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) The Buddha's Upanisā Sutta offers one of his most quietly radical teachings: that liberation doesn't begin with getting comfortable, but with honestly meeting what hurts. Drawing on this "proximate cause" discourse from SN 12.23, this talk traces the transcendent sequence of dependent origination — from dukkha through faith, joy, tranquility, and insight, all the way to freedom. We'll explore what it means to stop treating difficulty as an obstacle to practice and start recognizing it as the practice's first gate — on the cushion, in daily life, and in our closest relationships.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Four Great Efforts: Connecting with emotions in an onward leading way.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Stories and humor from beloved teacher Ajahn Brahm.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Guided practice for directly experiencing the four elements in the body, followed by reading of Mary Oliver's "Humpbacks."
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The Buddha's contemplation of the four elements — earth, water, fire, and air — offers a gentle but radical path: from the conceit of "my body" to the felt sense of being nature itself. A guided exploration of elemental awareness, grounded in retreat experience, Satipatthana practice, and the luminous body-wisdom of beloved poets.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Deep Welcome, Reflections on Retreat and Metta Practice
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) How does loving-kindness infuse every dimension of the path? Drawing from a sweat-drenched pilgrimage around Shikoku's 88 temples, Devon explores metta not as a single technique but as a way of life woven through the Eightfold Path — from wise intention and ethical attunement, through generosity and letting go, to the boundless radiance of the brahmaviharas. Along the way, we discover how metta practice can open into concentration, healing, and even emptiness itself, and how the original instructions invite us simply to fill our bodies and the whole world with a field of care.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Learning to use mindful attention to unskillful and skillful state of mind is crucial for continuity of our practice in daily life
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Practicing the Noble 8 fold path can lead to experiencing a lot of joy in our practice and daily life. Joy serves as a basis & support for awakening; as a signpost to our progress, and an anti-dote to suffering
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Mindfulness of 6 senses can lead to equanimity where we are no longer attached to pleasant experience or aversive to unpleasant experiences.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The practice of equanimity towards beings and various states of minds, such as the eight worldly winds, can lead to peace and freedom.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) When we bring awareness to major intentions, we can make wise/wholesome choices & the practice of continuity of mindfulness, concurrence and concentration.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Pain is a given and suffering is optional. Mindfulness of unpleasant feelings, such as pain, can transform pain into fertile soil for wisdom and for freedom from suffering to arise.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Mindfulness of feelings plays a crucial role in our daily life and practice. The arising of feelings is beyond our control but mindfulness of them can make a difference between being in bondage and being free from suffering.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Practicing the 4 protective meditation namely- Reflection on the qualities of the Buddha or Dhamma or Sangha; Reflection on metta, reflection of body parts (visible ones); reflection on death causes and protect us from: Doubt, Attachment, Aversion, Laziness, respectively.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Metta is the quality of the heart/mind that wishes for the welfare, happiness and benefit of all sentient beings. Daily practice of Metta can reduce anger, aversion and lead to joy, happiness and concentration. All of which is very critical to the path of liberation.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Mindful reflection along with one's virtues such as observing the 5 precepts can lead to joy, happiness and fuel the path to freedom.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Short Dharma Talk
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Short Dharma talk
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The Buddha's teachings on the three characteristics.
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)
(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.
© 2020-2026 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
