“I Feel More Comfortable When I’m Tense”

One insight that unfolds in many layers is how we hold, brace, and defend against experiences that make us feel vulnerable, uncertain, confused or at risk. These form into deeply embedded patterns in both the body and mind. These patterns are the result of years of self-protective thoughts, habits, assumptions, projections, and actions.
Understanding these patterns brings the practical real-life problems associated with fixed views, and attachment to outcomes, into focus. It frames the common difficulties and challenges of being human, including self-sabotage, into a more workable Buddhist framework.  And it provides a basis for opening to, and experiencing, more accessible and meaningful forms of empathy and compassion.
This evening will explore this field of experiences through practical common situations in meditation and everyday living.
The subject matter of this evening will be appropriate for all stages of practice.

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.

This evening will be all questions and answers. During this session we’ll explore questions you’ve been wanting to ask about Buddhism, practice, different traditions, a situation you’re dealing with or the follow up to a previous talk by Dennis. The topics are open to what would be helpful for you.

You can send questions to Dennis in advance at dennis@sactoinsight.org; show up on Thursday with questions; or spontaneously respond to the discuss that unfolds that night. The subject matter of this evening will be appropriate for all stages of practice.

“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.

Powerful cultural and technological forces are reshaping the landscape of American Buddhist practice: several years of COVID isolation; the ability to attend events by Zoom in the comfort of your own home; an explosion of on-line Buddhist practice opportunities; and a new generation of practitioners introduced to meditation thru on-line apps.
These forces present each of us individually, and Sacramento Insight Meditation, with far-reaching issues:
Are our traditional understandings of the 3 foundational elements of Community, Spiritual Friendship and Service still relevant?
Do these forces threaten the stability and future of SIM as both an organization and as a community?
Do we need to be flexible and creative in adapting and adjusting these 3 elements of practice to the rapidly changing landscape of Western Buddhist practice? If so, what would that look like.
Dennis will present an overview of issues which will be explored by Margaret Buss, SIM’s long-time coordinator of volunteer services, Karen Tercho, Board of Directors member, and community volunteer extraordinaire David Guerrieri.