Insight Meditation South Bay

Meditation and Teachings in Mountain View
2018-05-08 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.

Effortless Mindfulness – author Lisa Dale Miller
2018-05-08 19:30 - 21:00 | St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Edwards Hall, 2094 Grant Road , Mountain View , CA, 94040, United States
Effortless Mindfulness: Genuine Mental Health Through Awakened Presence
by Lisa Dale Miller
Published by Routledge April 2014
The event will include meditation and the author’s talk.

7:30-9:00 Evening Program includes meditation and a talk.
9:00-9:30 Reception with tea and treats.
Effortless Mindfulness promotes genuine mental health through the direct experience of awakened presence—an effortlessly embodied, fearless understanding of and interaction with the way things truly are. The book offers a uniquely modern Buddhist psychological understanding of mental health disorders through a scholarly, yet clinically useful presentation of Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist teachings and practices. Written specifically for Western psychotherapeutic professionals, the book brings together traditional Buddhist theory and contemporary psycho-neuro-bio-social research to describe the conditioned and unconditioned mind. This in-depth exploration of Buddhist psychology includes complete instructions for psychotherapists in authentic yet clinically appropriate Buddhist mindfulness/heartfulness practices and Buddhist psychological inquiry skills. The book also features interviews with an esteemed collection of Buddhist teachers, scholars, meditation researchers and Buddhist-inspired clinicians.
In his foreword to the book Ron Siegel, PhD wrote, “In the pages that follow, Lisa Dale Miller takes us on an integrative adventure, exploring the intersection of ancient Buddhist teachings with modern neurobiology and clinical research and practice. While the work of many pioneers have facilitated the integration of mindfulness practices into health care and society by intentionally extracting them from their Buddhist roots, this book offers a different service: it looks unflinchingly at Buddhist understandings of the origins of human suffering and how various meditative techniques were designed to alleviate this suffering by fostering a radical psychological liberation.”
Anam Thubten Rinpoche wrote in his foreword, “You will find that the scholarship and many years of meditation practice of the author are reflected on every page. It is intellectually satisfying and also serves as a rich contemplative guide for mindfulness meditation and Buddhism in general. No matter what your background might be, as scholar, meditator or seeker, you will find many valuable insights in this work. It is such a joy to see Lisa’s gift in presenting many essential Buddhist thoughts in contemporary language and making them come alive.”
Effortless Mindfulness is available through Amazon, B&N, iTunes, etc., in digital and paperback editions.
Please visit www.awakenedpresence.com for more information about the book.

Speaker Series: Goals in Meditation
2018-05-08 19:30 - 21:00 | St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 2094 Grant Road , Mountain View, 94040, United States
We invited several local teachers to share both the personal aims that guide their practice and their understanding of the goals of the Buddhist Path. We asked them the following questions:

What is the goal of Buddhist practice?
What do you personally hope to achieve through your practice?
What is a reasonable way to assess our progress – how can we tell if we are on track?
How can we work skillfully with goals in the context of mindfulness-based practices that emphasize present moment awareness?

This series will explore both the ultimate and relative goals of Buddhist practice. It will address the benefits and limitations of having goals, and explore some related practice issues: comparing, expectations, craving for attainments, inspiration, and the potential for discouragement.
Join us for an illuminating look into some aspects of your practice you may never have considered!
April 24 – Shaila Catherine – Commitment to Awakening and the Heartwood Simile
May 1 – Kim Allen – Nurturing the Process
May 8 – Andrea Fella – Cooling the Fire
May 15 – Tony Bernhard – Not Making Things Worse
May 22 – Dawn Neal –Milestones or Millstones on the Eightfold Path to Freedom? Assessing Practice Skillfully
May 29 – Community Wesak Celebration will include reflections on goals.
Please visit our Teachers Page for biographies and photos of our speakers.

Insight Meditation South Bay offers two weekly meditation programs. Tuesdays we meet in Mountain View for our drop-in weekly program of meditation and teachings. Thursdays we meet in Saratoga for our Dhamma Classroom, which offer a series of structured courses with registration, and periodic drop-in practice events.
Today’s group meets every Tuesday evening for a sitting 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.
