We have three online meditations a week, on Wednesday morning, Thursday evening, and Saturday morning. The Zoom links for those meetings can be found on the Events Calendar and you will also find more detailed information below. You’re welcome to join us online for any of the 3 meetings each week.
Change in Format for Online Meditation Sessions
These changes have been in effect for several months, but if you haven’t joined us online for a while, you might not know. We’re making an effort to remind people after meditation that they’re welcome to log off if they need to get to bed, or get on with their day (for the morning meditations). You’re also welcome to stay for the talks, and leave before we begin discussion and sharing. The format for sharing has changed so that people aren’t individually invited to share, and each person can choose to share or not as they wish. We’re also making an effort to close the Thursday evening meditation by 9:00 PM. So, if you would like to revisit your meditation practice with us in the New Year, please know that you’re welcome to join us just for meditation, or for any part of the meeting that serves your needs.
In addition to our regular online meetings, we are now meeting for indoor in-person meditation sessions every Wednesday and Saturday Morning. Please see the Events Calendar for specific details.
During the Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday online meetings, we “sit together” for meditation for half an hour. Meditations include guided meditations, meditations with some initial guidance and instruction, and silent meditations. The Wednesday morning meditation starts at 9:30 am, with half an hour of meditation, followed by half an hour of sharing. On Thursday evenings there is a talk or discussion and sharing following meditation. Meditation is from 7:30 until 8:00 pm, with the talk and discussion ending at about 9:00 pm. The Saturday morning meditation starts at 8:00 am, with half an hour of meditation followed by half an hour of sharing.
The current Thursday night series of talks is focused on Buddha’s first and most basic teachings, the Four Noble Truths, which describe stress and suffering, their causes, and the path that can lead to the end of suffering. Starting in early 2022, the emphasis will be on the last noble truth, the path to freedom from stress and suffering. In addition to meditation, that path, known as the Eightfold Path, includes suggestions for living a wise and ethical life filled with kindness and compassion. Chris will emphasize the interpersonal and social aspects of the Eightfold Path as he continues this series of talks. Excellent resources for the talks will be Gregory Kramer’s books, Insight Dialogue: The Interpersonal Path to Freedom. and A Whole Life Path.
This Thursday, 1/13, we’ll have a discussion of Wise View after the 7:30 PM meditation, including our experience of cause and effect, looking at the impact of our thoughts and actions, and the way they lead to the development of habits. Next Thursday, 1/20, Chris will give a talk after the 7:30 PM meditation on several characteristics of our experience that the Buddha associated with Wise View. These include the Buddha’s teachings on impermanence, not self, and unsatisfactoriness. Chapter 4 of Gregory Kramer’s book “A Whole-Life Path” would be a good resource for this talk, or see the additional resources below.
If you can’t or don’t wish to join the online sessions you can just meditate at the same time as we’re meeting and know that there are others from the group who are meditating with you. I’ve had many people contact me to say they were doing that for our meditation sessions recently, and that it can help bring a feeling of connection.
Warm regards,
Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia