Offerings
Evening Classes: Formal silent sitting and walking practices are complemented by the systematic investigation of a meditative theme through material presented and discussion. Practice in daily life will be emphasized throughout. Monday classes are designed for beginners (may be repeated); Wednesdays are for ongoing students. For class dates and times, please see the Weekday Schedule page. All classes are mult-session, except for Refuges and Precepts.
Introduction to Insight Meditation (Monday evening classes with Matthew Daniell). Basic instruction in sitting and walking meditation will be given along with a period of questions and answers. Sitting and walking periods will typically be shorter than in other practice opportunities at the center. No experience is necessary and all levels are welcome. Pre-registration for the entire series is recommended, although students may attend individual sessions on a drop in basis.
Practice as Relationship, Relationship as Practice (Wednesday Evening Classes with Matthew Daniell). To be alive is to be related. In this series of practice sessions we will investigate this fact as an invitation to wakefulness. Drawing from the wisdom of short classical teachings we will explore through silence, dharma presentation, and discussion how bringing careful moment by moment attention to our relationship with ourselves, others, and all that we encounter can help us to live more freshly, fully, and skillfully in the here and now.
Workshops. Inspired by ancient tradition, reflection and silent practice will be combined. Each workshop will offer periods of presented material and guided meditation. Discussion will help deepen our practice and explore its relevance to daily life in an interactive as well as contemplative format.
A Crash Course in Virtue (Kate Wheeler). This two-hour workshop will present the Five Precepts observed by millions of lay Buddhists across the world. The precepts are considered a source of joy rather than an opportunity to become more rigid and blaming. They are taken as an act of free will, expressing a desire to live compassionately, without harming self or others. Each precept will be presented with time for exploration and discussion We will chant them at the end in Pali and English. This workshop can be taken on its own or as a preparation for the precept ceremony that will be offered by Matthew Daniell later in the fall.
Practice as Relationship, Relationship as Practice (Wednesday Evening Classes with Matthew Daniell). To be alive is to be related. In this series of practice sessions we will investigate this fact as an invitation to wakefulness. Drawing from the wisdom of short classical teachings we will explore through silence, dharma presentation, and discussion how bringing careful moment by moment attention to our relationship with ourselves, others, and all that we encounter can help us to live more freshly, fully, and skillfully in the here and now.
Retreats. Half and full day silent retreats will combine periods of sitting and walking meditation. Instruction and opportunities for group discussion and individual interviews with the teacher will be included as we explore the transformative power of meditation for our lives. An optional period of mindful movement or yoga will be offered on some retreats. All of the retreats are Insight Meditation retreats with a particular theme. For retreat dates and times, please see the Weekend Schedule page. Beginners as well as experienced meditators are welcome.
Practice Informed by the Badiya Sutta (Chas DiCapua). The Buddha's teachings to Bahiya the wander are pithy and contain the essential directions for how to live in this world without becoming enmeshed in, and identified with experience. Using our mindfulness practice, well explore, in our own experience, what the Buddha meant by his teachings to Bahiya, In the seen there is only the seen, in the heard, there is only the heard, etc. Some prior meditation experience will be helpful for this retreat.
Beginning Again (Matthew Daniell). The Buddha taught that cultivating mindfulness of the body, breath, heart and mind can be powerful tools supporting inner calm and insight. Silent periods of sitting and walking meditation, as well as dharma instruction and opportunities to discuss our practice, will provide the form in which we explore our potential for greater freedom.
Living Wisely in an Uncertain World (Larry Rosenberg). Life is uncertain and changing in unpredictable ways. In these times the economy, the environment, our individual lives, are all changing, and in ways we can't always control. In the face of such change how do we live skillfully, in relation to ourselves and others. In this half-day retreat (followed by lunch, a talk, and Q and A, which are separate events) periods of silent sitting and walking will be supported by dharma instruction and dialogue as we explore this timely and powerful theme.
Body Awareness (Kate Wheeler). This day-long retreat is aimed to develop a closer relationship and understanding between the mind and body, the first place to establish awareness according to the Buddha. We will work with mindful awareness in the four postures, and spend time picturing some of the parts and aspects of our human bodies in a simplified version of the traditional meditation on the 32 parts of the body. There will be silent meditation, a few simple exercises and time for discussion and questions.
Loving Kindness (Matthew Daniell). Metta or Loving Kindness is a practice that cultivates a good heart. Based on 2600-year-old instructions given by the Buddha, this practice of repeating phrases intending good will has helped countless people over the centuries to counter inner fear, anger, confusion and isolation. In this half-day retreat, periods of guided sitting and walking meditation will be combined with theory and optional discussion as we explore the power of wishing well for ourselves and others.
Open Heart, Grounded Presence and the Buddha's Middle Way (Matthew Daniell). An open heart and grounded presence are signs of a vibrant inner life. They are also attitudes that can help us to explore and uncover the mind that is balanced, and at ease, right in the middle of our lives, on retreat and off. Some experience preferred.
Feeling Tone (Kate Wheeler). The second place to establish awareness, according to the Buddha, is on feeling tone. All moments of experience, whether physical or mental, contain this characteristic. If we can learn to zero in on it within direct experience--this means actually registering whether we are experiencing pleasure, disagreeableness or lack of affect--our lives become much more vivid and also simpler. We get a handle on the how preferences, judgments and opinions, as well as bored ideation, cause more suffering and learn the peace of returning to the simpler experience of the moment.
Balancing Tranquility and Calm With Effort and Investigation (Chas DiCapua). So much of our mindfulness practice hinges on these factors being in balance. Too much calm and not enough energy results in sleepiness and a dreamy state that is pleasant, but not fully connected. Too much energy and not enough calm lead to restlessness and striving. We’ll explore in our own meditation experience what it feels like when these factors of mind are in balance, as well as how it feels and how to work with them when they are out of balance.
Other Activities
Drop in Sittings (Tuesdays and Thursdays, morning and/or evening) are offered in the simplicity of silence without instruction. An ending bell will be rung by a practice leader.
Tuesday Half Day Retreats (with Matthew Daniell) are designed to be flexible to personal schedules while offering the opportunity to deepen practice through periods of silent sitting and walking meditation. Minimal instruction offered as needed. You may come for part, or all of each of these groups. While at the center, please adhere closely to the schedule and maintain silence. These practice periods are not suitable for complete beginners. The Introduction to Meditation class or equivalent experience is strongly recommended before attending.
Individual Interviews are designed to help us with formal practice and explore more intimately how mindfulness can help us in our daily lives. Interviews are available during retreats and for IMCN members by request.