The Insight Meditation Society’s Forest Refuge supports the practice of more experienced meditators on personal retreat. Our teachers provide guidance and support in insight and lovingkindness practices drawn from the Buddhist meditative tradition. Please visit dharma.org for more information.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) A reflection on how boundless Metta naturally becomes gratitude and generosity. Grounded in early teachings, elemental presence, embodied practice, and the simple movement of a heart learning to give freely.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Metta is a profound shift in perspective, linking the astronauts overview effect with the Buddha's teachings on Boundlessness. Through story, reflection and classical teaching, we explore how the heart opens beyond "me", revealing clarity, shared belonging and the identity shift that makes compassion the only sane response.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Inspired by Mettagu's question to the Buddha, this reflection pints to a directly visible path through suffering. Loosening the grip of "mine" and meeting life with clarity, ease and lovingkindness.
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(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) A brief reflection on Natural Great Peace, Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche's teaching, and the Karaniya Metta Sutta as an invitation to let the tired mind finally rest deeply. Includes recording of Dhammaruwan Chanting the Metta Sutta.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) A reflection on Samadhi as easeful, embodied, and quietly radical. Showing how gentleness, continuity, wise attention and wise letting go reveal a freedom that doesn't depend on striving or attainment.
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(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) A reflection on the Log Sutta (SN): Encouragement to trust the current, not get caught and let the Dhamma carry you home to freedom.
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(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) A warm day ahead, with a friendly attitude.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) In this talk, Shaila Catherine explores right view and addresses the danger of attaching to a position, philosophy, belief, or opinion. Primary sources that inspired this talk include suttas numbered 72 and 74 the Middle Length discourses. By recognizing the problems created by clinging to beliefs and opinions, we choose instead to bring mindfulness to our direct experience and investigate what is actually happening in this present encounter with mind and body. This pragmatic path of mindful investigation leads to liberation.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The difference between the "concentration" of serenity and the concentration of insight. Developed in the frame of the four spheres of existence.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The various aspects upekkha can take in regard to our practice.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) In this brief reflection, Shaila Catherine speaks about the role of patience in meditation practice. We need patience to endure conditions that we cannot control, such as heat and cold, mosquito bites, and unpleasant or wanted perceptions. We need patience to continue to cultivate mindfulness without judging our degree of success. We need patience to trust the spiritual faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom to gradually mature. We need patience to observe the flow of lived experiences, simply meeting each moment with the interest to know what is being known, and the quality of mind that is knowing it. Patience is worth developing.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) In this talk, Shaila Catherine encourages meditative investigation and curiosity to know the mind well. The teaching is based on AN 6.131, that instructs meditators to know 6 things (sensual desire, feelings, perceptions, taints, kamma/action, suffering) in 6 ways (the phenomena as it appears, causes/origins, diversity, outcome/effects, cessation, and way leading to cessation).
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The 5 Faculties (Indriya) represented as diligence, its coachman, and its 4 horses.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Investigation into the process of cognition based on the six sense doors and questioning the reality of the self-identity.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) How the training of our mind brings a clearer perspective. Understanding the process of dying on the experiential level.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Climb a tree and use the perspective you get when on top. The street here is also compared with the body.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The first of the Satipatthana practices for establishing mindfulness is the body.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Buddha's advice to Ananda after Sariputta's and Maha Moggallana's deaths. (SN.)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Simile of the six animals, wanting to tame and understand their nature
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Guided Perspective Suggestions - Location/Direction within ourselves
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The presentation of the satipatthana is of experience divided between ‘me' and ‘the world'. Through practice, we see through this boundary and undertake the responsibility of participating in and co-generating a reality rooted in Dhamma.
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(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Q1 - What would you suggest as priorities for lay practice, recollections to establish a steady orientation to Dhamma?; 13:08 Q2 - Mindfulness when talking and using computers etc.; 18:30 Q3 - Energy, qi, anapanasati and integration of energy; 26:24 Q4 – I feel lots of unpleasant skin sensations when sitting, What might these be? 28:46 Q5 You've referred to integrating energy as a new way to consider. What does this mean? 36:09 Q9 Why couldn't it be that nibbana is like chasing the unicorn; 37:23 Q10 Can you speak about wisdom and samadhi; 40:33 Q11 Can you provide some guidance on mudita, rapture (piti) and stability/ staying grounded; 44:52 Q12 Contemplating the arising of the ‘me' sense, dependent on phenomena.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) 1) priorities for lay practice- recollections to establish steady orientation to Dhamma; 2) mindfulness when talking and using computers etc.; 3) energy, qi, Anapanasati and integration of energy; 4) on chasing the unicorn; 5) wisdom and samadhi; 6) mudita, rapture (piti) and stability; 7) contemplating the arising of the ‘me' sense, dependent on phenomena.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Based on a heart that integrates around goodwill, key features of letting go arise. These are a successive process of disengagement, dispassion, cessation and release (or relinquishment). For example bitterness and guilt can be felt as they are and move on.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The renunciate quality of retreat removes our psychological cushions. Therefore soothing, not intensity, is needed. Gaining health and psychological flex, we can disband the fantasies that haunt the heart.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) 1 How is there embodiment in the formless realms? 2 Is unwavering mindfulness possible? 3 Cultivating the brahmavihāra with samādhi 4 How are happiness and unhappiness equal - and what about Nibbāna? 5 What is the ‘spinal sense? 6 How do we practice forgiveness?
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Resonating with images and meanings of the Triple Gem generates positive waves that place in the field of the True, the Good and the Beautiful - the best place for practice.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Investigate the casual process of how dhammas arise and subside, and learn how to be with that.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Bringing to mind and resonating with benevolent occasions in one's life to build up a solid resonant sign to sit with.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Citta/heart is like a lake with waves rippling through it. The unawakened response is to create walls to resist the unpleasant, and fences to retain the pleasant - and 'me' to hold it all. Awakening responses to the waves are the skills of samadhi and brahmavihara. These make the lake vast and able to allow waves to arise and subside. They are door to the deathless - the unconstructed that the citta can enter through non-holding.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The process of fruition through satipatthana entails resources, obstacles, skills, release and integration. Nibbana can be momentary whenever the consciousness of subject and object deconstructs.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Touch sense establishes relationship and presence within the shared field. When this is safe, citta can unfold, and we re-form.
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(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Through consciousness, boundaries form between subject and object; thus, me and the world. Through the stress of that, the me closes into a bag. Defense and acquisition strategies. Heart (citta) is not consciousness and can turn away from creating the same me bag. This is through regulating inner-outer sensitivities to a harmonious whole.
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(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Effort is the engagement of heart with a topic. In satipatthana, the engagement is with body as an intelligent entity. When heart meets the ‘spinal sense' there is resolve and stability.
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