Insight Meditation South Bay

Meditation and Teachings in Mountain View
2019-08-20 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Edwards Hall, 2094 Grant Road , Mountain View , CA, 94040, United States
Due to the coronavirus concerns, we have converted our Tuesday evening meeting to an online format. Insight Meditation South Bay offers two weekly meditation groups—Tuesdays evenings we offer an open drop-in sitting group in Mountain View, and Thursdays we offer structured courses in Saratoga. The Tuesday sitting group meets every Tuesday evening for a meditation and Dhamma talk in Mountain View. The principal teacher is Shaila Catherine and guest speakers are featured regularly. Thematic series are periodically presented, but whether or not a topic has been advertised in advance, Shaila or a guest teacher will lead the sitting and offer teachings. See also weekly sitting. Newcomers are always welcome. To help newcomers get acquainted with mindfulness meditation and IMSB, a senior member or teacher offers a beginner’s orientation beginning at 6:30 on the first Tuesday of each month. IMSB relies upon the generosity of participants to support our teachers and cover organizational expenses. Dana is a word in the ancient Pali language that describes donations, offerings and generosity. Two bowls will be available at an event to practice dana for the teacher and IMSB; we encourage you to give joyfully and generously, according to your resources and means. IMSB is a 501(c) (3) organization. All donations are tax deductible as permitted by law.

Meditation in Hard Times
2019-08-20 19:30 - 21:00 | St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Edwards Hall, 2094 Grant Road , Mountain View , CA, 94040, United States
Meditation in Hard Times
Dealing with stress, life transitions, traumas, and tragedies
A guest speaker series
Tuesdays July 16 – August 20, 2019
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
No one’s life is free from difficulties. We may experience chronic pain, lose loved ones, change jobs or homes, survive a natural disaster, or suffer a physical attack. Events like these can be experienced as so traumatic that they challenge our ability to meet them with dignity.
This speaker series will explore perspectives and practices for dealing with the most difficult life experiences. The series is appropriate for people who are currently working through difficulties, as well as those who recognize the importance of preparing the mind to deal skillfully with potential future challenges.

July 16 — Taking the Problem Out of Pain, with Shaila Catherine
July 23 — Illness as a Doorway to Freedom, with Nikki Mirghafori
July 30 — Realizing Resilience, with Diana Clark
August 6 — Dukkha as a Chronic Illness, with Tony Bernhard
August 13 — Every Day is a Gift, with Misha Merrill
August 20 — Community Panel Discussion

This series is appropriate for newcomers as well as experienced practitioners. Each evening includes silent or guided meditation, a break, and teachings.

Please visit our Teachers Page for biographies and photos of our speakers.
Insight Meditation South Bay offers two weekly meditation programs. On Tuesdays, we meet in Mountain View for our drop-in weekly program of meditation and teachings. On Thursdays, we meet in Saratoga for our Dhamma Classroom, which offer a series of structured courses with registration, and periodic drop-in practice events.
Our Tuesday evening program usually includes a sitting meditation and Dhamma talk. The principal teacher is Shaila Catherine and guest speakers are featured regularly. Thematic series are periodically presented, but whether or not a topic has been advertised in advance, Shaila or a guest teacher will lead the sitting and offer teachings. See also weekly sitting.
Newcomers are always welcome. To help newcomers get acquainted with mindfulness meditation and IMSB, a senior member or teacher offers a beginner’s orientation beginning at 6:30 on the first Tuesday of each month.
IMSB relies upon the generosity of participants to support our teachers and cover organizational expenses. Dana is a word in the ancient Pali language that describes donations, offerings and generosity. Two bowls will be available at an event to practice dana for the teacher and IMSB. We encourage you to give joyfully and generously, according to your resources and means. IMSB is a 501(c) (3) organization. All donations are tax deductible as permitted by law.

Focused and Fearless: A Concentration Course
2019-08-22 19:15 - 21:00 | Westhope Presbyterian Church, 12850 Saratoga Ave, Saratoga, CA, 95070, United States
Cultivating the conditions for deep concentration in the midst of daily life
A six-week course led by Shaila Catherine and Sharon Allen
August 22 – September 26, 2019
7:15 pm to 9:00 pm
Silence begins at 7:00.
Arrive early (around 7:00) to enjoy the optional pre-class meditation period.
This six-week course is designed to strengthen the conditions that make the mind conducive to concentration. We will refine our concentration using practical techniques to help us reduce distraction, anxiety and stress. We will also clarify the experiences and qualities that arise with the deep meditation states known as jhāna and samādhi.
This course will include sitting meditation, readings, and discussion, and will follow the early chapters of Focused and Fearless, our primary course text.
Required Reading: Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide To States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity, by Shaila Catherine
August 22 – Creating Conducive Conditions led by Sharon Allen
August 29 – Joy of Seclusion led by Dawn Neal
September 5 – Pleasure and Happiness led by Sharon Allen
September 12 – Equanimity and Balance led by Dawn Neal
September 19 – Intensifying Factors led by Ying Chen
September 26 – Transformation of the Object, Access and Absorption led by Shaila Catherine
October 3 – Bonus Class—Mindfulness Meditation: A drop-in evening for meditation practice led by Janetti Marotta
Samadhi is the beautiful state of an undistracted mind, described in the Pali texts as “internally steadied, composed, unified, and concentrated.”
— Shaila Catherine, Focused and Fearless, page 3
WHO SHOULD JOIN: This course is open to all practitioners.
COURSE LEVELS: This is designed as a level 1-2 course. Click this link for a key to course level designations.

Visit our Teacher Page for teacher biographies and photographs.
REGISTRATION: Registration is required for this course. Registration fees are non-refundable. To register, select an option under the Tickets heading at the bottom of this page. (If you are viewing this page more than two months in advance of the course, the Tickets heading might not yet appear, so please check again later.) To register for a course, you purchase one ticket, which registers you for the entire class series. You only need to register once; you do not need to register separately for each class session.
Course Fee: The sliding scale fee range is from $360 to $90 and will be shared between IMSB and the teacher(s). The lower end of the sliding scale is intended for those with limited financial means. The low rate of $90 is estimated to cover the most basic costs such as rent and insurance for the specific class period. This base rate does not factor in compensation for teachers or ongoing administrative expenses for IMSB. If you pay at the mid to high range of the sliding scale, your generosity supports those with limited income in attending our programs and also supports IMSB and the teachers, enabling the dhamma to thrive in the South Bay area. We encourage you to choose the highest level that is appropriate for your economic situation.
Scholarship Assistance: A scholarship rate of $45 is offered for those with very limited financial means. If you need additional assistance, or if you would like to volunteer to help out, please inquire with the registrar by contacting ThursdayClass.
Tax Deductions: The basic registration fee is not tax deductible. Donations above the base rate will be considered voluntary contributions and are deductible for any amount that is over the base rate. Each January, the IMSB treasurer sends donors letters that acknowledge the amount given for the previous year that is above the basic rate; this serves as documentation for tax deduction purposes.
Cancellation Policy: All fees and payments are non-refundable. If it becomes necessary to cancel participation in a course, and the registrar is notified prior to the start of the first class meeting, your registration fee will be converted into a voucher creditable towards the fee for a future IMSB Thursday class. Vouchers must be used within one year of the initial course start date, and may be transferred to only one future course. Cancellations that occur after the start of the first class are not eligible for the voucher credit.

Focused and Fearless – A new Thursday evening course. Register Now!
2019-08-22 19:15 - 21:00 | Westhope Presbyterian Church, 12850 Saratoga Ave, Saratoga, CA, 95070, United States
Register now for Focused and Fearless, a new 6-week course in Saratoga on Deepening Concentration.
Led by Shaila Catherine and Sharon Allen.
For more information and online registration: https://www.imsb.org/event/focused-and-fearless-a-concentration-course/2019-08-22/

Focused and Fearless: A Concentration Course

Monthly Sutta Study Group - Digha Nikaya - in Palo Alto
2019-08-23 10:00 - 12:00 | 3942 Duncan Pl., 3942 Duncan Pl., Palo Alto, CA, 94036
-Long Discourses of the Buddha
with Shaila Catherine
Our nine month Sutta Study Course on the Digha Nikaya will run for 9 months beginning in March 2019. We meet in three locations to serve the local and online community:

Friday mornings in Palo Alto
Wednesday evenings in Menlo Park
Monday evenings online

Enrollment will remain open for this course until the second monthly meeting, and then closes for the remainder of the year.
Registration details are on our Sutta Study Course 2019 page.
Newcomers are welcome to join each year. General information about the sutta study program can be found on our Sutta Study Courses page.
Scheduled dates for meetings Fridays in Palo Alto:

March 15
April 19
May 31
June 28
July 12
August 23
September 13
October 18
November 1
