The Buddha taught a progressive approach to awakening, where we use mindfulness of body, breath, thoughts, feelings, and the world as a gateway to seeing change and letting go of clinging. In letting go, a quality of aware presence that is not dependent upon any of these mindfulness approaches begins to shine forth. In this retreat, we will provide a foundation of traditional mindfulness and then shift to emphasizing the sense of knowing itself that rests behind, with, and within the multitude of experiences we have. The Buddhist monk Ajahn Sumedho terms this working with the “sound of silence.” It is a practice where awareness itself becomes primary, and letting go is simply the natural function of this quiet, spacious sense of being aware.
This workshop will combine reflection, guided and silent meditation periods, and time for discussion at the end. All levels of experience are welcome.
Matthew Daniell is the guiding teacher of NSIMC. He has been practicing Buddhist meditation since the 1980s, including over a decade in Asia, where he practiced Zen intensively in Japan, Tibetan Buddhism in India, and Insight meditation in Burma, India, and Thailand. Read more about Matthew on his teacher page.
The fee for this program is $48 ($45 cash or check). To register and pay online, click below; if paying by cash or check, send an email to northshoreimc@gmail.com.