitrehttps://sactoinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SIM-logo-trans.pngSabitre2023-03-23 22:00:002023-03-23 22:00:0003/23/2023 “Let the Women Speak: Buddhist Inspiration and Wisdom” with Rich Howard
06/01/2023 “Does Anger Always Lead to Suffering?” with Matt Russell
Audio DharmaAnger gets a bad rap in Buddhism.
8th-century Buddhist scholar Shantideva described anger as the most extreme negative force. Buddhist psychology identifies anger as a detrimental emotional state that clouds the mind and causes suffering. In the Theravada tradition, we practice loving-kindness and compassion as antidotes to anger.
Yet, there is ample modern research showing that suppression of anger heightens stress response and leads to poor health outcomes. According to this science, being a nice Buddhist who never gets angry might be bad for your health!
So what’s the deal with anger? Does anger always lead to suffering? Can anger be healthy or even skillful? Does fully feeling anger lead to its resolution? Or to getting better at being angry?
This talk will revisit the question of how to cultivate a skillful relationship with this tricky and seemingly inescapable aspect of being human.
05/25/2023 “Patience as Safety, Help & Creativity” with Dennis Warren
Audio Dharma“Patience” is one of the most important and useful, but undervalued, skills from a Buddhist perspective. It is not merely tolerance, enduring or resignation. It is, instead, a purposeful process that can act as a source of safety, help and creativity in meditation, practice and daily life. It is something we can use regularly to support making choices and decisions that enrich, rather than diminish us.
This will be the field of exploration for this Thursday evening. Dennis Warren, SIM’s Founding Teacher, will explore these issues in the context of his recent major accident, and rehabilitation, involving multiple fractures to his back and ribs.
This subject is appropriate for all stages of practice.
05/18/2023 “Teachings & Practices for the Experience of Filling Up and Emptying Out the Sense of Self” with Heather Sundberg
Audio DharmaTonight’s teaching from Heather will focus on the theme of Emptiness, and how it relates to our sense of self. Short guided practices and inquiries will be a part of the teaching.
05/11/2023 “Equanimity: ‘There in the Middleness’” with Walt Opie
Audio DharmaAccording to Bhikkhu Bodhi, upekkha, the Pali term we usually translate as equanimity, could literally be translated as “there in the middleness.” This points to the balancing power of equanimity. It is also sometimes described as an evenness of mind. When we have cultivated this quality over time in our practice, we are not as easily swayed by the eight worldly winds of gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disrepute, or pleasure and pain. Another reason this is an important quality to cultivate is related to the law of impermanence, that everything is constantly changing, and therefore unreliable, unsatisfactory, not a true refuge. We will discuss how to keep balance of mind in the face of this reality, as well.
05/04/2023 “Renunciation… it’s a scary word” with Diane Wilde
Audio DharmaBecause so many people have serious reservations about the idea of doing without, Dharma teachers in America are often reluctant to teach renunciation. Renunciation, or nekkhamma in Pali, often conjures a life made up of “good and the bad” an almost puritanical way of living life. This is a mis-understanding of the practice of renunciation. The Buddha did not teach renunciation as a form of denial or asceticism but rather taught letting go as a way to achieve a greater good, a greater happiness, and ultimately to attain what might be called the “sacred” dimension of liberation. Our resistance or our acceptance of nekkhamma is an indicator of how our practice is really taking shape. Tonight we will discuss the various ways we can practice renunciation as lay people, and the joys and benefits that it offers.
04/27/2023 “Responsiveness and Reactivity” with Seth Castleman
Audio Dharma04/06/2023 “Schadenfreud. Do you ever experience this confounding state of mind?” with Diane Wilde
Audio DharmaSchadenfreud is defined as “taking delight in another’s misfortune”. And if we are honest with ourselves, we have all “enjoyed” our own schadenfreuden moments, especially when someone we dislike experiences an unfortunate turn of events. Inexplicably, we can also experience schadenfreud when a friend experiences some bad luck. Schadenfreud also makes an appearance when someone else finds great happiness in their personal or professional lives and we haven’t. In this instance, we believe the good fortune of others deprives us of our own… as if there is only so much joy to go around.
Schadenfreud is also the opposite — the “far far enemy” — of the third brahmavihara, mudita. Mudita is described as “joy in the happiness of others.” This state of joy in the happiness of others is also called “Freudenfreud”.
What social psychological research reports is that schadenfreud exacerbates depression and anxiety for those who frequently find themselves in this state of mind. Freudenfreud does the opposite. Not succumbing to schadenfreud isn’t easy since in our duplicitous world it is a tool to capture interest. It is used to sell us everything, from movies to goods and services.
Tonight we will learn a few practical methods for decreasing schadenfreud and elevating mudita or freudenfreud in our lives, thus increasing our own contentment and ease.
Time Change for Thursday Evenings
NewsIn response to a number of requests, the Sacramento Insight Meditation Board of Directors, in consultation with the faculty, has decided to make a change for the Thursday evening format.
Our Thursday evening will continue to begin at 7 PM as usual. After 10 minutes for announcements, the silent sitting meditation period will begin at 7:10 PM and last for 30 minutes. At 7:40 PM there will be a 10-minute break and then return promptly for the Teacher’s Dharma talk and discussion from 7:50 until 8:30 PM.
Sangha members and visitors are welcome to remain at the Dharma Center to visit and hold conversations until 9:00 PM. Meanwhile the Volunteer Set-up and Closing Crew would appreciate any assistance in order to leave soon thereafter.
Please share your comments with the Board or Faculty in-person, or email us at any of our addresses found on our website at https://sactoinsight.org/contact-us/.
Accident Update – Founding Teacher Dennis Warren
NewsAs you may be aware, SIM’s Founding Teacher was involved in a major accident on February 19 resulting in fractures of five (5) vertebrates and one (1) rib. He is doing well in recovery and rehab. His first post-accident presentation will be on Thursday, April 13. It will focus on dealing with unexpected life events. He is planning on leading the monthly one-day retreat on Saturday, April 29.
(This update was initially published on 3/4/23 and revised on 3/31/23)
03/23/2023 “Let the Women Speak: Buddhist Inspiration and Wisdom” with Rich Howard
Audio DharmaWomen’s voices have brought inspiration and wisdom to our Vipassana/Insight tradition since the time of the Buddha. Our tradition has not always honored the contributions of their teachings, and in some cases, sadly, has put up roadblocks to full participation by women as teachers and practitioners. In this presentation, Rich will let Buddhist women speak through their own words, as presented in several sources: Leaving It All Behind (by Bhikkhuni Anandabodhi and Bhikkhuni Santacitta), The Hidden Lamp (edited by Florence Caplow and Susan Moon), Discovering Kwan Yin, Buddhist Goddess of Compassion (by Sandy Boucher), and others. The presentation will be enriched by poetry, from the verses of the enlightened women of the Buddha’s time (the Therigatha) to contemporary poets.
A list of the readings mentioned in this recording are included below: