Tag Archive for: Rich Howard

06/06/2019 “Can We Be Aware of Delusion?” with Rich Howard

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This evening will be the latest in Rich’s exploration of the three roots of suffering – greed, hatred, and delusion – and how to work with them. Since delusion is always present along with any of the unskillful mind states, it is especially important to recognize it and get to know its unique flavor. But how do we know when we’re deluded? Wouldn’t delusion prevent us from knowing we are deluded? Let’s look at these questions together in a spirit of inquiry.

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03/14/2019 “Patience: Antidote and Perfection” with Rich Howard

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Building Rich Howard’s talk on anger last month, this evening’s presentation will explore the Buddhist view of patience. In his recent book “Perfecting Patience: Buddhist Techniques to Overcome Anger,” the Dalai Lama writes, “The only factor that can give refuge or protection from the destructive effects of anger and hatred is the practice of tolerance and patience.” So, first we will look at this function of patience as an antidote.
We will then look at patience as one of the Paramis, qualities we need to cultivate and develop to be truly free. The Historical Buddha called Patience the highest virtue, so we will look into this important but seldom appreciated mind state. This will also be a good opportunity to inquire into the linked practices of refraining from harmful activities and cultivating healthy ones.

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01/03/2019 “Vision and Intention” with Rich Howard

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The vision of Sacramento Insight Meditation recognizes that “development of insight meditation and meditative awareness leads to a life of clarity, balance, and peace expressed in the forms of generosity, wisdom, compassion, and ethical conduct.” As we look forward to a new year, let’s explore our own intentions around developing our practice and how that might be expressed in action. Let’s also discuss how SIM might support individual and community well being in 2019.
The full statement of SIM’s Mission, Vision, and Means may be found at https://sactoinsight.org/about-us/. You may want to review these statements to prepare for this discussion.

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09/20/2018 “Starting Over” with Rich Howard

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Senior Teacher Kamala Masters reminds us, “Starting over is the practice.” Reflecting on this simple instruction has many implications: self-compassion, patience, and an encouragement to gentle, persevering effort. We will explore the practice itself in a guided meditation to start the evening, then discuss the many lessons to be learned from this seemingly simple instruction. Bring your beginner’s mind!

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08/23/2018 “Abiding Independent” with Rich Howard

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The Satipattahana Sutta (the Discourse on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness) is at the center of our practice of meditation in the Vipassana (Insight) tradition. The refrain of the Sutta includes this phrase: the practictioner “abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.” Other suttas use “knowledge independent of others” as a sign of a mature practice and of right view. Yet we understand from the teaching on dependent origination that all phenomena are dependent on causes and conditions, that “no thing” exists on its own. This evening we will explore the idea of “abiding independent” as an inspiration for practice and study of the dhamma.

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07/12/2018 “What I Learned on Retreat” with Rich Howard

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06/14/2018 “Commitment to Practice” with Rich Howard

Commitment to Practice: Hobby, Pastime, or Lifetime Aspiration?
We may come to the practice of meditative awareness as a curiosity or from an intense experience of suffering. We may practice continually from the first day or intermittently. As we progress, the role of practice in our lives may increase, shift or fall away completely. Just as we periodically look at why we practice, it is helpful once in a while to examine our level of commitment. Both are supported by the power of intention. On this evening, we will look at our level of commitment and the conditions that support or undermine our aspiration.

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05/10/2018 “Reflections on Old Age, Sickness, and Death” with Rich Howard

It is said that the historical Buddha started his journey to awakening after being shaken by encountering the “heavenly messengers” old age, sickness and death. He recommended reflecting on these life experiences often. We will take this evening to reflect on and discuss our relationship to these messengers and how they might enliven our practice.

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03/15/2015 “Reconciliation: The Truth Beyond Forgiveness” with Rich Howard

Reconciliation is a process that has been used in areas torn by violence, from Argentina to Yugoslavia. Perhaps the best known example is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa led by Bishop Desmond Tutu. The website of the Greensboro (North Carolina) Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the first in the United States, defines the process this way: “Truth and reconciliation promotes the belief that confronting and reckoning with the past is necessary for successful transitions from conflict, resentment and tension to peace and connectedness.” Does this not sound like the process each of us needs to engage in our own meditation practice? You may prepare by reading an article by Thanissaro Bhikkhu:

“Reconciliation, Right & Wrong“. Access to Insight (BCBS Edition), 18 July 2011. The article states, “Reconciliation — patisaraniya-kamma — means a return to amicability, and that requires more than forgiveness. It requires the reestablishing of trust.”

On this evening, we will explore reconciliation, truth, and forgiveness, in our own hearts and the wider world.

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02/01/2018 “Refinement of the Mind” with Rich Howard

Sometimes we forget that this path of awareness has been described as a “gradual training.” We get impatient or expect our progress to look a certain way and are disappointed when it doesn’t turn out that way. Tonight we will discuss a discourse that likens the refinement of the mind to the purification of gold. The Pansadhovaka Sutta (Anguttara Nikaya 3:100 1-10) makes it clear that this is a gradual training with many steps. We will look at how these steps relate to our householder practice and offer reassurance (if we can avoid comparing mind!) to keep on practicing without expecting results.

Please read the introduction to Text VIII,4 on page 260 of “In the Buddha’s Words” (ed. Bhikkhu Bodhi) and the sutta on pages 273-275. You may find a different translation online at Access to Insight (Pansadhovaka Sutta: The Dirt-washer).
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