Shows
Serenity guided meditationsShaila_Catherine_s_Blueprint_for_Jhana_Mastery.Shaila_Catherine_s_Blueprint_for_Jhana_Mastery.
2025-12-2731 minSerenity guided meditationsInterview on Shaila Catherine's teachings on samadhiexamine the theory and practice of intensive meditation retreats, highlighting their role in deepening self-understanding and mental clarity. They describe the nine step-by-step dwellings of concentration, ranging from the four fine material jhānas to the four immaterial attainments, ultimately leading to the cessation of perception and feeling. Shaila Catherine explains that these states are reached by systematically abandoning unwholesome qualities and refining the focus from physical sensations to subtle mental signs. The texts contrast access concentration, where sensory awareness may persist, with deep absorption, where the mind becomes unified with its object and secluded from the senses. Through various Bud...
2025-12-2534 min
Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge: dharma talks and meditation instructionShaila Catherine: Danger of Fixation: Right View As The Path(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) In this talk, Shaila Catherine explores right view and addresses the danger of attaching to a position, philosophy, belief, or opinion. Primary sources that inspired this talk include suttas numbered 72 and 74 the Middle Length discourses. By recognizing the problems created by clinging to beliefs and opinions, we choose instead to bring mindfulness to our direct experience and investigate what is actually happening in this present encounter with mind and body. This pragmatic path of mindful investigation leads to liberation.
2025-07-2822 minInsight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge: dharma talks and meditation instructionShaila Catherine: Patience(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) In this brief reflection, Shaila Catherine speaks about the role of patience in meditation practice. We need patience to endure conditions that we cannot control, such as heat and cold, mosquito bites, and unpleasant or wanted perceptions. We need patience to continue to cultivate mindfulness without judging our degree of success. We need patience to trust the spiritual faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom to gradually mature. We need patience to observe the flow of lived experiences, simply meeting each moment with the interest to know what is being known, and the...
2025-07-2413 minInsight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge: dharma talks and meditation instructionShaila Catherine: What Must Be Known(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) In this talk, Shaila Catherine encourages meditative investigation and curiosity to know the mind well. The teaching is based on AN 6.131, that instructs meditators to know 6 things (sensual desire, feelings, perceptions, taints, kamma/action, suffering) in 6 ways (the phenomena as it appears, causes/origins, diversity, outcome/effects, cessation, and way leading to cessation).
2025-07-2141 min
Treasure Mountain PodcastSilent Meditation Retreats: A Journey of Self-Discovery & Inner Peace | Shaila CatherineHave you learned the basics of meditation and wanted to take things deeper? Have you heard about silent meditation retreats and wondered what they are like? If so, you’ve arrived at the right place as in this episode we are going to discuss why we should go on meditation retreats, with a focus on the commonly available nine or ten day retreat format. Also we’ll discuss what we might expect when going on meditation retreats and some of the obstacles we might encounter and how to overcome them, and how to integrate this all into a deeper prac...
2023-11-2753 min
Escaping Samsara#37 Shaila Catherine on Jhanas and Awakening Shaila Catherine is the founder of Insight Meditation South Bay, a meditation group in Silicon Valley, and also Bodhi Courses, an online Buddhist classroom. She has been practicing meditation since 1980, with more than nine years of accumulated silent retreat experience. She has taught since 1996 in the USA, and internationally. Shaila studied with several Asian masters in India, Thailand, and Nepal, including H. W. L. Poonja, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, in addition to the founders of several western meditation centers including Christopher Titmuss and Joseph Goldstein. She completed a one-year intensive meditation retreat with the fo...
2023-03-221h 27Escaping Samsara#37 Shaila Catherine on Jhanas and Awakening Shaila Catherine is the founder of Insight Meditation South Bay, a meditation group in Silicon Valley, and also Bodhi Courses, an online Buddhist classroom. She has been practicing meditation since 1980, with more than nine years of accumulated silent retreat experience. She has taught since 1996 in the USA, and internationally. Shaila studied with several Asian masters in India, Thailand, and Nepal, including H. W. L. Poonja, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, in addition to the founders of several western meditation centers including Christopher Titmuss and Joseph Goldstein. She completed a one-year intensive meditation retreat with the fo...
2023-03-221h 27
The Wisdom PodcastShaila Catherine: Beyond DistractionThis episode of the Wisdom Podcast features Shaila Catherine, who has been practicing meditation since 1980, with more than eight years of accumulated silent retreat experience. She has taught insight meditation since 1996 in the U.S. and internationally, dedicating several years to studying with masters in India, Nepal, and Thailand. She is the founder of Bodhi Courses—an online Dhamma classroom, and Insight Meditation South Bay—a Buddhist meditation center in Silicon Valley. Shaila has completed a one-year intensive meditation retreat and trained in jhana, metta, samadhi, and vipassana practices. Shaila is also the author of Beyond Distraction, Focused and Fearless...
2023-02-181h 18
Perennial WisdomBuddhist Wisdom for Modern Living | Kevin Griffin, Shaila Catherine, and Nic Bommarito📩 Want daily wisdom? Sign up for Perennial Meditations to receive ancient lessons for modern life: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe
In the episode, you’ll hear clips from some of my favorite conversations on Buddhist wisdom. The first portion of the episode comes from my conversation with Kevin Griffin (the author of Living Kindness), followed by my interview with Shaila Catherine (the author of Beyond Distraction). Then finally, the episode closes with a portion of my conversation with Nic Bommarito (the author of Seeing Clearly).
The conversations explore a wide range of topics,
Suffering
Four...
2023-01-0542 min
Perennial WisdomShaila Catherine | Five Practical Ways to Focus the Mind📩 Want ancient lessons for modern life delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the Perennial Meditations newsletter.
In this episode, my guest is Shaila Catherine, the author of Beyond Distraction: Five Practical Ways to Focus the Mind. Shaila is a renowned meditation teacher and author of three books on concentration and insight meditation. She teaches meditation retreats worldwide and founded Bodhi Courses, an online dharma classroom. Shaila is the principal teacher for Insight Meditation South Bay, a center for mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom in Silicon Valley, California. You can learn more about Shaila’s work at shail...
2022-09-071h 07
Teaching MeditationShaila Catherine: When Students Get DistractedShaila Catherine rejoins us on the program. We discuss several ancient practices, including the asubha practice (sometimes called "foulness of the body") and what the Buddha calls "crushing mind with mind," and how these practices do and don't work for modern students. Shaila also describes her own process for finding a teacher once one is already a teacher. She has just written a new book called Beyond Distraction: Five Practical Ways to Focus the Mind, so our conversation veers as well into helping students who are struggling with distracted minds.Support the show
2022-08-091h 03
Immerse Yourself In The Transformative Full Audiobook Experience!Beyond Distraction by Shaila CatherinePlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/2/audible/184106to listen full audiobooks.
Title: Beyond Distraction
Author: Shaila Catherine
Narrator: Shaila Catherine
Format: mp3
Length: 7 hrs
Release date: 07-13-22
Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars, 10 ratings
Genres: Meditation
Publisher's Summary:
Insight meditation teacher Shaila Catherine offers an accessible approach to training the mind that is guided by the Buddha’s pragmatic instructions on removing distracting thoughts. Drawing on two scriptures in the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, Shaila shows you how to overcome habitual modes of thinking, develop deeper concentration, and discover the insights into emptiness that are vital for a liberating spiritual pa...
2022-07-1330 min
10% Happier with Dan HarrisFive Ways to be Less Distracted | Shaila CatherineNew episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- One of the most common and insidious complaints of meditators is distraction, which can be a frustrating and difficult obstacle. Even the Buddha himself acknowledged this common problem and laid out some detailed practices for dealing with it. In this episode, Shaila Catherine outlines the Buddha's five strategies to help us tackle distractions, which can be applied to our meditation practice as well as other aspects of our lives.
2022-06-221h 09
The Secular BuddhistEpisode 337 :: Shaila Catherine :: Beyond DistractionShaila Catherine returns to the podcast to speak about her new book Beyond Distraction: Five Practical Ways to Focus the Mind.
2022-05-2700 minThe Wisdom PodcastShaila Catherine: Beyond DistractionThis episode of the Wisdom Podcast features Shaila Catherine, who has been practicing meditation since 1980, with more than eight years of accumulated silent retreat experience. She has taught insight meditation since 1996 in the U.S. and internationally, dedicating several years to studying with masters in India, Nepal, and Thailand. She is the founder of Bodhi Courses—an online Dhamma classroom, and Insight Meditation South Bay—a Buddhist meditation center in Silicon Valley. Shaila has completed a one-year intensive meditation retreat and trained in jhana, metta, samadhi, and vipassana practices. Shaila is also the author of Beyond Distraction, Focused and Fearless...
2022-05-161h 17
10% Happier with Dan HarrisHow To Focus | Shaila CatherineNew episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- Many of us find our minds flitting all over the place, in meditation and elsewhere. In today's episode we're going to learn practical techniques for boosting concentration on and off the cushion. This is the second episode in a two-part series on focus we are airing this week. Today's guest is an Olympic-level concentrator who has tons of tips for staying focused. We also talk about one of the more exotic...
2022-04-131h 10
5 minute podcast summaries of: Tim Ferriss, Hidden Brain, Sam Harris, Lex Fridman, Jordan Peterson#348: How to Focus | Shaila Catherine | Ten Percent Happier with Dan HarrisOther podcast summaries if you're on Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/5-min-summariesOr in other apps: search 'podcast summaries'.Original episode link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-percent-happier-with-dan-harris/id1087147821?i=1000522305657Written Summary: https://www.owltail.com/summaries/kjNkn-348-How-to-Focus-Shaila-Catherine
2021-05-2503 minTen Percent Happier with Dan Harris | 5 minute podcast summaries#348: How to Focus | Shaila Catherine | Ten Percent Happier with Dan HarrisOther podcast summaries if you're on Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/5-min-summariesOr in other apps: search 'podcast summaries'.Original episode link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-percent-happier-with-dan-harris/id1087147821?i=1000522305657Written Summary: https://www.owltail.com/summaries/kjNkn-348-How-to-Focus-Shaila-Catherine
2021-05-2503 min
10% Happier with Dan HarrisHow to Focus | Shaila CatherineLiving as we do in an era that has been called the info blitzkrieg, staying focused can be extremely difficult for many of us. This can be true when we're working and trying to stay on task. It can also be true in meditation, when we might find our minds flitting all over the place. My guest today is an Olympic-level concentrator and she has tons of tips for staying focused. We also talk about one of my favorite meditation subjects: the altered states of consciousness called "the jhanas" that are apparently available to advanced meditators who can attain super-deep...
2021-05-191h 12Teaching MeditationShaila Catherine: Teaching Towards Full LiberationShaila Catherine is the founder of Insight Meditation South Bay, a meditation group in Silicon Valley, and also Bodhi Courses, an online Buddhist classroom. She has been practicing meditation since 1980, with more than nine years of accumulated silent retreat experience. She has taught since 1996 in the USA, and internationally. She completed a one-year intensive meditation retreat with the focus on concentration and jhana, and authored Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity. Shaila practiced under the guidance of Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw from 2006-2015, and authored Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Han...
2021-04-271h 03
Dharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Refraining from Sexual Misconduct(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This talk addresses the third ethical precept — refraining from sexual misconduct. Practicing with the precepts involves becoming mindful of our actions, recognizing the effects that our actions have on ourselves and others, learning to respond to our thoughts and feelings with wisdom, kindness, and restraint, and honoring our commitments. This precept provides opportunities to work with the movement of sexual desire and sensual lust. The views of sexuality that were prevalent in ancient India differ from contemporary norms, however, we can apply the underlying intention toward non-harming to contemplate and purify our own co...
2021-03-0935 min
Aloka Vihara Forest Monastery: Ayya Santussika's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Refraining from Sexual Misconduct(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This talk addresses the third ethical precept — refraining from sexual misconduct. Practicing with the precepts involves becoming mindful of our actions, recognizing the effects that our actions have on ourselves and others, learning to respond to our thoughts and feelings with wisdom, kindness, and restraint, and honoring our commitments. This precept provides opportunities to work with the movement of sexual desire and sensual lust. The views of sexuality that were prevalent in ancient India differ from contemporary norms, however, we can apply the underlying intention toward non-harming to contemplate and purify our own co...
2021-03-0935 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Cultivating Patience(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine discusses the importance of patience in our practice. This talk explores benefits, opportunities, and challenges that we experience when cultivating this often under appreciated virtue of patience.
2020-06-3045 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Suffering and Its End(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this talk, Shaila Catherine addresses the great teaching of the Buddha known as the four noble truths: 1) suffering, 2) the cause of suffering is craving, 3) the end of suffering, and 4) the path leading to the end of suffering. Shaila Catherine explores each of the four truths through inspiring sutta references and daily life examples that show how we can live our daily lives from the perspective of liberating wisdom. Rather than engage in endless philosophical speculations or become attached to views and opinions, the Buddha taught a practical path based on the recognition...
2020-02-0446 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Mindfulness of the Body: A Guided Meditation with Sequential Touch Sensations(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this guided meditation, Shaila Catherine introduces a practice of mindfulness of the body by observing a sequence of touch sensations. This meditation guides practitioners to gradually move attention through a series of bodily locations where the feet, buttocks, hands, lips, and eye lids touch. At each location we pause to experience the present sensations that are known at that place of touching. After exploring touch points, we broader the field of attention to the whole body sitting. By alternating the focus of attention between precise and clear points of contact, and broad...
2020-02-0425 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Dawn of the Liberating Path - Accomplishment in Careful Attention(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The Buddha teaches that, just as the dawn precedes the rising sun, so developing certain qualities prepares us for fully engaging in our practice of the Noble Eightfold Path. Seven of these qualities are taught in the Magga Samyutta (SN 45:49-90): good friends, and the accomplishments in virtue, desire, self, view, diligence, and careful attention. This series of brief talks, Shaila Catherine introduces each of these qualities and illuminates how their development can support our path to liberation.
2019-12-2117 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Dawn of the Liberating Path - Accomplishment in Diligence(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The Buddha teaches that, just as the dawn precedes the rising sun, so developing certain qualities prepares us for fully engaging in our practice of the Noble Eightfold Path. Seven of these qualities are taught in the Magga Samyutta (SN 45:49-90): good friends, and the accomplishments in virtue, desire, self, view, diligence, and careful attention. This series of brief talks, Shaila Catherine introduces each of these qualities and illuminates how their development can support our path to liberation.
2019-12-1815 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Ways to Awaken: Five Ways to Become An Arahant(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) In this talk, Shaila Catherine explores five ways that one may become fully awakened—an arahant. The teaching is based on a discourse found in the Anguttara Nikaya (AN 5:26). These ways include awakening 1) by listening to someone teach the dhamma, 2) while teaching the dhamma, 3) by reciting the teachings in detail as one has learned them, 4) while pondering, examining and investigating the dhamma, and 5) through penetrative wisdom with an object of concentration. Study, reflection, and deep meditation create conducive conditions for awakening. Study informs and inspires our meditation practice; meditation produces depth and clarity in un...
2019-12-1747 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Dawn of the Liberating Path - Accomplishment in Self(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The Buddha teaches that, just as the dawn precedes the rising sun, so developing certain qualities prepares us for fully engaging in our practice of the Noble Eightfold Path. Seven of these qualities are taught in the Magga Samyutta (SN 45:49-90): good friends, and the accomplishments in virtue, desire, self, view, diligence, and careful attention. This series of brief talks, Shaila Catherine introduces each of these qualities and illuminates how their development can support our path to liberation.
2019-12-1617 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Dawn of the Liberating Path - Accomplishment of Desire(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The Buddha teaches that, just as the dawn precedes the rising sun, so developing certain qualities prepares us for fully engaging in our practice of the Noble Eightfold Path. Seven of these qualities are taught in the Magga Samyutta (SN 45:49-90): good friends, and the accomplishments in virtue, desire, self, view, diligence, and careful attention. This series of brief talks, Shaila Catherine introduces each of these qualities and illuminates how their development can support our path to liberation.
2019-12-1122 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Power Of Balance(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) In this talk, Shaila Catherine suggests that everyone is responsible for their own state of balance. She explores several practical areas for cultivating a balanced approach to practice including: aligning the body posture with the force of gravity, recognizing how mindfulness brings a balanced relationship to sensory experiences, and cultivating a non-reactive attitude toward both pleasant and unpleasant feelings. We learn to quickly restore our emotional balance whenever we find ourselves entangled in stories or personal dramas. We refine our ability to apply balanced effort in the way that we engage with meditation. And...
2019-12-1035 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Dawn of the Liberating Path - Accomplishment of View(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The Buddha teaches that, just as the dawn precedes the rising sun, so developing certain qualities prepares us for fully engaging in our practice of the Noble Eightfold Path. Seven of these qualities are taught in the Magga Samyutta (SN 45:49-90): good friends, and the accomplishments in virtue, desire, self, view, diligence, and careful attention. This series of brief talks, Shaila Catherine introduces each of these qualities and illuminates how their development can support our path to liberation.
2019-12-0915 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Dawn of the Liberating Path - Accomplishment of Virtue(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The Buddha teaches that, just as the dawn precedes the rising sun, so developing certain qualities prepares us for fully engaging in our practice of the Noble Eightfold Path. Seven of these qualities are taught in the Magga Samyutta (SN 45:49-90): good friends, and the accomplishments in virtue, desire, self, view, diligence, and careful attention. This series of brief talks, Shaila Catherine introduces each of these qualities and illuminates how their development can support our path to liberation.
2019-12-0417 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: How Meditation Supports the Path of Awakening(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Scientists have documented some significant and measurable changes that occur as a result of meditation. But Buddhist practice is not limited to calm, pleasant, relaxing states of meditation. The liberating path includes a broad range of practices that produce a wide variety of benefits. We learn how we encounter the world of the senses; we unravel distortions of perception. We weaken defilements. We learn to let go. In this talk, Shaila Catherine points to the liberating potential of the path.
2019-12-0334 min
Nikki Mirghafori's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)Shaila Catherine: Taking the Problem out of Pain(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this talk, Shaila Catherine encourages practitioners to view illness and pain as opportunities to practice equanimity, patience, and mindfulness of the body. When we are sick or in pain, we can still practice being attentive to present conditions, and reflect that all beings are all also subject to illness and death. Illness is not wrong; it is inevitable. The more we resist this fact, the more mental suffering we add to our physical difficulties. When we learn to be present with both pleasant and unpleasant feelings, we will know an experience of...
2019-07-1647 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Taking the Problem out of Pain(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this talk, Shaila Catherine encourages practitioners to view illness and pain as opportunities to practice equanimity, patience, and mindfulness of the body. When we are sick or in pain, we can still practice being attentive to present conditions, and reflect that all beings are all also subject to illness and death. Illness is not wrong; it is inevitable. The more we resist this fact, the more mental suffering we add to our physical difficulties. When we learn to be present with both pleasant and unpleasant feelings, we will know an experience of...
2019-07-1647 min
Dharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Andrea Fella's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Commitment to Enlightenment(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this talk, Shaila Catherine explores the purpose of meditation practice. By knowing the goal of the Buddhist path, we can avoid becoming satisfied with deceptive attainments such as mere joy, calmness, and concentration. These pleasant states are not the aim of the liberating path. If we become attached to these temporary states and initial attainments, they become impediments on the path and can prevent the realization of the ultimate goal of awakening.
2018-04-2430 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Commitment to Enlightenment(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this talk, Shaila Catherine explores the purpose of meditation practice. By knowing the goal of the Buddhist path, we can avoid becoming satisfied with deceptive attainments such as mere joy, calmness, and concentration. These pleasant states are not the aim of the liberating path. If we become attached to these temporary states and initial attainments, they become impediments on the path and can prevent the realization of the ultimate goal of awakening.
2018-04-2430 min
Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley: Kim Allen's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Commitment to Enlightenment(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this talk, Shaila Catherine explores the purpose of meditation practice. By knowing the goal of the Buddhist path, we can avoid becoming satisfied with deceptive attainments such as mere joy, calmness, and concentration. These pleasant states are not the aim of the liberating path. If we become attached to these temporary states and initial attainments, they become impediments on the path and can prevent the realization of the ultimate goal of awakening.
2018-04-2430 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Feeling Emotions on the Meditative Path of Awakening(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine discusses the importance of developing mindfulness of emotions and mental states. Human beings have the capacity to experience a wide range of emotions—they may be subtle or intense, unwholesome or wholesome. Working with emotions requires energy and courage to be willing to face the raw fact that this mental state is present. We can become aware of, and work skillfully with, any emotional state including anger, hate, gratitude, fear, sadness, calmness, insecurity, contentment, grief, tranquility, lust, compassion, loneliness, jealousy, envy, restlessness, peacefulness, faith, love. Emotions are changing mental states that ar...
2017-12-1941 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: The Peace of Not-Clinging: A Guided Meditation(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine offers this 20-minute teaching on impermanence and not-clinging in the mode of guided meditation instructions. We practice being unattached to pleasant and unpleasant feelings and releasing all clinging connected with sensual desire or aversion. To cultivate non-clinging, first notice the experience of clinging, perhaps by observing physical tightness, mental contraction, or a sense of separation. As you become mindful of the changing nature of experiences, allow yourself to deeply accept this fact of impermanence. Allow experiences to arise and be known, and also let them end.
2017-12-0920 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Working with Hindrances in Meditation: A Guided Meditation Instruction(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This 25-minute guided meditation by Shaila Catherine explores ways of recognizing and working with the five classic hindrances that arise in meditation: sensual desire, anger, sloth and torpor, restlessness, and doubt. We observe how hindrances arise, and learn how to respond wisely to them.
2017-12-0925 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Gratitude(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this Dharma talk given as Thanksgiving approaches, Shaila Catherine discusses the benefits of gratitude and a perspective of thankfulness. She notes that studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between gratitude and happiness, and awareness of well-being in life.
2017-11-2133 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Mahakaccana: Clarifying the Most Cryptic Teachings(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine concluded our lecture series on the Great Disciples, with a talk about the Venerable Mahakaccana. He was a monk famous for explaining difficult and perplexing teachings. The Buddha sometimes gave brief teachings that left the listeners confused. Sometimes the disciples did not ask the Buddha questions to clarify their doubt. Instead they sought out another monk to elucidate the matter and explain the detailed meaning. The Pali Canon preserves several insightful discourses in which initial enigmatic teachings by the Buddha are systematically explained by Venerable Mahakaccana. He addresses profound topics including...
2017-10-1742 min
Margaret Gainer's most recent Dharma talks (Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley)Shaila Catherine: Mahakaccana: Clarifying the Most Cryptic Teachings(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine concluded our lecture series on the Great Disciples, with a talk about the Venerable Mahakaccana. He was a monk famous for explaining difficult and perplexing teachings. The Buddha sometimes gave brief teachings that left the listeners confused. Sometimes the disciples did not ask the Buddha questions to clarify their doubt. Instead they sought out another monk to elucidate the matter and explain the detailed meaning. The Pali Canon preserves several insightful discourses in which initial enigmatic teachings by the Buddha are systematically explained by Venerable Mahakaccana. He addresses profound topics including...
2017-10-1742 minAloka Vihara Forest Monastery: Ayya Santussika's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Mahakaccana: Clarifying the Most Cryptic Teachings(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine concluded our lecture series on the Great Disciples, with a talk about the Venerable Mahakaccana. He was a monk famous for explaining difficult and perplexing teachings. The Buddha sometimes gave brief teachings that left the listeners confused. Sometimes the disciples did not ask the Buddha questions to clarify their doubt. Instead they sought out another monk to elucidate the matter and explain the detailed meaning. The Pali Canon preserves several insightful discourses in which initial enigmatic teachings by the Buddha are systematically explained by Venerable Mahakaccana. He addresses profound topics including...
2017-10-1742 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Three Aspects of Concentration and the Simile of the Goldsmith: A Guided Meditation(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this meditation instruction Shaila Catherine shares a Discourse of the Buddha (AN 3:101) in which he employs the simile of a goldsmith to teach skillful ways to deepen concentration. From time to time meditators adjust the quality of attention to periodically increase calmness, intensify energetic effort, or observe with a relaxed and non-interfering quality of mindfulness. This meditation instruction offers practical meditation skills for strengthening concentration.
2017-10-0325 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Angulimala: An Ethical Transformation(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this first talk in a lecture series on the Great Disciples, the speaker, Shaila
Catherine, tells the life story of Angulimala and his transformation from notorious robber and murdered to a peaceful, compassionate, truthful, and awakened monk. It is an inspiring example of the power of restraint, and the potential for redemption. Habits and dispositions do not need to control our lives. We can stop unwholesome, unhealthy, and harmful courses of conduct. We can purify our minds.
2017-09-1227 minAloka Vihara Forest Monastery: Ayya Santussika's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Angulimala: An Ethical Transformation(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this first talk in a lecture series on the Great Disciples, the speaker, Shaila
Catherine, tells the life story of Angulimala and his transformation from notorious robber and murdered to a peaceful, compassionate, truthful, and awakened monk. It is an inspiring example of the power of restraint, and the potential for redemption. Habits and dispositions do not need to control our lives. We can stop unwholesome, unhealthy, and harmful courses of conduct. We can purify our minds.
2017-09-1227 minMargaret Gainer's most recent Dharma talks (Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley)Shaila Catherine: Angulimala: An Ethical Transformation(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this first talk in a lecture series on the Great Disciples, the speaker, Shaila
Catherine, tells the life story of Angulimala and his transformation from notorious robber and murdered to a peaceful, compassionate, truthful, and awakened monk. It is an inspiring example of the power of restraint, and the potential for redemption. Habits and dispositions do not need to control our lives. We can stop unwholesome, unhealthy, and harmful courses of conduct. We can purify our minds.
2017-09-1227 minNikki Mirghafori's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)Shaila Catherine: The Role of Feelings and Emotions in Decision Making(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the fifth talk in a speaker series titled "Living Wisely in the World: Caring for Mind, Family, Society, and Planet." She pointed out that feelings and emotions can be rather seductive, especially when we are not mindful of them, because they can unconsciously propel us into action. When feelings are pleasant, the response very often moves the mind towards craving and grasping. When feelings are unpleasant, the response is often aversion. Therefore, feelings should be investigated and understood, instead of being the basis upon which impulsive decisions are made.
2017-08-2941 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: The Role of Feelings and Emotions in Decision Making(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the fifth talk in a speaker series titled "Living Wisely in the World: Caring for Mind, Family, Society, and Planet." She pointed out that feelings and emotions can be rather seductive, especially when we are not mindful of them, because they can unconsciously propel us into action. When feelings are pleasant, the response very often moves the mind towards craving and grasping. When feelings are unpleasant, the response is often aversion. Therefore, feelings should be investigated and understood, instead of being the basis upon which impulsive decisions are made.
2017-08-2941 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Refinement of Happiness(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) The Buddha taught a path of profound happiness and peace. Shaila Catherine structures this teaching around a discourse of the Buddha found in the Vedanasamyutta (SN 36:31) that describes a gradual refinement through three kinds of happiness: carnal sensual pleasures, spiritual joy that is associated with concentration, and the unsurpassed happiness of a liberated mind.
2017-03-1137 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Guided Metta Meditation Toward Groups(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this 30-minute guided mettā meditation, Shaila Catherine recommends directing mettā initially toward ourselves, then toward a virtuous person, and finally towards groups of beings. Such groups comprise 1) males and females; 2) enlightened and unenlightened beings; and 3) the realms of existence. Such realms include hell beings, animals, humans, celestial beings and gods. The aim is to gradually expand the field of mettā until it is unbounded, immeasurable, and without boarders, barriers, or exceptions. Meditators may use these traditional groupings or creatively adapt them to support their mettā practice.
2017-03-0730 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Fourth Noble Truth(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the fourth talk in the five-week series "Four Noble Truths." This talk discusses the Fourth Noble Truth, the path leading to the cessation of suffering and known as the Noble Eightfold Path. We must know this path and actually travel it. This practice allows us to live a life that is noble and upright, and helps us distinguish between that which is wholesome (which leads to ending of suffering) and that which is unwholesome (which leads to more suffering).
2016-10-2050 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Second Noble Truth(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the second talk in the five-week series "Four Noble Truths." This talk explores the causes of suffering (in Pali dukkha), and explains how conditioned mental and sensory experiences are unsatisfactory and stressful. Craving causes suffering when our perceptions are accompanied by delight and lust. Practicing mindfulness reduces suffering, because when we are present we experience things as they actually are, and do not crave something different.
2016-10-0640 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Refrain from False Speech(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the fourth talk in a six-week series titled "Ethics, Action and the Five Precepts." Speech is given particular importance in the Buddhist path because wrong speech can cause tremendous harm, and right speech can be profoundly beneficial. Practicing right speech is given emphasis because it's a very vivid way of applying our practice to daily life. When we lie based on delusion and greed, our intention usually is to benefit ourselves. When we lie based on delusion and hatred, our intention is usually to harm others. Even when we lie...
2016-07-2829 minAloka Vihara Forest Monastery: Ayya Santussika's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Refrain from False Speech(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the fourth talk in a six-week series titled "Ethics, Action and the Five Precepts." Speech is given particular importance in the Buddhist path because wrong speech can cause tremendous harm, and right speech can be profoundly beneficial. Practicing right speech is given emphasis because it's a very vivid way of applying our practice to daily life. When we lie based on delusion and greed, our intention usually is to benefit ourselves. When we lie based on delusion and hatred, our intention is usually to harm others. Even when we lie...
2016-07-2829 minAloka Vihara Forest Monastery: Ayya Santussika's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Refrain from Stealing(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the second talk in a six-week series titled "Ethics, Action and the Five Precepts." When we undertake the training of refraining from taking that which is not given and practice generosity, we are improving our mind. More specifically, we are purifying our mind of greed. In fact, not stealing and giving are conditions that contribute to the realization of nibbana.
2016-07-1451 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Refrain from Stealing(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the second talk in a six-week series titled "Ethics, Action and the Five Precepts." When we undertake the training of refraining from taking that which is not given and practice generosity, we are improving our mind. More specifically, we are purifying our mind of greed. In fact, not stealing and giving are conditions that contribute to the realization of nibbana.
2016-07-1451 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Mindfulness of the Body(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the second talk in a four-week series titled "Cultivating Mindfulness." Shaila explored a number of ways to practice mindfulness of the body according to the Buddhist teachings. These methods include (1) using the body as a way of grounding our attention in the present moment, (2) working with mindfulness of the breath as an aspect of the body, (3) working with sensory experiences, (4) reflecting upon death, (5) seeing the body in terms of the four elements (earth, fire, wind and water) and (6) observing the body as anatomical parts. Methods 5 and 6 allow us to view...
2016-06-161h 08Dharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Mindfulness with Breathing(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the first talk in a four-week series titled "Cultivating Mindfulness." This talk focused on using the breath as the meditation object. When we observe our breath, our mind is free from unwholesome states, such as anger, greed, or doubt, because we are simply connecting with the very ordinary experience of breathing. We are not being pushed or pulled by desire or aversion. In fact, when we connect with the breath, we experience ease and happiness.
2016-06-091h 13Dharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Equanimity, Our Greatest Friend(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the seventh talk in a eight-week series titled "Seven Factors of Awakening." This talk explores how the stability and the balance provided by equanimity can make our mind our friend, something that we can trust. When equanimity is strong, if there is pain we won't tend to react with aversion; if there is pleasure, we won't tend to react with grasping and clinging. The mind will be balanced, present, and aware of experience as it unfolds.
2016-05-2639 min
Oren Jay Sofer's most recent Dharma talks (Spirit Rock Meditation Center)Shaila Catherine: Equanimity, Our Greatest Friend(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the seventh talk in a eight-week series titled "Seven Factors of Awakening." This talk explores how the stability and the balance provided by equanimity can make our mind our friend, something that we can trust. When equanimity is strong, if there is pain we won't tend to react with aversion; if there is pleasure, we won't tend to react with grasping and clinging. The mind will be balanced, present, and aware of experience as it unfolds.
2016-05-2639 minOren Jay Sofer's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)Shaila Catherine: Equanimity, Our Greatest Friend(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the seventh talk in a eight-week series titled "Seven Factors of Awakening." This talk explores how the stability and the balance provided by equanimity can make our mind our friend, something that we can trust. When equanimity is strong, if there is pain we won't tend to react with aversion; if there is pleasure, we won't tend to react with grasping and clinging. The mind will be balanced, present, and aware of experience as it unfolds.
2016-05-2639 minMargaret Gainer's most recent Dharma talks (Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley)Shaila Catherine: Equanimity, Our Greatest Friend(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the seventh talk in a eight-week series titled "Seven Factors of Awakening." This talk explores how the stability and the balance provided by equanimity can make our mind our friend, something that we can trust. When equanimity is strong, if there is pain we won't tend to react with aversion; if there is pleasure, we won't tend to react with grasping and clinging. The mind will be balanced, present, and aware of experience as it unfolds.
2016-05-2639 minInsight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley: Kim Allen's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Buddha's Practical Advice for Maintaining Material Gains and Wealth(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the seventh talk in a seven-week series on lesser known Buddhist teachings titled "Thus Have I Heard." This talk revolves around a teaching in the Anuttara Nikaya (AN 4:255) that expresses the Buddha's very practical advice for protecting one's material goods and wealth. He recommends that people 1) look for things that are lost, 2) repair things that are broken, 3) be moderate in consuming food and drink, and 4) place a virtuous person in the position of authority.
2016-05-2427 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Buddha's Practical Advice for Maintaining Material Gains and Wealth(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the seventh talk in a seven-week series on lesser known Buddhist teachings titled "Thus Have I Heard." This talk revolves around a teaching in the Anuttara Nikaya (AN 4:255) that expresses the Buddha's very practical advice for protecting one's material goods and wealth. He recommends that people 1) look for things that are lost, 2) repair things that are broken, 3) be moderate in consuming food and drink, and 4) place a virtuous person in the position of authority.
2016-05-2427 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Andrea Fella's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Buddha's Practical Advice for Maintaining Material Gains and Wealth(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the seventh talk in a seven-week series on lesser known Buddhist teachings titled "Thus Have I Heard." This talk revolves around a teaching in the Anuttara Nikaya (AN 4:255) that expresses the Buddha's very practical advice for protecting one's material goods and wealth. He recommends that people 1) look for things that are lost, 2) repair things that are broken, 3) be moderate in consuming food and drink, and 4) place a virtuous person in the position of authority.
2016-05-2427 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Proliferation of Planning(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave this talk on planning tendencies of the mind. Papanca is a Pali term that means proliferation. A lot of our planning is not preparation for action. Rather, it's a form of dukkha: chronic planning may be a manifestation of anxiety, restlessness, worry, or obsessive thinking about "who I will be." Planning is fuel for self-becoming, self-grasping; restless planning perpetuates the fantasy of a future we think we can control or predict, but such future may never happen. Instead of habitually indulging in planning tendencies, we can train our attention to...
2016-04-2947 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Recollection of Heavens(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the sixth talk in a series on Recollective Meditations. This talk explores the practice of devanusatti — contemplating the good qualities that lead to happiness in this life and future lives. This practice emphasizes five specific qualities: faith, virtue, learning, generosity, and wisdom. One first reflects on the superior qualities of the devas, and then contemplates those same qualities within oneself. By contemplating the success of celestial beings, we might realize that success is also possible for us. This practice can inspire us to develop those beautiful qualities of heart and mi...
2016-03-0148 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Mindfulness and Compassion: Protecting Oneself and Others(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This is the 4th talk in a 5-part speaker series titled "Balanced Practice." Shaila Catherine explores the compassion of protecting others and the wisdom of protecting oneself through the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness guards the mind and protects the mind from sliding into actions based upon unwholesome tendencies. Mindfulness also protects us from the unmindful actions that could easily cause harm. Mindfulness has a capacity of naturally drawing everything into balance, so the mind progresses with a balance of effort and ease, of tranquility and investigation, and of calm concentrated state and engaged...
2016-02-2541 minInsight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley: Kim Allen's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Mindfulness and Compassion: Protecting Oneself and Others(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This is the 4th talk in a 5-part speaker series titled "Balanced Practice." Shaila Catherine explores the compassion of protecting others and the wisdom of protecting oneself through the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness guards the mind and protects the mind from sliding into actions based upon unwholesome tendencies. Mindfulness also protects us from the unmindful actions that could easily cause harm. Mindfulness has a capacity of naturally drawing everything into balance, so the mind progresses with a balance of effort and ease, of tranquility and investigation, and of calm concentrated state and engaged...
2016-02-2541 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Recollection of the Sangha(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave the fifth talk in a series on Recollective Meditations. This talk describes the recollection of the Sangha, reflecting on the virtues of a community of practitioners at various stages of awakening. This reflection uplifts the mind and reinforces those virtues, which in turn leads to the Path of awakening. When one recollects the Sangha, one's mind is not obsessed by greed, hate, and delusion. In addition, when we are temporarily discouraged in our practice, when we reflect on the Sangha, we can connect with a group of people who have...
2016-02-2340 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Recollection of the Buddha(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This is the first talk in a speaker series titled "Recollective Meditations." Shaila Catherine speaks about the meditation practice known as recollection of the Buddha, Buddhanusati. The practice involves the contemplation of qualities associated with the awakened mind. Each quality highlights a feature that the Buddha brought to perfection — in conduct, virtue, mental development, wisdom, teaching abilities, social influence, and mental powers. The reflection on these virtuous qualities of the Buddha establishes faith, confidence and inspiration for the path, deepens concentration, inhibits hindrances, strengthens joy, and refreshes the mind. It also serves as a...
2016-01-1948 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Impermanence: Beyond the Rise and Fall of Things that Change(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This talk by Shaila Catherine is the first in the speaker series "Doorways to Insight." Shaila Catherine describes the importance that is placed on recognizing and contemplating impermanence. This is one of the three main characteristics that we observe in insight meditation practices. We see and know that things change. Everything is changing—thoughts, emotions, feelings, perceptions, sensations, tastes, and emotions. But when we don't see the impermanence of things, we tend to grasp and cling to them. We tend to want to make them to last, and thereby we identify and become at...
2016-01-0751 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksJohn Kelly, Shaila Catherine: Translations, Numbers, and the Anguttara Nikaya -- Shaila Catherine Interviews Pali Scholar John Kelly About His Work on the English Translation of the Numerical Discourses(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This is a recorded dialog between Shaila Catherine and John Kelly. Shaila is a Dharma Teacher in San Jose, California who leads local and online sutta study courses; John Kelly is a Pali Scholar in Australia. John assisted Bhikkhu Bodhi on the production of the English translation of the Numerical Discourses. Shaila and John share their impressions and insights regarding of this ancient text, highlighting the practical relevance of these teachings for contemporary lay people.
2016-01-0348 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Right Concentration(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This talk by Shaila Catherine is the fifth in a speaker series titled "Eight-Fold Path of Awakening." The Buddha said that we should develop concentration, because one who is concentrated understands things as they really are. Concentration is the ground for wisdom to arise. When we concentrate the mind, we learn to steady and strengthen the mind. That concentrated mind has the capacity to see the nature of things more deeply and clearly, leading to liberating insight.
2015-12-1057 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksPastor Erik Swanson, Shaila Catherine: Voices for a Contemplative Life in Silicon Valley(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Pastor Erik Swanson and Shaila Catherine discuss how we can nurture sacred and contemplative lives in the midst of the pressure and demands that are characteristic of Silicon Valley. They share their experiences in Christian and Buddhist traditions of contemplation, meditation, and prayer.
2015-09-2429 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Equanimity: Equally Close To All Things(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Equanimity allows us to remain present and awake with the fact of things—equally close to the things we like and the things we dislike. Shaila Catherine describes the importance of developing equanimity in two arenas: 1) in response to pleasant and painful feelings, and 2) regarding the future results of our actions. Equanimity develops in meditation and in life. We can use unexpected events that we cannot control to develop equanimity. Our job is not to judge our experiences, but to be present and respond wisely. Equanimity is a beautiful mental factor that can fe...
2015-09-0948 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Ignorance and Delusion(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine discusses how ignorance (sometimes referred to as delusion) is the root of all unwholesome activities. Ignorance is present any time that we fail to see the three characteristics of experience: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-self. The wisdom that develops through insight meditation practice can overcome and uproot even deeply conditioned ignorance. Wisdom helps us to understand suffering and the cause of suffering, and awaken compassion for ourselves and others who suffer due to ignorance.
2015-08-1728 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: How Conduct Bears Fruit: Training in Not Killing(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This is the second talk in a speaker series titled Ethics, Action, and the Five
Precepts. This talk by Shaila Catherine explores kamma (karma) and the training precept to refrain from killing. The Abhidhamma presents a detailed analysis of both wholesome and unwholesome mental states to explain how some actions lead to suffering, and other actions lead to happiness. The conditions that surround an action, the intentions that instigate it, and the reflective understanding of potential consequences will influence the intensity of the patterns that affect our options. If you find that you...
2015-07-2837 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Precepts: The Gift of Fearlessness(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This talk by Shaila Catherine is the first in a speaker series titled Ethics, Action, and the Five Precepts. It offers an over view of the five precepts (sila) as training tools for bringing mindfulness and restraint into our actions, relationships, and daily life activities. These basic guidelines for living an ethical life, and the power of restraint are as relevant in the modern world as they were in ancient India. Taking care with our actions can be a source of joy and happiness. When our actions are clear, the mind is free...
2015-07-2128 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: The Giver, Gift. and Receiver(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) The Discourses of the Buddha include instructions on how to give so that the act of generosity will be most fruitful. This talk by Shaila Catherine explores the significance of the inner motivation of the donor, the quality and appropriateness of the gift itself, and the virtue and purity of mind of the recipient. The motivation, context, and result each play a role in the practice of generosity (dana).
2015-05-1921 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Nibbana Reflections(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Nibbana (nirvana) cannot be reduced to a simple definition, yet this talk by Shaila Catherine explores nibbana from a number of perspectives. She considers what nibbana is not, and how nibbana has been experienced through Buddhist practice. Some descriptions present nibbana as a transcendent perspective, beyond this world; other descriptions present nibbana as an imminent phenomena, always available. Perhaps most frequently we find nibbana equated with deep peace, sublime happiness, non-clinging, profound release, and the quenching of all greed, the cooling of the fires of hatred, and the cessation of ignorance and delusion.
2015-01-0230 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Mindfulness of Mind(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This talk by Shaila Catherine explores the third establishment of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna)—mindfulness of mind—with emphasis on comprehending mental states as wholesome or unwholesome, developed or undeveloped. We learn to examine the condition of our own minds with discernment and non-identification. We develop the ability to clearly know what is present and what is absent. It is through an honest recognition of the state of our minds that we can purify the mind, nurture deep concentration, and realize liberation.
2015-01-0128 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Deep Peace(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Everyone seems to wish for world peace and inner peace, yet stress, agitation, and struggle may still dominate our lives. Are you seeking peace in ways that it can realistically be found? Satisfaction cannot be gained in the world of conditioned things, possessions, and identities. Enduring happiness and peace are found when we turn our attention inward, and let go of the causes of suffering and conflict. This talk by Shaila Catherine explores a number of Buddhist approaches to santisukha, peace and happiness, including 1) virtue, 2) guarding the sense doors with mindfulness, 3) concentration and...
2014-12-2727 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Kamma and Intention: A Fresh Start(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This talk by Shaila Catherine was given as a part of the series "Enhancing Mindfulness Skills: A Seven-Week Series Dedicated to Cultivating Transformative Insight." Action influenced by intention is called kamma in the Pali language or karma in Sanskrit. We condition patterns, habits, and create pleasant or painful results through repeated intentional actions. The key to working with our patterns is not in the past, it is how we relate to present events. We are not condemned to dwell in any mental state. We have the potential to disentangle ourselves from suffering and...
2014-10-2124 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Many Kinds of Thoughts(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This talk was given by Shaila Catherine as a part of the series "Enhancing Mindfulness Skills: A Seven-Week Series Dedicated to Cultivating Transformative Insight."
Mindful of the thinking process, we explore how thoughts function in our lives. Unwholesome mental patterns can reinforce obsessive desires, identification, rigid opinions, and attachment to belief systems. What patterns are most common for you—planning, rumination, fantasy, rehearsing, daydreaming, judging, comparing, fixing, instructing? We observe the types of thoughts that arise, and reflect on whether those thoughts support our values and purpose. We learn to let go of un...
2014-10-1441 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Mindfulness Sacred or Secular?(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine gave this concluding talk in a guest speaker series that was organized to stimulate critical inquiry about mindfulness and how the teachings about mindfulness are manifesting in western cultures. This talk presents critical thinking, reflection, and discussion as integral elements of Buddhist practice. It refers to the early Buddhist custom of reciting teachings, sharing the Dhamma, and inviting correction and criticism about how the Dhamma was presented and taught. As mindfulness practices become mainstreamed, and applied in corporations and therapeutic contexts, some concern arises that the deep and liberating teachings of...
2014-05-2726 minThe Secular BuddhistEpisode 141 :: Shaila Catherine :: Focused and Fearless with the JhanasMeditation teacher Shaila Catherine speaks with us about jhana meditation and her book, Focused and Fearless: A Meditator's Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm and Clarity.
2012-11-0300 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Dynamics of Emotion(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Meditation can reveal the dynamic process of emotional life. In this talk, Shaila Catherine explores relationships between mind and body, between thoughts and emotions, and between present moment experience and concepts. Emotions are not avoided in meditation, instead we engage in a balanced and wise investigation of emotions and see their changing, impermanent, and empty nature. Transformative insight into impermanence may come through understanding the functioning of mental states, without worry about difficult emotions such as anger, grief, or fear. We will learn to respond, act, and speak with wisdom as we learn...
2012-05-0844 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Meditations on Mind: Learning to Recognize, Accept, Investigate, and Not-Identify with Mental States(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This 15-minute recording by Shaila Catherine offers strategies and techniques for meditating on the mind. The acronym RAIN (Recognize, Accept, Investigate, Not-identify) can help us work skillfully with mental states.
2012-03-1015 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Wisdom Wide and Deep(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) Shaila shares her process of discovering and practicing the deep concentration states of jhana, and detailed vipassana practices as taught by Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw of Burma. She speaks about the cultivation of concentration and insight, and the systematic path that leads the mind from distraction to clarity, understanding, and nibbana. At the request of Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw, she wrote a book to serve as a practice guide for other practitioners: Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Handbook for Mastering Jhana and Vipassana
2012-02-0957 min
AudioDharma: Shaila Catherine's most recent dharma talksWisdom Wide and DeepThis talk was given by Shaila Catherine on 2012.01.15 at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA.*******Shaila Catherine speaks about her book "Wisdom Wide and Deep," followed by Q&A*******For more talks like this, visit AudioDharma.org*******If you have enjoyed this talk, please consider supporting AudioDharma with a donation at https://www.audiodharma.org/donate/.*******This talk is licensed by a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
2012-01-1554 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Deep Happiness by Venerable U Jagara and Shaila Catherine - Guided Meditation 3(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley)
2011-12-1011 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Deep Happiness by Venerable U Jagara and Shaila Catherine -First Guided Meditation(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley)
2011-12-1014 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Intensive Retreat(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This talk explores the practice meditation in silent retreats. What are the reasons and benefits for attending a meditation retreat? How can one undertake retreat most effectively. Retreats offer opportunities for deep relaxation; time to set down our worldly identities; let go of the pressures we place upon ourselves to produce and perform; and deeply rest. In the silence of retreat we meet ourselves as we are; we see our patterns, habits, and tendencies; and we discover the causes of suffering and can glimpse the potential to end suffering. We become aware of...
2008-04-1553 minDharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talksShaila Catherine: Effort + Ease = What Needs To Be Done(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This talk explores the range of skillful effort, from ardent and zealous practice to spacious relaxation. Shaila points to a nondual realization that reveals our freedom in both action and in ease.
2007-10-0152 min