Events by Location

Radiant Calm: Jhana as a path to liberating insight
Cosponsored by Bodhi-Retreats and IMSB
Sunday, November 23 - Sunday, November 30, 2008

This retreat will explore how the clarity of a concentrated mind strengthens insight practice. Prior to his enlightenment, the Buddha traversed through deeply absorbed meditative states called jhanas.

Empowered by the deep stability of these concentrated states he liberated the mind from all traces of ignorance and taught the way as a clear path of training. This retreat will introduce traditional concentration practices (samatha or jhana techniques) to focus and unify consciousness, creating a powerful, stable foundation for transformative knowledge. Guided by instructions and individual meetings with the teacher, students can progress through a traditional sequence of samatha training as is appropriate to each one's needs. This silent retreat is structured with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, Dhamma teachings, and teacher consultations. Experience with previous silent retreats is required.

Cost: $780

To register, please submit this Jhana Retreat Registration Form .

For more information, please contact 650-854-5118 or retreatsimsb.org

Also see the event flyer

Dharma Study Course: Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha
The Last Fifty
Event occurs multiple dates, next is Thursday, November 20, 2008
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Beginning November 2008, this study group will meet one Thursday a month through spring 2009. See Dharma Study Course for details.

New Year's Vipassana Retreat
Tuesday, December 30 - Sunday, January 4, 2009

At the Margaret Austin Meditation Center between Houston & Austin in Texas contact: kferlandonr.com

Insight Meditation Retreat
Friday, November 14 - Sunday, November 16, 2008

For information on this non-residential retreat please contact: sanghalotusinthedesert.org

Dharma Study Course: Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha
The Last Fifty
Event occurs multiple dates, next is Wednesday, November 12, 2008
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Beginning November 2008, this study group will meet one Wednesday a month through spring 2009. See Dharma Study Course for details.

Beginners Meditation Intensive
A Non-Residential Weekend Retreat
Saturday, February 14 - Monday, February 16, 2009
9:30 am - 4:00 pm

This retreat offers practical instruction in mindfulness and Insight Meditation (Vipassana). The meditation instructions will guide us through a direct method for investigating our present moment experience to free the mind from habits that perpetuate distraction and agitation. We will practice sitting and walking meditation, cultivating awareness of breath, body, and the processes of heart and mind, to allow grasping, judgment, and fear to fall away revealing the natural spaciousness of mind imbued with wisdom, calm, and joy.

Cost: $100 fee to cover operational expenses, plus voluntary Dana offerings for the teacher.

Dana: In an effort to embrace these teachings in the spirit of generosity, no specific charge for the teacher is included in the basic course fees. A basket will be available for practicing generosity by offering voluntary donations (dana) to support the teacher and her ongoing efforts of serving the dharma.

To register: Send $100 payable to “Bodhi-Retreats”. Please include your name, e-mail, phone, and address to facilitate confirmation.

Bodhi-Retreats
PO Box 490
Menlo Park, CA 94026
insightimsb.org
650-854-8115

Bring bag lunch, zafu/mat if you wish to sit on the wood floor, shawl or blanket. Tea is provided.

Co-Sponsored by Insight Meditation South Bay and Bodhi-Retreats.

Dharma Talk
with Shaila Catherine
Monday, November 10, 2008
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Shaila will be the guest speaker at the Zen Heart Sangha . Meditation instruction for beginners is available at 6:30.

Tuesday evening meeting in Mountain View
Event occurs multiple dates, next is Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Every Tuesday 7:15 pm - 9:00 pm

Insight Meditation South Bay meets every Tuesday evening for a sitting and Dhamma talk. The principal teacher is Shaila Catherine and guest speakers are featured regularly. See also weekly sitting .

The Buddhist Path of Awakening: The Eight-Fold Noble Path
A nine-week series
Event occurs multiple dates, next is Tuesday, July 15, 2008
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

A 9-part series presented during the Tuesday evening sitting and Dharma talk.

June 17	Shaila Catherine	Overview of the Eight-fold Path
June 24	Shaila Catherine	Right View
July 1	Janet Taylor	Right Thought
July 8	Vinny Ferraro	Right Speech
July 15	Anushka Fernandopulle	Right Action
July 22	Kim Allen	Right Livelihood
July 29	Ines Freedman	Right Effort
Aug 5	Sharon Allen	Right Mindfulness
Aug 12	Jim Podolske	Right Concentration

Also see the event flyer

Beginner's Orientation and Instruction
Event occurs multiple dates, next is Tuesday, August 5, 2008
6:30 pm - 7:20 pm

This session will provide an introduction to Insight Meditation South Bay and to Vipassana Practice (Insight Meditation). The orientation is offered the first Tuesday of the month immediately before the regular weekly sitting . Come for the introduction and stay to meet the members of Insight Meditation South Bay.

You may bring a sitting cusion, but chairs are provided and you need only bring yourself.

Orientation and meditation instruction for a session will be provided by Margaret Gainer, Adam Winkler or Ed Haertel.

Tuesday evening guest speaker: Andrea Fella
Practicing with Vedena -- The Feeling Tone of Our Experience
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Andrea Fella has been practicing Insight Meditation since 1996, and, under Gil Fronsdal's guidance, began teaching meditation classes in 2003. She is particularly drawn to intensive retreat practice, and has done a number of long retreats, both in the U.S. and Burma. During one long practice period in Burma, she ordained as a nun with Sayadaw U Janeka. Andrea teaches residential retreats for IMC and is in the Spirit Rock teacher training program with Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein.

Tuesday evening guest speaker: Megan Cowan
Education and the Dharma: How we teach our children (of any age) to be mindful and awake
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Megan Cowan has been practicing for 12 years, mostly in Burma, including two and half years ordained as a nun. Six years ago, she found herself teaching to children and found it to be incredibly inspiring. Most recently, she started the Community Partnership for Mindfulness in Education through Park Day School in Oakland with Laurie Grossman and Richard Shankman. She expresses extreme joy in offering these tools of awareness and compassion to young people, preparing them to influence peace in our world.

Attuning the Heart ~ Deeping Our Awareness and Practice of the Three Refuges
with Ayya Tathaaloka
Event occurs multiple dates, next is Tuesday, September 9, 2008
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Ayya Tathaaloka Bhikkhuni is an American-born member of the Buddhist Women's Monastic Sangha with a background in Zen and Theravadan Buddhism. VenerableTathaaloka began monastic life twenty years ago, and was granted Higher Ordination by a multi-ethnic gathering of the Bhikkhu & Bhikkhuni Sanghas in Southern California in early 1997. With the encouragement of many Sangha friends she founded Dhammadharini Vihara in Fremont, the first Theravadan Buddhist women's monastery in the Western United States, where she currently serves as Abbess. www.dhammadharini.org For more information, please contact sitimsb.org

Also see the event flyer

Tuesday evening guest speakers: Patricia “Savitri” Burbank and Michael Kilgroe
Compassion in Action
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Patricia “Savitri” Burbank and Michael Kilgroe co-founded One World Children's Fund (www.owcf.org ) with Shanti Cliff in 2000. Since then, they have joined with many others to network resources to grassroots organizations worldwide to support children and their caregivers. For over 30 years, Savitri worked as a psychotherapist and Michael as a Rolfer. They co-taught the enneagram for 15 years in Palo Alto with David Daniels. In 2007, they participated in a three month retreat focusing on shamatha (a type of concentration practice) led by Alan Wallace in CO.

Forgiveness
with Arinna Weisman
Saturday, October 11, 2008
9:30 am - 4:00 pm

Forgiveness is not about condoning or ignoring unskillful actions or speech but re-awakening our capacity as communities and individuals to reside in understanding and love. We will explore the obstacles to unburdening our hearts of defensiveness, blame and judgement and the path of return to metta (friendship).

This day will include guided meditations, movement, and dharma talk and dialogue.

Arinna Weisman has studied insight meditation since 1979 and has been teaching since 1989. Her root teacher is Ruth Denison who was empowered by the great teacher U Bha Khin. She has also studied with Thich Nhat Hanh in the Zen tradition and Punjaji in the Advaita tradition. She is the founding teacher of Dhamma Dena Meditation Center (now Insight Meditation Center of the Pioneer Valley/Dhamma Dena) and is co-author of the book, A Beginner's Guide to Insight Meditation. She has spent the last two years living in different monasteries exploring ordination.

Also see the event flyer

The Science of Meditation
A three-week series
Event occurs multiple dates, next is Tuesday, October 14, 2008
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Oct 14 • Phillipe Goldin • Neural Bases of Mindfulness Meditation in Social Anxiety

Philippe Goldin completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University, Clinical Psychology Internship at the UC San Diego / San Diego VA consortium, and is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Psychology at Stanford University. His clinical research focuses on (a) functional neuroimaging investigations of cognitive affective mechanisms in both healthy adults and in individuals with various forms of psychopathology, (b) the effect of mindfulness meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy on neural substrates of emotional reactivity, emotion regulation, and attention regulation, and (c) the effect of child-parent mindfulness meditation training on anxiety, compassion, and quality of family interactions.

Oct 21 • Wiveka Ramel • Vulnerability, Resilience, and Treatment of Major Depression

Wiveka Ramel completed her Bachelor of Social Science degree at Lund University in Sweden, her Ph.D. degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University, and her clinical psychology internship at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, California. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at Stanford University. Her clinical and research interests are focused on (a) vulnerability and resilience to emotion dysregulation and affective disorders, (b) neurobiological correlates of emotion-cognition interactions, and (c) mechanisms of change in clinical interventions such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness Meditation, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Oct 28 • John Astin • The Role of Mindfulness in Relapse Prevention for Addictive Disorders

John Astin holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California, Irvine. He is a nationally recognized researcher in the field of mind-body medicine. Prior to his current position as a Research Scientist at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, he was a fellow at Stanford University and a professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Maryland's Center for Integrative Medicine. He lectures widely on the topics of stress and health and the applications of meditation in medical training and practice. He has published over 50 scientific papers in the areas of stress reduction and mind-body medicine, and is the co-author of the book Control Therapy: An Integrated Approach to Psychotherapy, Health & Healing. His scientific work has been featured on CNN, Fox News, and a host of other local and national media. He is also the author of two books of poetry and prose reflections on the non-dual nature of awareness, Too Intimate for Words and This Is Always Enough.

Aspiration, Determination & Resolve
plus QiGong with Kim Allen
Saturday, November 8, 2008
9:30 am - 4:00 pm

Aspiration, determination and resolve are essential qualities that bring unshakeablility on the path of awakening and complete resolve upon the development of wholesome qualities. These qualities include non-deception in speech, non-vacilliation in the face of obstructions, and unwavering dedication to one's word and committements. As our aspiriations for awakening, full awareness, love and compassion develop, the perfection of determined resolve strengthens our progress of realization.

In this Saturday program we will explore the supportive role of determined resolve and aspiration. There will be sitting and walking meditations throughout the day, an optional QiGong session at 10:30, optional individual consultations/interviews with Shaila, and a dharma talk on determination/resolve as a liberating practice in the afternoon.

Kim Allen studies and practices qi gong with teachers in the Bay Area and Seattle. Qi gong has a 3,000-year history in China, and is the root practice of both Chinese medicine and most martial arts. Kim explores how qi gong can provide foundational support for vipassana meditation by deepening awareness of the body, and for daily-life practice by encouraging relaxation and calmness during movement.

Also see the event flyer

The Path of Wisdom
plus Yin Yoga with Renate Kempf
Saturday, December 6, 2008
9:30 am - 4:00 pm

Wisdom has the characteristic of penetrating the real specific nature of phenomena; its function is to illuminate the objective field, like a lamp so that we see the causes of suffering clearly and free ourselves from the tangle of ignorance. Wisdom is likened to a guide in a forest, who knows the way, and unconfused leads us to safety. Wisdom is the chief cause for the practice of the other perfections. Without wisdom we forget to practice generosity and virtue, develop concentration, and manifest compassion. Through wisdom we understand the suffering of others; through compassion we strive to alleviate their suffering.

In this Saturday program we will explore the supportive role of wisdom in our meditation practice. There will be sitting and walking meditations throughout the day, an optional Yin Yoga session at 10:30, optional individual consultations/interviews with Shaila, and a dharma talk on wisdom as a liberating practice in the afternoon.

Renate Kempf has been a bodyworker for seven years and is certified at the 1000 hour level with a focus on Structural Integration. Renate has practiced yoga for over twenty years and completed yin yoga certification with Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers. See www.azureheart.com for more information about Renate's work.

Also see the event flyer

Introduction to Mindfulness Series - Level I
A 5 week course with Shaila Catherine
Event occurs multiple dates, next is Thursday, January 22, 2009
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

This course is an introduction to the meditative development of mindfulness through which we refine our ability to focus and bring clear attention to all aspects of experience. We will cultivate mindfulness of breath, sensations, emotions, thoughts and actions. This series includes exercises that enhance mindfulness, support the establishment of a daily meditation practice, and highlight balanced awareness in work and home life. The course is an appropriate for beginners as well as practitioners who wish to refine fundamental meditation techniques for a stronger daily practice.

No registration required, however the Intention to attend the entire series is strongly encouraged as the instructions are cumulative and offered sequentially.

Right View/Understanding
A day long mindfulness retreat with Shaila Catherine
Saturday, January 31, 2009
9:30 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday day-long programs include instructions in both sitting and walking mindfulness practices and focus on the development of a particular quality each month. There will be an optional movement session in the morning. This will typically be a Yoga session and you may bring a mat. For 2009, the afternoon dharma talks will focus on the Eight-Fold Noble Path.

Bring a bag lunch. Chairs are provided and the floor is carpeted. Bring your own sitting cushion if you prefer to meditate sitting on the floor.

Right Intention/Thought
A day long mindfulness retreat with Shaila Catherine
Saturday, February 28, 2009
9:30 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday day-long programs include instructions in both sitting and walking mindfulness practices and focus on the development of a particular quality each month. There will be an optional movement session in the morning. This will typically be a Yoga session and you may bring a mat. For 2009, the afternoon dharma talks will focus on the Eight-Fold Noble Path.

Bring a bag lunch. Chairs are provided and the floor is carpeted. Bring your own sitting cushion if you prefer to meditate sitting on the floor.

Right Speech
A day long mindfulness retreat with Shaila Catherine
Saturday, March 21, 2009
9:30 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday day-long programs include instructions in both sitting and walking mindfulness practices and focus on the development of a particular quality each month. There will be an optional movement session in the morning. This will typically be a Yoga session and you may bring a mat. For 2009, the afternoon dharma talks will focus on the Eight-Fold Noble Path.

Bring a bag lunch. Chairs are provided and the floor is carpeted. Bring your own sitting cushion if you prefer to meditate sitting on the floor.

Right Action
A day long mindfulness retreat with Shaila Catherine
Saturday, May 30, 2009
9:30 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday day-long programs include instructions in both sitting and walking mindfulness practices and focus on the development of a particular quality each month. There will be an optional movement session in the morning. This will typically be a Yoga session and you may bring a mat. For 2009, the afternoon dharma talks will focus on the Eight-Fold Noble Path.

Bring a bag lunch. Chairs are provided and the floor is carpeted. Bring your own sitting cushion if you prefer to meditate sitting on the floor.

Right Livelihood
A day long mindfulness retreat with Shaila Catherine
Saturday, June 20, 2009
9:30 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday day-long programs include instructions in both sitting and walking mindfulness practices and focus on the development of a particular quality each month. There will be an optional movement session in the morning. This will typically be a Yoga session and you may bring a mat. For 2009, the afternoon dharma talks will focus on the Eight-Fold Noble Path.

Bring a bag lunch. Chairs are provided and the floor is carpeted. Bring your own sitting cushion if you prefer to meditate sitting on the floor.

Right Effort
A day long mindfulness retreat with Shaila Catherine
Saturday, July 25, 2009
9:30 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday day-long programs include instructions in both sitting and walking mindfulness practices and focus on the development of a particular quality each month. There will be an optional movement session in the morning. This will typically be a Yoga session and you may bring a mat. For 2009, the afternoon dharma talks will focus on the Eight-Fold Noble Path.

Bring a bag lunch. Chairs are provided and the floor is carpeted. Bring your own sitting cushion if you prefer to meditate sitting on the floor.

Right Mindfulness
A day long mindfulness retreat with Shaila Catherine
Saturday, August 29, 2009
9:30 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday day-long programs include instructions in both sitting and walking mindfulness practices and focus on the development of a particular quality each month. There will be an optional movement session in the morning. This will typically be a Yoga session and you may bring a mat. For 2009, the afternoon dharma talks will focus on the Eight-Fold Noble Path.

Bring a bag lunch. Chairs are provided and the floor is carpeted. Bring your own sitting cushion if you prefer to meditate sitting on the floor.

Right Concentration
A day long mindfulness retreat with Shaila Catherine
Saturday, September 26, 2009
9:30 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday day-long programs include instructions in both sitting and walking mindfulness practices and focus on the development of a particular quality each month. There will be an optional movement session in the morning. This will typically be a Yoga session and you may bring a mat. For 2009, the afternoon dharma talks will focus on the Eight-Fold Noble Path.

Bring a bag lunch. Chairs are provided and the floor is carpeted. Bring your own sitting cushion if you prefer to meditate sitting on the floor.

A Benefit Evening with Joseph Goldstein
Sunday, July 27, 2008
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Renowned Buddhist teacher Joseph Goldstein will be offering an evening of Dharma discussion, based on a question-and-answer format. This event is co-sponsored by Insight Meditation South Bay (IMSB) and the Insight Meditation Center of the Mid-Peninsula (IMC) . All are invited to bring their dharma questions for Joseph.

This evening benefit will launch the formation of Karuna Programs for IMSB and IMC that will support a variety of local and global service projects. Through this event, IMSB is dedicated to supporting the Prajna Vihara School in Bodh Gaya, India, which serves more than 500 children in extreme poverty and is currently raising funds to build a vocational training center. IMC will support the Community Partnership for Mindfulness in Education, which offers programs for students and teachers in Oakland public schools. The event itself is free of charge; all donations are greatly appreciated and will be devoted solely to the Karuna Program of each organization.

Joseph Goldstein is the co-founder and guiding teacher of IMS (Insight Meditation Society) in Barre, Mass., and the guiding teacher for The Forest Refuge in Barre, a center for long-term meditation practice. He has taught Vipassana and Metta retreats worldwide for 30 years. In 1989, he helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies . He is the author of Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom, The Experience of Insight (Shambala Classics), and One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism (Harper/San Francisco), and co-author of Seeking the Heart of Wisdom and Insight Meditation: A Correspondence Course. His latest book is A Heart Full of Peace. He lectures and leads retreats around the world.

For further information on the sponsors, please visit http://www.imsb.org and http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org .

Also see the event flyer

Dharma Study Course: Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha
The Last Fifty
Event occurs multiple dates, next is Friday, November 7, 2008
10:00 am - noon

Beginning November 2008, this study group will meet one Friday a month through spring 2009. See Dharma Study Course for details.

Wednesday dharma talk at San Jose Sangha
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

By donation, no registration required.

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