Sydney Insight Meditators | Community organisation

Sydney Insight Meditators

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18.05.2022 Only a few places are left for the SIM New Year Retreat! Taught by Jill Shepherd, this nine-day retreat provides a precious opportunity to settle into silence and with the support of sangha/community, attune more fully to the heart and mind. Details: ... When: 29 December 2021 to 7 January 2022 Times: Arrive 4-6pm Wednesday, finish 2.30pm Friday Where: Brahma Kumaris Centre in Wilton NSW Further information and registration here: https://www.sydneyinsightmeditators.org/new-year-retreat-20 See more

06.05.2022 The Kookaburra Sangha from Sydney, Australia, joins people all around the world to stand up for climate justice. #Faiths4Climate #ClimateEmergency #SydneyInsightMeditators... #insightmeditation #buddhistcouncil See more

22.04.2022 Sydney Insight Meditators: please note that the mornings of practice at the Hut of the Happy Omen in Cheltenham dates have been rescheduled as follows: there are no sessions in October or November, but Sunday 30 January and Sunday 27 February are confirmed. For further information, see details on the SIM Events Calendar below. https://www.sydneyinsightmeditators.org/mornings-of-practic

17.04.2022 SIM New Year Retreat: Releasing and Renewing: Strengthening the Two Wings to Awakening. Traditionally, the New Year is a time to take stock of our lives, to let go of what no longer serves, and to reconnect more fully with what inspires us. In service of this, SIM’s annual retreat will be guided by Jill Shepherd and provides an opportunity to deepen an experiential understanding of insight meditation, exploring a variety of different practices taken from the Four Foundations ...of Mindfulness as well as the four Brahma-Vihara heart practices, of kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. When: Friday 29 December 2021 to Sunday 7 January 2022 Times: Arrive 4-6pm Wednesday, finish 2.30pm Friday Where: Brahma Kumaris Centre, Wilton Learn more here: https://www.sydneyinsightmeditators.org/new-year-retreat-20

24.01.2022 If anybody is enrolled in or thinking about enrolling in Stephen Bachelor's 2021 course; After Buddhism and Beyond, we are considering facilitating a weekly discussion group for an antipodean cohort. If this is something you would be interested in, please message us here via facebook or email [email protected]. https://bodhi-college.org//66-after-buddhism-an/region-uk/

22.01.2022 Aging, sickness, and death upon leaving the palace, these were the ‘heavenly messengers’ that faced the Buddha. Often, we shy away from these topics, but during the Infinite Tenderness retreat this October, we turned towards them. Guided by the wonderful Joyce and Lizzie, we journeyed through Buddhist teachings, somatics practice, insight dialogue, and contemplative writing. By learning, reflecting, and sharing together, I like to think we’ve all come away holding our fragile mortality with the appreciation and tenderness it deserves.

22.01.2022 The newly formed Still water Sangha meets Tuesday evenings (that's tonight!) in Warriewood. Follow the link for more info. https://www.sydneyinsightmeditators.org/northern-beaches-wa

18.01.2022 We are extremely grateful for having experienced another retreat at the beautiful Brahma Kumaris Centre in Wilton, NSW. The Embodied Awakening Retreat, led by Lizzie Turnbull, took us into a journey through our bodies using meditation, somatic practices, mindful movement, and TRE (Trauma Release Exercise). Twenty-five of us shared a safe container, allowing our own practices to unfold powerfully and naturally. Here are a few photos of the beautiful BK surroundings!

18.01.2022 Our New Year retreat is now being held online. Which means it can be accessed from the comfort of your own home! Visit https://www.sydneyinsightmeditators.org/new-year-retreat-20 for more information. With metta, SIM.

17.01.2022 Respecting the need for social distancing, last fortnight we hosted another online retreat. This was lead by the teacher Joyce Kornblatt, the theme being, 'Beginner's Mind: Writing as a Contemplative Practice.' Here are a few words on how the experience was for Joyce: ---... On Saturday, May 16, I had the privilege to guide an online contemplative writing retreat day for 29 participants. I used the RAIN practice--Recognize, Acknowledge, Inquire/Investigate, Non-identify / Nourish-- as the form for the day and also as the prompts for four writing inquiry exercises. The day was in silence, except at the end, when each person offered a word that stood for their experience in the present moment, after many hours of silent meditation, reflection and writing. I was moved by the range of responses, and the shared depth of heart there in each person's word and voice and face. Right there in the midst of this pandemic crisis, tenderness and wisdom arose within and among us. I'm so grateful for these Zoom halls, where we can come together to practice, and leave nourished by the teachings and the community.

16.01.2022 Oops! There was a typo in the newsletter that went out to our subscribers this morning. In the community section, in the very lovely feedback on September's retreat with Joyce Kornblatt, "dana talks" was meant to be "dharma talks". It has been corrected and posted below. If you're not a subscriber to SIM's monthly newsletter and would like to be, visit: https://www.sydneyinsightmeditators.org//w/newsletter.html "I think it’s got to the stage where I will do just about any... course that Joyce Kornblatt offers simply because she is such a skilled, wise and warm teacher. But this course was particularly relevant to me. I’m a writer and doctoral candidate prone to frequent bouts of self-doubt, procrastination and despair about my work. As a writer herself, Joyce has a deep understanding of the blocks and barriers that can make the writing life a painful and frustrating one at times. I had already done a one-day course with Joyce about working with such barriers but it was so rewarding. When I heard there was going to be an extended version, I signed up immediately. I had some doubts about doing a five-day retreat online but I knew that with Joyce at the helm I was in good hands. As it happened, it was a wonderful combination of meditation, writing workshops, discussion and dharma talks and I came away with many ideas, insights and exercises to help me get through those really tough times when writing feels impossible. Thank you, Joyce." - Retreat Participant, Natalie

11.01.2022 A SIM Retreat Falls Victim to the FiresBut Rises Above the Ashes As December moved inexorably towards Christmas and the December 27th start of the New Year’s Retreat at the Brahma Kumaris Centre in Wilton the Green Wattle Fire was giving the surrounds a severe battering as the nearby town of Balmoral can testify. Extra evacuation plans for our group of 28 were under consideration. Jill Shepherd was scheduled to fly in Boxing Day. With all the necessary gear assembled and pa...Continue reading

07.01.2022 Seeking all Poets! We are pleased to support the Mirrors to Wisdom: Poetic Reflections on 2020 event. The Communities of Practice, Nan Tien Institute is partnering with a number of Buddhist organisations to unearth hidden talents and bring a poetry event to the community. The event be held online on January 31, 2021 from 4pm to 5:30pm. ... We are seeking poets to share their work with the community during this reflective workshop exploring themes of spirituality, contemporary life, and what it means to be human. If you have a poem to share, go to https://poetry.thebbep.org or contact the organisers at [email protected] for more information. We’d love to hear from you. Submissions close Friday 8th January 2021.

07.01.2022 We had a good mid-winter morning at the Hut of the Happy Omen, this time warmed by a log fire. While it wasn’t really a meeting of the Kookaburra Sangha, it felt a bit like it. Kookas contributed to the talk and discussion and joined us for lunch.

03.01.2022 We had another good morning at the Hut of the Happy Omen on the 1st March, despite getting a little baked after midday. There was lively discussion after the talk. The theme was how sila (ethics/virtue) relates to Climate Breakdown. This talk will be given again: next time it will be at Golden Wattle in Bondi Junction (11th June). The next talk and theme for the Hut (7th June) is another in the Climate Breakdown and the Dharma series. We'll be looking at harm and disruption in social action, when it might be helpful, what dharma perspectives come into play.

02.01.2022 The August session at the Hut of the Happy Omen had a talk on the felt responses to Climate Breakdown and how that fitted with Dharma practices and perspectives. There was a lively discussion and people stayed for a long lunch afterwards. As is becoming the norm, there was a wide variety of good food and much more that we could eat. It was a cool day but we had a good fire going and it felt like people had warm hearts at least.

01.01.2022 We have held Deepening Into Stillness every year since 2015 and it has a large number of regular attendees that return most, if not every year. But this year it was unprecedented in many ways. The residential retreat starting in the first week of May booked out already in the beginning of March, which was unusually early. But with the uncertainty of situation caused by Covid-19 the teachers made a brave decision to run the entire retreat online. Over 70 people took the plung...e and gave the online home retreat a committed try. The retreat theme was the Boundless Heart and surprising to many, warm hearted connections and strong sense of a supportive community emerged. Feedback at the end of the retreat was most encouraging. Although some people said they missed not being on a usual retreat, making comments such as: ‘It was too easy for me to get distracted’, ‘my house was noisy’, ‘I missed not getting away and having catering’. Most reported substantial benefits, saying: ‘Being in my home was relaxing and comfortable’, ‘Lower cost, no packing, no travel was wonderful’, ‘It was surprisingly intimate and I felt cared for’, ‘Having the sessions recorded was a bonus, which I am still using’, ‘The home retreat allowed me to deepen my practice in my personal space’. People surveyed were asked: would you do it again in a non-lockdown environment? 31 out of 33 people said they would definitely do it again. The many positive comments expressing appreciation and valuing of the online retreat is encouraging us to organise another five day online retreat next year in addition to our regular retreat offerings. We will also consider organising weekend or one day online retreats as some people have suggested. So in all, thanks to all those involved in what proved to be an amazing experience.