Spring Offerings 2010 Awakening Joy Monday evenings 6:30 – 8:00pm, Neighbors Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro April 12th to
June 14th (10
weeks) Previous experience with Insight meditation a prerequisite
An Introduction to Insight Meditation Tuesday evenings 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Neighbors Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro April 13th to June 1st (8 weeks)
Turning Vinegar into Honey: Transforming Irritation and Frustration into Kindness and Patience Tuesday evenings, 6:30 – 8:00pm, 176 Main Street, Suite 306, Brattleboro April 13th
to June 15th (10 weeks) Recognizing and Strengthening the Seven Factors of Awakening Thursday evenings 6:30 – 8:00pm, Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro April 15th to June 17th (10 weeks) Previous experience with Insight meditation a prerequisite *** New Online Introduction to Meditation Course
Insight meditation leads to clear seeing into the nature of our hearts and minds, revealing an inherent clarity, openness and ease. Learn the practice and philosophy of Insight Meditation through excellent resource materials, a meditation teacher and an online learning community. Using Moodle conferencing, students have asynchronous 24/7 access to the course. Online students have the ability to ask the teacher questions on a regular basis and to talk about the core principles and their applications to daily life in small discussion groups. Call (802) 254-7077 or email information@vermontinsight.org for further information. Taught by Claire
Stanley, Guiding
Teacher and Co-Founder of Vermont Insight Winter Offerings 2010 Training the Mind: Seeing Things as They Are In the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha adds a refrain to the exploration of each of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. In this refrain, he points to the Three Characteristics of all experience: the insubstantiality (anatta), impermanence (anicca), and unsatisfactoriness (dukkha). Seeing clearly into the truth of the Three Characteristics, he promises, is the sure path to liberation. This course is for experienced students. Selected readings given each week. $10 fee to Vermont Insight for photocopying of materials. Taught by Jack Millett and Claire Stanley Monday evenings 6:30 – 8:00pm, Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro January 11th to March 15th (10 weeks) Begin Again: Re-Connecting with and Deepening Our Practice Especially designed for those who would like to resume a consistent meditation practice, this course guides you to explore both meditation and applied mindfulness in the midst of daily life with the help of a teacher and a supportive group. You will be able to connect to the richness of the ancient teachings and come to understand the path of practice and its integration into all aspects of what it means to be a human being. Voices of Insight by Sharon Salzberg is the core text. Open to anyone who has already received initial instruction in Vipassana meditation or Mindfulness practice. Taught by Jack Millett Transforming the Roots of Suffering The Buddha once said, “I teach one thing and one thing only: suffering and the end of suffering.” In this course we explore in depth the Buddha’s core teachings as they relate to our moment-to-moment life experience. We investigate the nature of suffering, what the Buddha taught about it, and how we can transform the roots of suffering through meditation practice and mindfulness in daily life. The core text is The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield, supplemented by other readings. Taught by Claire Stanley and Jack Millett Thursday evenings 6:30 – 8:00pm, Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro January 14th to March 18th (10 weeks) Noticing Light in the Season of Darkness: Mindfulness and Depression As the time of year arrives when the days become shorter, it is not uncommon for many of us to notice our moods and thoughts being adversely affected by the change in the light. This year, Vermont Insight is pleased to offer a course that can help us work with depression through mindfulness practices. Over the past ten years, teachers of mindfulness meditation and psychotherapists have developed a program that has been extremely helpful to those living with depression. Participants found they were able to develop the capacity to mindfully disengage from distressing moods and negative thoughts. Join us in a group of like-minded practitioners in a supportive group environment. We will read the book The Zen Path through Depression by Philip Martin. Taught by Cheryl Wilfong Tuesday evenings 6:30 – 8:00pm, Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro December 1st – February 2nd (10 weeks) Dana and Fees For 2600 years, since the time of the Buddha, the teachings have been considered priceless and have been offered freely. Within the Theravada Buddhist tradition, generosity or Dana is practiced by making an offering to the teachers. In Asian countries, this has meant offering food, clothing and shelter to the monks and nuns who teach in those countries. As Buddhism has come to the West, lay teachers have sought to preserve this tradition in a way that maintains the integrity of the tradition and yet makes sense and supports the continuation of the teachings. The teachers offer the Dana or generosity of their teaching and they are supported through the Dana of the students and the community. Weekly or bi-monthly sitting groups and daylong meditation retreats are offered on a Dana basis. For the ten-week courses, there is a registration fee to Vermont Insight of $50. This fee contributes to all expenses incurred to Vermont Insight in relation to the course offerings. Many students have asked what is appropriate to offer as Dana to the course teachers. A donation of $180 or more, according to your financial means, is suggested. For eight-week courses there is a registration fee of $40 with a suggested donation of $150. Please call (802) 254-7077 or email information@vermontinsight.org to request information or to register for a course. Fall Offerings 2009 Recognizing and Strengthening the Seven Factors of Awakening The teaching on the Seven Factors of Awakening gives us a glimpse into the experience of a heart-mind released from the burden of clinging. Each one of the seven factors can be developed on a practical level in our daily lives and on a spiritual level in our meditation practice. In this course, participants study, learn to recognize, and learn how to strengthen and balance the seven factors in life and on the cushion. Weekly readings from a wide variety of sources. There is a $10 fee for materials. For experienced students. Taught by Jack Millett and Claire Stanley Monday evenings 6:30 – 8:00pm, Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro September 21st – November 23rd (10 weeks) Awakening Joy Most people strive for more joy in their lives; yet still find it an elusive experience. From the direct teachings of the Buddha, to writings by the Dalai Lama and others, to recent findings in the scientific community, we now have more opportunities to understand what joy actually is and how to choose it in the midst of our lives. Readings from Buddhist texts complement the core text for our study, reflection, and practice of joy. The core text is How We Choose to be Happy by Rick Foster and Greg Hicks. Taught by Claire Stanley and Jack Millett Thursday evenings 6:30 – 8:00pm, Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro September 10th to November 19th (10 weeks – no class on October 8th when we are in Washington, DC with the Dalai Lama) Calming The Anxious Mind Living with the stresses of today’s fast-paced world, we can often experience the increase of anxiety as our default response. In this course, participants explore how mindfulness can relieve the stress of worrying about the future by focusing on the present moment – all we really ever have. Awareness of the body allows us to notice, and not to misinterpret, sensations of the body. As we develop skills for calming and relaxing the body, we are able to restore equilibrium in our lives. The text for the class is Calming Your Anxious Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Anxiety, Fear, and Panic by Jeffrey Brantley. Taught by Cheryl Wilfong Tuesday evenings 6:30 – 8:00pm, 167 Main Street, Suite #306, Brattleboro September 15th to October 20th (6 weeks) Summer Offerings 2009 Interrupting the Busy-ness of Life Although we set the intention to be mindful, we are often pulled into the circumstances and events of our lives, leaving us feeling busy and distracted. It is easy to revert to automatic pilot, yet this strategy increases dissatisfaction and lack of ease. The Buddha taught mindfulness as the "cure" to this same problem 2,500 years ago. We will explore how mindfulness is still applicable and beneficial in the midst of our 21st century lives as an antidote to the pace and complexity of everyday life. Suitable for new and experienced students, this five-week course revives and deepens the practice and experience of mindfulness in meditation and in our lives. Our textbook will be Coming to Our Senses by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Taught by Cheryl Wilfong Tuesday evenings 6:30 - 8pm, Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro June 2nd to 30th (5 weeks) Introduction to Insight Meditation Course A course for those who are new to meditation or who would like to begin again, Insight meditation leads to clear seeing into the nature of our hearts and minds, revealing an inherent clarity, openness, and ease. Course sessions include meditation instructions, discussions, and weekly assignments. Participants learn how to establish a daily meditation practice as well as how to maintain compassionate and mindful living, studied within the context of a supportive group. Insight Meditation by Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein is the core text with CD’s. Taught by Jack Millett Monday evenings 6:30 - 8pm, Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro June 22nd to July 27th (6 weeks) Spring Offerings 2009 Investigating the Nature of Self Who am I or What is this Me are questions we have asked ourselves since the beginning of time. From the Buddhist perspective, the Five Aggregates are what constitute a self in an interactive, dynamic relationship with the causes and conditions of life. In this course, we explore this core teaching, which is considered by many to be the Jewel of all the Buddha’s teachings. For experienced students. Weekly readings from a wide variety of sources. There is a $10 fee for the copying of these materials. Taught by: Jack Millett and Claire Stanley Monday evenings 6:30 - 8:00pm, Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro March 23rd to May 25th (10 weeks) An Introduction to Insight Meditation A course for those who are new to meditation or who would like to begin again, Insight Meditation leads to clear seeing into the nature of our hearts and minds, revealing an inherent clarity, openness, and ease. Course sessions include meditation instructions, discussions, and weekly assignments. Participants learn how to establish a daily meditation practice as well as how to maintain compassionate and mindful living, studied within the context of a supportive group. Insight Meditation by Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein is the core text with CD’s. Taught by Jack Millett or Claire Stanley Tuesday evenings 6:30 - 8:00pm, Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro March 24th to May 12th (8 weeks) Cultivating Tranquility, Harvesting Insight When we cultivate tranquility, we calm the mind and concentrate it in the present moment. When we harvest insight, we look deeply into the nature of things. In this class, we aim toward cultivating tranquility, developing focus, and growing concentration. We explore the five kinds of static that interfere with a focused mind and we learn to identify the five indicators of concentration, such as joy or happiness. When the mind is focused and concentration deepens, we are able to notice the truth of things and the natural ease that follows insight. The core text for this course is Focused and Fearless by Shaila Catherine. Taught by: Cheryl Wilfong Tuesday evenings 6:30 - 8pm, 167 Main Street, Suite 306, Brattleboro April 7th to May 26th (8 weeks) Letting Go, Letting Be Our lives may consistent of numerous unquestioned habits – some that serve us well and others that don’t. Through mindfulness and investigation, with a background of lovingkindness, we can begin to explore our habits at the mind level and the action level. We can experience letting go of unskillful habits and letting be or strengthening skillful habits. This practice can lead us to greater freedom and equanimity in our lives and be of great benefit to those closest to us and even to those we do not know well. The core text is Let Go: A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits by Martine Batchelor. Taught by: Claire Stanley and Jack Millett Thursday evenings 6:30 - 8:00pm, Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro March 26th to May 28th (10 weeks) Winter Offerings 2009 Contemplation of Mind: Working with Emotions In the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha laid out a complete curriculum for awakening through the Four Foundations of Mindfulness – mindfulness of body, feelings, mind and mind objects. In this course, we explore the third foundation that is contemplation of mind with the aim of inclining the mind toward liberation through the development of a skillful relationship with emotions. This course if for experienced students. Selected readings given each week. $10 fee to Vermont Insight for photocopying of materials. Taught by: Jack Millett and Claire Stanley Monday evenings 6:30 - 8:00pm at Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro January 5th to March 9th (10 weeks) Walking the Path, Cultivating Happiness To walk the path of the Middle Way, one investigates eight factors that lead to a life of cultivating happiness, wisdom, and compassion. In this course, we explore four of the eight factors: Right Understanding, Energy, Mindfulness, and Concentration. These four are rooted in our meditation practice and when studied and practiced with like-minded friends, can open up new levels of insight and understanding. The core text is The Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness by Bhante Gunaratana, supplemented by other readings. Taught by: Claire Stanley and Jack Millett Thursday evenings 6:30 – 8:00pm at Neighbors’ Hall, Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue, Brattleboro January 8th to March 12th (10 weeks) |
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