Liberating mind and heart: Practice and study of Loving-kindness with Shaila Catherine. Loving-kindness (mettā) is a profound quality of friendliness that leads to what is known as immeasurable liberation of mind. As a practice, mettā heals the heart, meets the pains of life with sensitivity, strengthens inner serenity to support concentration, and finally culminates in [...]
Shaila Catherine will lead a program of study and meditation on the theme of Liberating Attitudes at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. October 1-6, 2017 The Buddha taught that the perspectives we bring to our practice will impact what develops. His teachings encourage attitudes of forgiveness, peace, letting go, balance, curiosity, faith, and the [...]
Distraction: Strategies for Overcoming Distracting Thoughts Mental restlessness is an insidious and pervasive hindrance that most practitioners struggle to overcome. We can refine our skills for working with the modes of thinking that distract us from being mindful and disrupt concentration: critical thoughts, planning, worrying, lustful thoughts, judging, memories, internal commentaries, to name a few. [...]
Concentration and Jhana in the Buddha's Teachings A study course with Shaila Catherine Jhana, Absorption, and Undistracted Attention February 15-20, 2019 This program combines study and meditation to explore the essential role that concentration plays in the Buddha's teachings. We will examine how the absorptive states of jhana are presented in the early discourses, and [...]
The Buddha's Teachings on Mindfulness of Breathing with Shaila Catherine November 12-18, 2021 This course will explore the practice and study of ānāpānasati, the Buddha’s sixteen step-by-step instructions on Mindfulness with Breathing. Mindfulness with breathing is considered to be one of the most important meditation subjects in the Nikāyas — it is a profound and [...]