Shaila Catherine was invited to join over a thousand spiritual leaders by contributing her answer to this perennial question: what is the meaning of life? Read her response at the Excellence Reporter, and see what other spiritual teachers say gives life meaning.
Shaila Catherine's dhamma talk on Mindfulness of Mind was chosen by Insight Timer as their Staff Pick for the day. We hope you also enjoy listening to it. https://insig.ht/gm_79272
The 11th Global Buddhist Conference in Berkeley concluded with a profound discussion of samadhi and jhana practices. Ajahn Brahm and Shaila Catherine had a riveting dialog, skillfully moderated by Daniel Aitken from Wisdom Publications. The event was filmed and later posted for the public. To watch, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpPz22DMRS8
We have added a new interview to our page on Written Teachings, Articles, and Interviews. In the newest interview, titled Understanding Deep Meditative States, Shaila Catherine explores profound aspects of the development of samadhi, jhana, vipassana, and awakening.
On January 29th IMSB enjoyed a very special presentation by Rex Naden on Landscape Photography that explored how his art of composition merges with a meditative perspective. Rex shared many examples of landscape compositions, both on-screen and printed, to illustrate how he carefully plans, executes and processes each shot. He described the art of discovering the [...]
Heartfelt thanks to all who support the work of IMSB in so many ways, and especially to the 65 generous donors who helped us reach our fundraising goal of $30,000 for our 2018 year's end appeal. Our final total was $32,330, which will cover almost half of our operations budget for the coming year.
Ian White Maher recently interviewed Shaila Catherine for his online Dharma podcast program. The conversation covers deep dhamma topics that include ethic, deep concentration states of jhana, and the aim of awakening. Enjoy listening at: https://ianwhitemaher.com/shaila-catherine/.
In a program called Joy of Giving, a number of IMSB members practiced mindful giving by donating to a charity of our choice. We thought hard about charities that touched our hearts, donated our own and/or IMSB funds, discussed our choices with other givers, and participated in two discussions exploring the role that generosity can [...]
Insight Meditation South Bay is in a valuable period of restructuring, as Shaila passes on several key leadership roles and administrative tasks to new volunteers. Last Sunday Shaila hosted a planning meeting with 15 members volunteers. The meeting brought together volunteers who serve IMSB programs in both Mountain View and Saratoga, and also our daylongs in [...]
IMSB's former volunteer director Kristi organized a volunteer appreciation event at her home last weekend. There were about 30 volunteers who help out at both the Mountain View and Saratoga locations, and do many tasks behind the scenes. This was a great opportunity for volunteers to meet and mingle over Mediterranean food. Shaila offered a [...]
Sharon Allen offered a lovely guided meditation at the Thursday Class. Her instructions support the recognition of impermanence. She encourages students to notice how things pass away, maintain a balanced mode of mindful observation, and note them as "gone". Listen to the recording here.
Shaila led a fabulous meditation retreat at Redwood Glen--a stunning and serene location in the redwoods, not far from Pescadero Beach. We are delighted to have found such a comfortable, and glorious site for our retreats. The site and the food was highly praised in our end of retreat evaluations. The teaching focus of this [...]
Welcome back Shaila!
On May 29, 2019 the IMSB community, guided by Sharon and Laura, celebrated the Buddhist holiday called Wesak. It was a joyous opportunity to celebrate the birth, Enlightenment, and death of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. The evening program included a guided reflection on the qualities of the Buddha, a meditation on virtue, reaffirming of our [...]
The talks from our inspiring autumn guest speaker series about the Great Disciples of the Buddha are now available at IMSB's portal to DharmaSeed. Enjoy stories about these great masters, and hear the teachings that characterize the legacies of some of the great names in Buddhism: Venerables Ananda, Kisa Gotami, Mahakaccana, Rahula, Angulimala, and the [...]
