The current series of Thursday night talks are exploring topics related to meditation in more detail, starting with the approaches recommended for developing mindfulness. The talks for the next couple of months will be based on the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha’s discourse on the foundations of mindfulness. In that discourse the Buddha gave a clear description of many different approaches to mindfulness meditation, beginning with the body, but also including mindfulness meditation of feelings, thoughts and emotions, and other topics. A good resource for this series of talks would be the book “Satipatthana Meditation: A Practice Guide” by Bhikkhu Analayo. However, the talks will be self-contained, so it won’t be necessary to read the book, and we’ll give other resources for the meditation approaches covered in the talks.
This Thursday, 9/8, we’ll have a discussion of the body scan and our anatomy and the elements as objects of mindfulness meditation. The following Thursday, 9/15, Chris will give a talk on mindfulness of the impermanence of the body, the experience of illness, and ways to relate to our fear of death. Mindfulness practices that bring awareness to the impermanence and uncertainty of life can foster a greater clarity in the way we live our lives. Chapter V in Bhikkhu Analayo’s book, “Satipatthana Meditation: A Practice Guide” would be a good resource for this topic. Please look at this weeks Updated Resources post for other related topics.
Beginning Meditation Classes Series ~ Oct 2 – Oct 23, 2022
The next series of Beginning Meditation classes is coming next month, beginning on Oct 2, 2022. Our Beginning Meditation classes are presented in a four-part series, and will be conducted online via Zoom. The classes are intended to work together to provide an introduction to meditation or serve as a useful “touchstone” for more experienced practitioners. You are welcome to attend any or all of the classes. Each class can be a stand alone class, and will focus on a different topic. All classes will be from 1:30- 3:00 pm. The dates and topics for the class are as follows:
Oct 2 –Introduction to and Benefits of Mindfulness
Oct 9 — Mindfulness Meditation and the Body
Oct 16 — Mindfulness of Thoughts and Emotions in Meditation
Oct 23 — Compassion & Loving Kindness Meditation Practices
There is no fee for the classes, which will be held online. If you wish, you can make a donation to IMMC using the online donation form below. Registration for the classes is open. Please contact Chris Murray at [email protected] if you would like to participate in any or all of the classes. Please go to the Events Calendar for more specific details about each class.
Weekly Meditation Schedule:
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.
In addition to our regular online meetings, we are now meeting for outdoor in-person meditation sessions every Wednesday morning (9:30am) and Saturday morning (8:00am) at All Saints Episcopal Church in Richland. Bring whatever you would like to sit on and join us in the beautiful outdoors. 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.
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.
Warm regards,
Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia