Tag Archive for: Diane Wilde

11/14/2024 “The Courage to Be Vulnerable” with Diane Wilde

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Vulnerability is a scary word.  We believe that if we become vulnerable, we will lose control of the narrative that has defined ourselves, our judgements… our control over our lives. Our stories have defined us, yet we rarely ask if these stories are helpful or even true. Practicing mindfulness on the cushion and daily life could also be defined as learning to become vulnerable. The result of having the courage to be vulnerable allows genuine joy, contentment and ease to arise. 
Tonight we will briefly summarize four practices that allow vulnerability to arise. The upcoming mini-retreat will go into much greater detail about meditation methods and daily practices which foster and support these four special qualities of mind and heart… letting go/forgiveness, gratitude, boundless friendliness and equanimity.

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8/15/2024 “The Buddha’s To-Do List for a Happier Life” with Diane Wilde

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Discursive, subtle states of mind are difficult to isolate which makes it difficult to utilize methods to lessen their negative impact on us. They just seem to be “us”, who we are. Even though they are almost always “invisible”, you can count on experiencing their results… anxiety and more anxiety! The Buddha describes these troubling subtle states of mind as the Ten Fetters. He offers an approach, a sort of “To-Do List” on how to mentally address the Fetters, and what happens when we undertake the process of recognizing them. Tonight we will do a brief overview of the Ten Fetters and their unique properties. We’ll spend additional time on the first fetter, which is the illusion we each have concerning our own personality, or “personality view”. We will explore this first fetter through a few brief mental exercises.

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10/26/23 “Be Your Own Teacher” with Diane Wilde

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“Be a lamp unto yourselves and strive forward with diligence” is one of the translations of the last words the Buddha uttered to his grieving disciples as he achieved paranibbana, or complete liberation. He left no heirs — no recommended teachers, but rather advised those gathered around him to depend on the Dhamma itself.  He left us with a detailed path which alleviates much suffering and unhappiness in our lives.
The challenge is, how do we each individually stay on the path?  Have we incorporated these essential teachings into our daily life?  If we have, how do we do it?  If not, why? Tonight we’ll discuss a few “prompts” that may be useful as a guide while navigating the path the Buddha outlined, in both daily life and on the cushion. 

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05/04/2023 “Renunciation… it’s a scary word” with Diane Wilde

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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.

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04/06/2023 “Schadenfreud. Do you ever experience this confounding state of mind?” with Diane Wilde

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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.

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02/02/2023 “Would you recognize an enlightened person?” with Diane Wilde

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Would you recognize an enlightened person? This is a question that was asked frequently by people in the Buddha’s time as well as in today’s world. You might have been inspired by a teacher or a Dharma acquaintance, and wondered if that person might be “awake”. But how would you know? What are the criteria? Are the criteria the Buddha spoke about relevant today? What about those who claim to have transcendent knowledge?

Conversely, If we are not inspired by a particular Dharma acquaintance or a teacher, does that mean we ignore what they have to say because we don’t see them on the road to enlightenment?

In tonight’s talk we’ll investigate what the Buddha had to say regarding “encountering an awakened being”, beginning with a conversation he had with King Pasenadi. King Pasenadi was also puzzled on who was on the road to enlightenment and who wasn’t and how could he tell?

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01/05/2023 “Who Am I If I Am Not Special?” with Diane Wilde

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One of the main characteristics of delusion is being totally identified as a Special Me. Starting with our name, our history, and our self-image, all of these enable us to solidify the sense that we are living a separate, subtly significant and special life. Interestingly, our feeling of specialness is not just from having positive qualities; our suffering too can also make us feel unique. “I am the most victimized”, “I never lived up to my potential” “No one understands me” and so many other self-narratives create a Special Me. Not needing to be special, not needing to be any particular way, is what it means to be free—free to experience our most authentic self. Tonight, we will discuss the traditional methods for breaking thru this delusion, as well as some practical everyday exercises.

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12/01/2022 “20th Anniversary Celebration” with SIM Teachers

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Sacramento Insight Meditation is celebrating 20 years as a sangha! We have come a long way since the start in 2002 and will be commemorating the anniversary at a special event on December 1, 2022. Our esteemed teachers, Dennis Warren, Diane Wilde, Rich Howard, and special guest, John Travis, will be there in person to share memories of their involvement in SIM. Kamala Masters and Steve Armstrong will also be joining us via Zoom. The meditation portion of the evening will be shortened a bit to have time for cake and tea afterwards. This will also be an opportunity to socialize with one another.

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10/06/2022 “Fear of Freedom” with Diane Wilde with Eric Clark

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Everybody talks about freedom, demands freedom, struggles for freedom and are willing to fight for freedom. Freedom is in the news; people make stirring speeches insisting they be given their freedom. Demanding freedom is a much easier task than actually experiencing and practicing true freedom. Perhaps this is because true freedom can be frightening, painful and disorienting.  As Janice Joplin sang: “Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.” There is a lot of wisdom in that phrase.

Incarcerated people and ”returning citizens” who crave freedom may be the best source of understanding how we long for freedom, and yet find in the traditional sense, it is not what we/they expected.  Please join us for this important discussion.

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08/27/2022 “Death As Our Teacher” with Ayya Santacitta and Diane Wilde

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Just 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.

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