Samadhi, typically translated as “concentration,” is the ability of the mind to remain calm and settled without distraction. It is through the power of a sustained, concentrated attention that the fruits of meditation practice are realized, so samadhi plays an indispensable role in mental training on the path towards liberation. Attaining samadhi, or any other …
Recorded Saturday, September 09, 2023 at the Sati Center. Ajaan Thanissaro (Geoff) is an American monk of the Thai forest tradition. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1971 with a degree in European Intellectual History, he studied meditation under Ajaan Fuang Jotiko in Thailand and ordained in 1976. In 1991 he helped establish Metta Forest …
Ajaan Thanissaro: The Four Noble Truths in Context: Afternoon Dharma Talk Read More »
We are now accepting applications for the 2023-24 Introduction to Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program. This course is a part-time, yearlong, graduate-level training that teaches basic skills in Chaplaincy through the framework of Buddhist practice. It begins in September 2023 and runs through July 2024. There are two options for participation: in-person at Insight Meditation Center …
2023-24 Introduction To Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program Read More »
By Barbara Gates, Wes Nisker Ayya Khema was born in Germany in 1923 of Jewish parents, and, after a harrowing escape form the Nazi regime, she eventually immigrated to America. While traveling through Asia in the early 1960s, she was introduced to the Dharma. Ten years later she began to teach meditation. Ordained as a Buddhist nun …
Biting Into The Mango: Doing Jhana Practice With Ayya Khema Read More »
Let’s look at the idea of concentration, or samadhi. When you hear those four little syllables—con-cen-tra-tion—what do they imply to you? Maybe you get a sense of doing something, working hard at it to get it right. That’s the normal take. We say to ourselves, “Samadhi. It’s not going to be a cakewalk.” It’s intensive …
Gil Fronsdal: Both Buddhist practice and secular trainings in mindfulness and compassion have great potential to free people from suffering and the limitations of self-clinging. Nikki, you have been trained to teach Buddhist meditation as well as secular programs in mindfulness and compassion. Could you talk a bit about your background and the value you …
Interview with Gil Fronsdal & Nikki Mirghafori: Into the Abyss Read More »
By Gil Fronsdal When I began my Buddhist training at the age of twenty-one, I had no interest in liberation or compassion. The great Buddhist ideals of the arhat, bodhisattva and buddha held no attraction for me. Rather, having discovered how satisfying meditation felt when I became settled in the present moment, I took up …
The Bodhisattva & The Arhat: Walking Together Hand-In-Hand Read More »
