Tag Archive for: Diane Wilde

05/16/2019 “Vesak… and looking at ‘Nibbana'” with Diane Wilde

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The most important holiday in the Buddhist calendar is Vesak. This year for many Buddhists Vesak is celebrated on Sunday, May 19. It celebrates the important events in the Buddha’s life… his birth, enlightenment and reaching a final state of no suffering… paranibbana.
Enlightenment or Nibbana has a host of definitions, mostly consisting of what it isn’t. The Buddha never explicitly said what it is, or for that matter, even exactly “who” gets enlightened. Due to the inability to speak about “Nibbana, the“goal” of eliminating suffering is either impossibly vague or has disappeared entirely from view.
What Western Buddhists are left with is the “path” and perfecting the path now appears to be the goal rather than actual enlightenment. Why is that? Is Nibbana the same in 2019 as 2,600 years ago when the world was so radically different? We’ll investigate the traditional attempts at explaining Nibbana and also some new ideas emanating from the challenges of our times.

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04/18/2019 “Two Types of Thinking” with Diane Wilde

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Thoughts… what a random mess! They come uninvited, stick around for a bit and then they are off. Thoughts that we enjoy as well as thoughts that we would prefer to ignore. Thoughts that are inspirational and others which bring out our worst nature. The Buddha explains in the “Dvedhavitakka Sutta” that he too wrestled with uninvited thoughts. Using mindfulness practice, he categorized arising thoughts into skillful and unskillful, i.e. which of his thoughts alleviated suffering and which made things worse. In our contemporary lives, we are unfortunately, mostly unaware of the harm we needlessly cause ourselves because we rarely monitor our own thought processes. This is true for the dramatic “big issues”, but it is also relevant for thoughts that arise from seemingly innocent and often mundane daily activities. Tonight we will discuss strategies for elevating our “thought experience” both on and off the cushion.

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03/21/2019 “Communicating with the ‘Other'” with Diane Wilde

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Our polarized society has caused many of us to not only avoid speaking to those who don’t share our political, spiritual or cultural views, but to avoid them altogether. Social scientists state that the animosity towards the “other” is as extreme as it was in the 60s and 70s during the Vietnam war. And yet, it has never been as critical to speak about the perilous issues that effect everyone. Speaking to each other is a task we all must undertake because we now have no choice. Avoidance has been creating its own downward trajectory… the climate crisis worsens, and political polarity has resulted in societal paralysis.
Tonight we will discuss steps we might consider taking in communicating with the “other.” The Buddha offered advise in many suttas, and contemporary social scientists have weighed in on how to begin a conversation eliminating rigidly held dogma or self-righteous anger.

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02/28/2019 “Entering the Stream – Doubt” with Diane Wilde

Entering the Stream to Awakening, Dealing with Doubt

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This is second in a series on “Entering the Stream” of Awakening. To listen to Diane’s initial talks on this subject, follow these links: Entering the Stream and Not clinging to Self-identity.

Yogis who are sincere in their practice, and desire to alleviate suffering are said to be on the precipice of “Entering the Stream”. A Stream-Enterer, known as a Sotapanna in Pali, the ancient language of the Buddha, is a practitioner who is well on the path to “awakening”, which means cutting through and eliminating the fetters that cause suffering. The first fetter is understanding the delusion of self-identity, the belief that each of us is a separate entity unto ourselves. The second fetter to be uprooted is doubt. Tonight we will briefly discuss self-identity, which will be the topic of the Feb. 23rd daylong and examine in more detail, the second “fetter” of doubt. Doubt is traditionally seen as having two aspects: skillful doubt, which prods us into deeper experiential investigation of the path, and unskillful doubt, which is a dead-end, leading to confusion and unhappiness. We will discuss the characteristics of both types of doubt and how skillful doubt is an aid in navigating the difficulties we often encounter in our own practice. Unskillful doubt is abandoned as we Enter the Stream.

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02/23/2019 “Not clinging to self-identity” with Diane Wilde

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Not clinging to Self-identity is the first “marker” on the path to liberation — and could be divided into both exterior and interior ‘processes’. Our exterior self-identity fixates on how we need to be seen by acquaintances and strangers with our predefined narrative. We want our “specialness” to be recognized. Our interior self-identity is a confusing contrivance which is constantly changing, re-evaluating and re-constructing itself. In fact, our mutating interior self-identity causes even more suffering than the outward modality in which we face the world. In contemporary terms, working with self-identity might be defined as, learning how to not take ourselves so seriously. At our daylong we will learn from traditional Buddhist teachings, as well as contemporary teachers, how to start releasing this bag of tricks that ultimately makes no sense at all. We may even begin to see the truth that clinging to self-identity is ultimately the source of our suffering… and begin to let go.

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01/31/2019 “Entering the Stream” with Diane Wilde

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Buddhist practice offers those who yearn for “awakening” a map of sorts. “Entering the Stream” or “Stream Enterer” is the first location on this map leading towards complete liberation. Tonight we will discuss the characteristics of a Stream Enterer and what needs to take place in order to realize the liberating qualities of being firmly on the path.
According to the teachings, entering the path of liberation means we should ultimately rely on our own direct experiential knowledge. The Buddha put himself practiced this way. Yet, even the most gratifying experiences can be dangerous if we become attached to them. What “goes beyond all views” probably defines the experience of liberation when we are no longer clinging to experience of any kind—including book-learning, rites or rituals, or sophisticated techniques. Ironically, due to its simplicity and elegance, it can often appear difficult, even though signposts on how to proceed are evident everywhere — if we pay attention. Stream Enterers, according to the teachings, are now firmly on the path to liberation. It is impossible to go back once this state is realized.

Near the 5 minute 35 second time marker, Diane mentions two interesting books she’s read:

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12/06/2018 “Knowing How to Ask the Right Question” with Diane Wilde

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The Buddha taught that how we frame our questions is equally, and usually, more important then the answer. In other words, the Buddha wasn’t content simply to provide answers to people’s questions. He also wanted to show them how unskillful questions can be recognized through testing, and how skillful questions—conducive to the end of suffering—can be framed and tested in their place. These skills are applicable to our meditation practice as well as in daily life. For example, we might begin to see when we or others are asking a question not for an answer, but to enhance a particular self-identity. If we do not know how to frame our questions skillfully, we can find ourselves mired in an untenable situation of our own making. As Voltaire noted, “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”

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08/25/2018 “The Art & Science of Letting It Be” with Ayya Santacitta and Diane Wilde

Daylong Retreat with Ayya Santacitta and Rev. Diane Wilde; Four audio files:

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Grasping is not something done by the self, but rather the self is something created by grasping.
“What” are we letting be? What does it mean when we just let things be? Do we accept without concern the state of the world, cruelty, climate change, misogyny, racism, etc? Perhaps we are more precise when we say “letting it be” means not adding onto the already cumbersome, suffering self-identity that we carry around.
Today’s daylong will address the issues that present themselves when we practice “letting it be”, along with periods of meditation and mindful movement.

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08/16/2018 “Taking Refuge … in the sangha” with Diane Wilde

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As Buddhist practitioners, we take refuge in the Buddha (and our own potential for Buddhahood), the Dharma (how life unfolds) and the sangha, (a supportive community of practitioners.) On this evening we take a closer look at sangha.
There are activities going on “behind the scenes” at SIM that you most likely don’t know about, as well as other supportive programs which will be offered in the future. We will also discuss what YOU would like to see offered at YOUR sangha.
Cookies and other treats were featured during the break.

The entire talk was very interesting and because it relates to our Sangha, we have also posted this talk to the SIM “News” blog. Some highlights of Sangha members who contributed to the discussion are summarized below noting the audio time marker, name, and discussion topic. This is not a comprehensive list. Listen to the entire talk so you won’t miss out on anything of interest to you.

  • 10:28 Margaret (house on fire)
  • 20:22 Robin (dharma hikers)
  • 31:13 Tom (Friday morning sits)
  • 31:44 Teri (book club)
  • 38:43 Jith (Family Sangha) 
  • 45:12 Sara/Bob (building landscaping)
  • 47:31 Mary (St. John’s Shelter)
  • 49:42 Barb (Alter design)
  • 51:12 Michael (Alter design)
  • 57:52 Jim (Climate Sanhga)
  • 1:00:39 Rich (Wednesday morning sits)
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08/09/2018 “Present Moment” with Diane Wilde

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What’s so great about the present moment anyway?
“Be mindful.” “Stay in the present.” “Bare attention.” We’ve all heard one of these phrases. And if you’re more experienced in insight practice, these may be the watchwords that chime in the back of consciousness from morning till night, reminding you that everything genuine in the spiritual path is to be found in the now. So, if this is such an important practice, why is it so hard to stay present and what’s so great about it anyhow? We’ll discuss the reasons for staying present according to Buddhist teachings, and offer some practical techniques for staying present that you will find helpful.

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