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SIM meets online and in-person at the Sacramento Dharma Center
What is Dana?
Dana is a Buddhist word that means generosity or heart. Nearly all Sacramento Insight Meditation activities are offered on a dana (donations) basis. This means our programs 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. Practice dana, please support our Sangha. DONATE NOW
09/01/2022 “The Dukkha Response” with Tony Bernhard
Audio Dharma08/27/2022 “Death As Our Teacher” with Ayya Santacitta and Diane Wilde
Audio DharmaJust as life is happening all around us, so is death. Human beings appear to be the only species that are conscious of our mortality. Yet most people ignore this fact of our existence, preferring to put efforts, thoughts and practice on “more pleasant things”. We want to “wake up”, to let go of our endless attachments and experience contentment and ease in our lives. Paradoxically, facing the death of our loved ones and ourselves, is one of the classic Buddhist teachings for accepting the truth of existence and waking up to impermanence. It is also a teaching that can greatly reduce and perhaps even eliminate the biggest delusion of all… that everyone else will die, except me.
This daylong retreat may not be suitable for those with anxiety, trauma or those who have recently experienced the death of a loved one.
08/25/2022 “Revisiting Fundamentals: Acceptance” with Dennis Warren
Audio Dharma“Acceptance” is a quality of mind and a continuing relationship with experience that is a pre-condition for genuine inclusion, forgiveness, conflict resolution and healing. It plays an even more foundational role as a basic element underlying the psychology, teachings and methods of Buddhist practice.
During this evening we’ll explore the definition and meaning of Acceptance from a practice perspective. What does Acceptance look like in action as part of the method or process of meditation? And transitioning meditative awareness into daily life? How does Acceptance change the fundamental dynamics of mindfulness? How does it empower us to see more clearly and make better choice and decisions? We’ll work with a number of familiar situations to explore these themes.
The subject matter of this evening is appropriate for all stages of practice.
New Meditation Course – Discovering Balance
NewsSIM’s Founding Teacher Dennis Warren will be teaching a new seven-week course “Discovering Balance – A Meditation Course for Experienced Meditators“. This course offering runs October 5 through November 16, 2022 (7:00 pm to 8:30 pm), meeting remotely via Zoom. There’s a one-day retreat on November 12. For more information about this course, visit this course overview page.
The 2023 schedule for this course is set as: This course meets in 2023 for seven (7) consecutive ninety (90) minute Zoom sessions beginning at 7:00 pm on Wednesday evenings: October 4, 11, 18, 26 and November 1, 8 and 15. A one-day in-person retreat meets on November 11 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
If you’d like us to notify you via email when registration opens for the 2023 course, use the following RSVP form to indicate your interest. Enter a quantity of 1 and select the colored button. Note that an RSVP is not the same as registering; it just means we’ll notify you about the registration schedule and procedure.
Beginning Meditation Course Starts October 2022
NewsOur popular six-week Beginning Meditation Course begins Wednesday, October 19th. Rich Howard and Sara Denzler will be instructing. For more information, click on the flyer image or visit the registration page at https://sactoinsight.org/event/beginning-meditation-oct2022/.
08/11/2022 “The Divine Abidings” with Jeff Hardin
Audio DharmaThis talk title changed from “The 7 L’s of Spiritual Practice” to “The Divine Abidings: Radiation and embodiment of the four brahmaviharas in meditation practice“.
08/04/2022 “Coping With Loneliness” with Diane Wilde
Audio DharmaThere is no denying it… loneliness is an epidemic in our world today. Ironically, the more diversions that come our way, i.e. access to entertainment, social media, easy access to shopping — apparently the lonelier we are becoming. Out of loneliness, we create stories about ourselves which are often distorted, which lead to further suffering. How can we address the issue of loneliness effectively? Can loneliness be eliminated in our lives? Should it? What can loneliness teach us about truly connecting with ourselves and as well as establishing meaningful connections with others? A lot to consider!
07/28/2022 “Sangha: Refuge in or Refuge from?” with Rich Howard
Audio DharmaThe historical Buddha famously told his attendant Ananda that Sangha, the community of practitioners, “is actually the whole of the holy life.” In the Upaddha Sutta (SN 45.2), he explains that this is because “admirable friendship” helps one to follow the Noble
Eightfold Path. In this time of multiple overlapping crises, we may be tempted to come to Sangha for refuge from the sometimes overwhelming worldly winds swirling around us. Is this consistent with following the Eightfold Path? As lay practitioners, when do we step away from the conflicts around us and when do we use the practice to engage with the world? Bring a spirit of inquiry to this evening; there will be plenty of time for discussion of this challenging and rewarding topic.
07/21/2022 “Images of the Mind’s Potential: Glasses, Water, Flagpoles and Leave” with Heather Sundberg
Audio DharmaUsing teachings from Ajahn Chah and the Thai forest tradition elders, we will explore how the mind gets caught and how to develop clarity, equanimity and freedom.
07/14/2022 “The Three Refuges as subjects for inquiry rather than as subjects for devotion” with Tony Bernhard
Audio DharmaWhat does it mean to ‘take refuge’ in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and how might they serve as a refuge for us today?