Daylong Retreat – Rick Maddock – Mind and mirage – A neurodharma perspective on the five aggregates (skandhas)

Hybrid Event

August 26, 2023 @ 9:30 am – 4:00 pm PDT

Mind and mirage – A neurodharma perspective on the five aggregates (skandhas)

Daylong Retreat with Rick Maddock

About This Hybrid Retreat

  • The teacher will present remotely via Zoom.
    Other participants may attend this Hybrid event via Zoom or in-person at the Sacramento Dharma Center.
  • Pre-registration is required and we recommend you pay the registration fee in advance using the registration ATTEND buttons shown below. Since your registration choice indicates if you’ll be attending via Zoom or in-person, registering early helps us determine how many people the meditation room should accommodate.
  • After you’ve registered you may later offer a donation in gratitude of the teacher. To offer teacher dana, visit https://sactoinsight.org/retreat-dana-online/.

Retreat Theme: A neurodharma perspective on the five aggregates (skandhas)

This is a teaching and practice daylong that will include dharma talks alternating with sitting & walking meditation periods. Today’s theme will be the early Buddhist teachings on the aggregates and how they converge with the insights of modern neuroscience. There will be a particular focus on feeling (Vedanā), perception (Sañña), and intention (Saṅkhāra), and on ways of practicing with our experiences of these aggregates in meditation and in daily life.

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. To make a donation for this event using a credit card or PayPal account, click here to DONATE ONLINE.

Summary of Important Dates

  • 08/03/2023 – Registration opens.
  • 08/26/2023 – Attend and enjoy the wonderful retreat.
  • 08/28/2023 – Online registration closes the Monday after the retreat at 11:00 am PST.

RICK MADDOCK, MD, is a professor of psychiatry who teaches and conducts neuroscience research at the UC Davis School of Medicine. A long-time dharma practitioner with a focus on the teachings of early Indian Buddhism, Rick has completed Spirit Rock’s training programs for senior students and teaches dharma in the Sacramento area and Sierra foothills. His teachings explore the convergence between contemporary scientific insights about the human brain and the wisdom traditions and practices of Buddhism.

Registration Options

Select one of the following registration “ATTEND” buttons to indicate if you’ll be attending via Zoom or in-person. The fee is $15.00 per person due before the start of the event. If you are able and interested in further supporting SIM financially, you have the option of a registration fee of either $25 or $35 dollars. Note that fee amounts above the regular rate support Sacramento Insight Meditation and is distinct from teacher dana. For the registration fee, we also accept personal checks. No one will be turned away for lack of funds; please contact the registrar for more information.

August Daylong – Onsite at SDC

$15.00 – $35.00

Attend In-Person

August Daylong – Zoom Online

$15.00 – $35.00

Attend on Zoom

Questions for the Registrar?

If you need to contact the retreat registrar with any questions, click here.

How to Attend Remotely via Zoom

Join Retreat Online
  • The link to attend the retreat via Zoom appears in three places: The Zoom link is on this page – select the button “Join Retreat Online” to connect to the meeting.
  • The Zoom link is included in the automated email sent with your “Attend on Zoom” registration.
  • The Zoom link is https://joinconferencing.zoom.us/join, with Meeting ID: 845 9903 0791 and Passcode: 618200

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States + Google Map
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Daylong Retreat – Diane Wilde – Is your meditation “working?”

Hybrid Event

July 29, 2023 @ 9:00 am – 3:30 pm PDT

Is your meditation “working?”

Daylong Retreat with SIM Community Teacher Diane Wilde (click here for biographical details)

Is your meditation “working?”
For a new practitioner as well as a person who has been meditating for some time, it’s important to periodically evaluate our meditation practice. Perhaps you have fallen into a practice that has become as “habitual” as many other facets of your life. Or perhaps you have stopped your meditation practice altogether.

We will investigate the state of your practice through questions such as: Is this the right practice for me? Is the same practice suitable for everyone? Should I adjust my practice periodically? Has my practice lost its “juice” and how do I get it back? Sometimes a minor adjustment makes all the difference and other times an entirely different approach is needed. We will spend the day investigating our practice as well as taking part in a discussion about what each of us individually need to do to allow insight to arise.

Please plan to stay for the entire day and bring a lunch.

About This Hybrid Retreat

  • The teacher will present in-person at the Dharma Center.
    Other participants may attend this Hybrid event via Zoom or in-person at the Sacramento Dharma Center. We encourage everyone to attend in-person since that group experience can be so meaningful.
  • Pre-registration is required and we recommend you pay the registration fee in advance using the registration ATTEND buttons shown below. Since your registration choice indicates if you’ll be attending via Zoom or in-person, registering early helps us determine how many people the meditation room should accommodate.
  • After you’ve registered you may later offer a donation in gratitude of the teacher. To offer teacher dana, visit https://sactoinsight.org/retreat-dana-online/.

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. To make a donation for this event using a credit card or PayPal account, click here to DONATE ONLINE.

Summary of Important Dates

  • 06/25/2023 – Registration opens.
  • 07/29/2023 – Attend and enjoy the wonderful retreat.
  • 07/03/2023 – Online registration closes the Monday after the retreat at 11:00 am PST.

Registration Options

Select one of the following registration “ATTEND” buttons to indicate if you’ll be attending via Zoom or in-person. The fee is $15.00 per person due before the start of the event. If you are able and interested in further supporting SIM financially, you have the option of a registration fee of either $25 or $35 dollars. Note that fee amounts above the regular rate support Sacramento Insight Meditation and is distinct from teacher dana. For the registration fee, we also accept personal checks. No one will be turned away for lack of funds; please contact the registrar for more information.

July Daylong Retreat – Onsite at SDC

$15.00 – $35.00

Attend In-Person

July Daylong Retreat – Zoom Online

$15.00 – $35.00

Attend on Zoom

Questions for the Registrar?

If you need to contact the retreat registrar with any questions, click here.

How to Attend Remotely via Zoom

Join Retreat Online
  • The link to attend the retreat via Zoom appears in three places: The Zoom link is on this page – select the button “Join Retreat Online” to connect to the meeting.
  • The Zoom link is included in the automated email sent with your “Attend on Zoom” registration.
  • The Zoom link is https://joinconferencing.zoom.us/join, with Meeting ID: 891 9034 2572 and Passcode: 109379

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States + Google Map
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(Remote) Buddhist Recovery Group

Virtual Event

June 26, 2023 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm PDT

Our Buddhist Recovery Group meets online every Monday evening. For additional information, visit the 12 Step Sangha page at https://sactoinsight.org/activities/practice-opportunities/12-step-sangha/.

Buddhist Recovery Group Dana
[give_form id=”14562″ show_title=”false” show_content=”none” display_style=”reveal”] “Generosity is the virtue that leads to peace.” – The Historical Buddha
Please use this form to donate by credit card or your PayPal account.

Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/join ( Meeting ID: 867 4408 2272 ) Passcode: 780716
Join by phone: Dial 1-669-900-6833 – For tips and instructions on how to participate, check this news blog.

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(Hybrid) Sit & Dharma Talk – Vance Pryor – Reflections on Impermanence

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Hybrid Event

September 28, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm PDT

Reflections on Impermanence

Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Legacy Project Teacher Vance Pryor

For biographical details about the teacher VANCE PRYOR, click here.

* The teacher will present in-person at the Dharma Center.
Hybrid events can be attended via Zoom or in-person at the Sacramento Dharma Center.

Offer a Donation

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Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/join or join by phone at 1-669-900-6833
( Meeting ID: 874 0623 9886 and Passcode: 843332 )
For tips and instructions to join the meeting, click here to check this news blog.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States + Google Map
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(Hybrid) Sit & Dharma Talk – Diana Clark – The Buddha Summarizes the Dharma

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Hybrid Event

September 21, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm PDT

The Buddha Summarizes the Dharma

Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Legacy Project Teacher Diana Clark

For biographical details about the teacher Diana Clark, click here.

* The teacher will present remotely via Zoom.
Hybrid events can be attended via Zoom or in-person at the Sacramento Dharma Center.

The Buddha Summarizes the Dharma
In this talk we will learn of a story of when the Buddha provided summaries of the Dharma that greatly inspired a layperson and a king. 

Offer a Donation

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Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/join or join by phone at 1-669-900-6833
( Meeting ID: 874 0623 9886 and Passcode: 843332 )
For tips and instructions to join the meeting, click here to check this news blog.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States + Google Map
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(Hybrid) Sit & Dharma Talk – Dennis Warren – Revisiting Fundamentals: Energy & Effort

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Hybrid Event

September 14, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm PDT

Revisiting Fundamentals: Energy & Effort

Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Founding Teacher Dennis Warren

For biographical details about the teacher Dennis Warren, click here.

* The teacher will present in-person at the Dharma Center.
Hybrid events can be attended via Zoom or in-person at the Sacramento Dharma Center.

Revisiting Fundamentals: Energy & Effort
Energy and Effort are essential, and interdependent, elements of good meditation and daily living practice. They can be valuable tools for keeping the mind alert, focused and curious if we understand the difference between the two, and develop the ability to monitor and regulate both. And they can become confusing and disrupting aspects of practice if we don’t.
This evening we look at a framework for skillfully working with Energy and Effort using common situations in meditation, daily living, and relationships – becoming drowsy during meditation, losing focus of attention, being unable to sustain relaxed awareness, getting lost in thought or narratives.
The evening will also explore a practice approach using Energy as the primary focus of attention and exploration. Experientially understanding thought, emotions, and actions as fundamental expressions of different types of energy can be a door way to immediate, direct experience and insight.
The subject matter of this evening will be appropriate for all stages of practice. You can attend in person or by ZOOM. Dennis will be presenting in person and encourages you to be there in person as well.

Offer a Donation

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Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/join or join by phone at 1-669-900-6833
( Meeting ID: 874 0623 9886 and Passcode: 843332 )
For tips and instructions to join the meeting, click here to check this news blog.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States + Google Map
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(Hybrid) Sit & Dharma Talk – Rich Howard – Liberation is Possible: The Upanisa Sutta

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Hybrid Event

September 7, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm PDT

Liberation is Possible: The Upanisa Sutta

Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Community Teacher Rich Howard

For biographical details about the teacher Rich Howard click here.

* The teacher will present in-person at the Dharma Center.
Hybrid events can be attended via Zoom or onsite at the Sacramento Dharma Center

Liberation is Possible: The Upanisa Sutta
We often say that all things are the result of causes and conditions, and most teachings discuss how this leads to suffering when we try to hold on in the face of change. The foundational teaching of Dependent Origination is the best-known example. But causes and conditions can also lead to liberation. The lesser-known Discourse on Proximate Causes (Upanisa Sutta, Samyutta Nikaya 12.23) lays out a chain of causes that leads from suffering to the knowledge of liberation.
Understanding the steps in this chain of liberation can inform our practice and lead to happiness and peace. We will examine these steps and see how we might apply them to our practice.

Offer a Donation

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Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/join or join by phone at 1-669-900-6833
( Meeting ID: 874 0623 9886 and Passcode: 843332 )
For tips and instructions to join the meeting, click here to check this news blog.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States + Google Map
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(Hybrid) Sit & Dharma Talk – Diana Clark – Mettagu’s Story

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Hybrid Event

August 31, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm PDT

Mettagu’s Story

Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Legacy Project Teacher Diana Clark

For biographical details about the teacher Diana Clark, click here.

* The teacher will present remotely via Zoom.
Hybrid events can be attended via Zoom or in-person at the Sacramento Dharma Center.

Talk topic: Mettagu’s Story

Offer a Donation

[give_form id=”40775″ show_title=”false” show_content=”none” display_style=”reveal”]

Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/join or join by phone at 1-669-900-6833
( Meeting ID: 874 0623 9886 and Passcode: 843332 )
For tips and instructions to join the meeting, click here to check this news blog.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States + Google Map
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(Hybrid) Sit & Dharma Talk – Rick Maddock – How intentions shape our experience: Converging views from neuroscience and early Buddhism

Hybrid Event

August 24, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm PDT

How intentions shape our experience – Converging views from neuroscience and early Buddhism

Sit & Dharma Talk with Visiting Teacher Rick Maddock

* The teacher will present remotely via Zoom.
Hybrid events can be attended via Zoom or in-person at the Sacramento Dharma Center.

How intentions shape our experience – Converging views from neuroscience and early Buddhism.

Saṅkhāra is a word with many levels of meaning in early Buddhism. This talk will focus on its meaning as one of the five aggregates (skandhas), where it is often translated with such terms as volitions and intentions. People often strongly identify with their volitions and intentions. The Buddha taught about the dangers of clinging to and identifying with sankharas. The Foam Sutta describes sankhara with the analogy of a carpenter in need of heartwood who goes to a forest and cuts down a plantain tree. But when he cuts into the tree trunk, he finds it is only layers of sheaths. There is no heartwood there. The perspective of modern neuroscience leads to a similar understanding of volition and intentions.

Offer a Donation

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RICK MADDOCK, MD, is a professor of psychiatry who teaches and conducts neuroscience research at the UC Davis School of Medicine. A long-time dharma practitioner with a focus on the teachings of early Indian Buddhism, Rick has completed Spirit Rock’s training programs for senior students and teaches dharma in the Sacramento area and Sierra foothills. His teachings explore the convergence between contemporary scientific insights about the human brain and the wisdom traditions and practices of Buddhism.

Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/join or join by phone at 1-669-900-6833
( Meeting ID: 874 0623 9886 and Passcode: 843332 )
For tips and instructions to join the meeting, click here to check this news blog.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States + Google Map
/by

(Hybrid) Sit & Dharma Talk – Dennis Warren – Revisiting Fundamentals: Resolve/Determination

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Hybrid Event

August 17, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm PDT

Revisiting Fundamentals: Resolve/Determination

Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Founding Teacher Dennis Warren

For biographical details about the teacher Dennis Warren, click here.

* The teacher will present in-person at the Dharma Center.
Hybrid events can be attended via Zoom or onsite at the Sacramento Dharma Center

Revisiting Fundamentals: Resolve/Determination

Why do some people face serious challenges, then go on to persevere or thrive, while others collapse, give up or quit? Why does facing serious difficulties result in some becoming stronger and more resilient, while seeming to break others?
Revolve or Determination is considered a pivotal skill in Buddhism. It implements and facilitates Intention and Aspiration. That’s what make it a Parami, a special quality of mind essential to deepening and maturing our meditation practice, as well as living a full and satisfying life. It is an elemental tool in working with difficulty, challenge, confusion, and doubt.

Dennis encourages you to watch a two-minute video entitled “Movements as Your Teacher Not as Taskmaster” by Ido Portal in preparation for this Thursday evening. Substitute “practice methods” for the word “movement” as you listen to the session. Then reflect on what, if anything, this has to do with your own meditation practice and your life. Refer to the YouTube video that we’ve included on this page.

The subject matter of this evening will be appropriate for all stages of practice. You can attend in person or by ZOOM. Dennis will be presenting in person and encourages you to be there in person as well.

Thursday Night Talk Dana
[give_form id=”10310″ show_title=”false” show_content=”none” display_style=”reveal”] “Generosity is the virtue that leads to peace.” – The Historical Buddha
You may use the form above to donate by credit card or your PayPal account. Enter the amount you’d like to give and 75% of your donation will be shared with Dennis Warren.

Our website recently migrated to a new design and while we don't expect the donation form shown above to have problems, please Click Here if you need an alternate method for submitting your donation.
Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/join or join by phone at 1-669-900-6833
( Meeting ID: 874 0623 9886 and Passcode: 843332 )
For tips and instructions to join the meeting, click here to check this news blog.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States + Google Map
/by