London Insight Blog

Sit in Peace with Thich Nhat Hanh

2012-02-01T08:02:13Z

Many of you will be very familiar with the work of Vietnamese teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, but for those who would like to know more, there is a full account at http://interbeing.org.uk/

Sitting meditation is one of the ways to contemplate peace. We invite you to sit together in silence, generating the energy of peace, solidity, and freedom.

You may like to bring something to sit on (it may be a good idea for this to be waterproof). You are welcome to sit on the benches and steps in Trafalgar Square.

This event is open to everyone, all ages, from every path, experienced or not. However, please don’t display banners or signs, or give out flyers, during the event.

To help with fundraising for the cost of Sit in Peace, music for download is available at http://peacesounds.bandcamp.com/ For further information about the event itself, please see http://www.mindfulnessretreats.org.uk/sit-in-peace/

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Saturday Insight

2012-01-17T16:30:50Z

This is something that we have wanted to arrange for a long time, and we’re very grateful to Paul for initiating it. (You can find out more about Paul on our Teachers page: http://www.londoninsight.org/community/teachers/#Paul Burrows). He will be leading the group most weeks, and will invite other teachers to take part at various times. It will be run as an open group, on a drop in basis - open to all. It will include quiet sitting time, teachings, discussion and interviews with other teachers and pioneers in the world of mindfulness and contemporary inquiry.

There is a £5 fee for London Insight’s overheads, and the opportunity to make a donation to Paul (and any visiting teacher). Like all London Insight’s teachers, Paul is not paid, and his livelihood depends on dana (freely given donations): a tradition that goes back to the time of the Buddha.

Chairs are available in the room, but if you’d rather sit on the floor please note that it’s a hard wooden one, without mats, so you will need (preferably) both mat and cushion.

The website for the Swiss Church is http://www.swisschurchlondon.org.uk/pub/Location. If you need any more information, please contact

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Awakening Joy

2012-01-17T07:44:11Z

You can find out more about the course, and James himself, at http://www.awakeningjoy.info/. James wrote his book, and developed the course, after finding that years of dedicated meditation practice had left him feeling slightly flat and apathetic. He uses teaching based on the Dharma to raise mood and concentrate on positive emotions; though he doesn’t insist on the word ‘joy’, if you find it a bit too Californian. More than 10,000 people have already undertaken the course, and feedback has been extremely enthusiastic.

It’s true that the course does demand a significant commitment in terms of time and money, but we’re telling you about it because we believe that James’ approach is positive, helpful and in the true spirit of the Buddhist teachings. If you do decide to register, and would like to be in touch with others doing the same thing, please add a comment below (you will probably need to answer a simple arithmetic question first, just to prove that you are not an automated process.)

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Charitable status

2011-12-23T07:34:03Z

We have been working towards this status all year, and are very grateful to all the people who have put in hours and hours of hard work on making sure that we fulfill all the requirements. We feel that charitable status gives a fair reflection of our status and aims, and of the kind of work we do.

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Follow-up teachings from Rob Burbea

2011-12-11T09:00:51Z

Here is his list:

“The second approach/direction I talked about on Sunday I’ve explained more fully in a number of talks:

Ways of Looking (2): Dukkha at http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/210/talk/12531/
also perhaps, Q and A Session 4 http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/210/talk/12520/
and Q and A Session 5 at http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/210/talk/12517/

The Mystery of Vedana: A Key to Liberation http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/210/talk/11502/

Filling out the implications more on this second direction on desire:

What is Insight? http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/210/talk/6254/
Love and the Emptiness of Things http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/210/talk/11953/
Maps for the Journey (A Brief Overview) http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/210/talk/9546/
Three Characteristics - Three Avenues to Freedom and Joy http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/210/talk/9555/

For a whole other direction I barely mentioned on Sunday:
Sense Desire at http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/210/talk/10833 “

Thanks, Rob, for your inspiring teaching and this careful follow-up note.

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2012 programme now available!

2011-12-05T10:18:02Z

As well as the much-loved monthly day retreats at King Alfred School, we are offering a third annual run of Martin Aylward’s intensive urban retreat on the theme of ‘Work Sex Money Dharma’. This event is quite demanding, in terms of time and effort, but has been extremely popular both here and internationally. Places are limited, and in previous years the event has been fully booked in advance.

Other goodies include two public dialogues, both chaired by Madeleine Bunting of The Guardian. On May 20th Stephen Batchelor and Don Cupitt will be talking about ‘The Future of Religion’, and on 21st September John Peacock and Mark Williams will discuss ‘Mindfulness and MBCT: the meeting of two cultures?’. All these participants are very well known and highly respected. We expect a lot of demand for places, so again early booking would be advisable.

Vinny Ferraro, who taught very successfully with Noah Levine last year, will be teaching for us again on Sunday June 10th. We look forward to another session in his upbeat and distinctive style. Vinny has long experience in working with prisoners and recovery programmes, and has also done a lot of work in hospices. We haven’t made final venue arrangements yet, so booking is not yet open for this event, but please save the date.

Online booking for other events is possible at any time. Like many other organisations, we shall be shutting down the office for the period between Christmas and New Year, but come the first week in January we will be open again for enquiries and correspondence. We wish you a very happy festive season, and look forward to seeing you next year.

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Generosity

2011-11-16T08:14:07Z

As ever, the retreat depended on the generosity of the teacher in offering his wisdom and reflections, based on decades of meditation and study: particularly appreciated as he was suffering from a nasty cold at the time! He also brought with him many wonderful books for free distribution. We still have a few of these, and will be offering them at future King Alfred School events.

Ajahn Sucitto asked that all dana - freewill offerings - for the retreat should go to the Khuphuka Project (see http://www.khuphuka.org"> ). Gift Aid will add a significant amount to the very generous donations received. Thanissara, one of the guiding teachers for the project, says “On behalf of Kittisaro and myself and all involved with supporting Khuphuka Project, we are deeply grateful for this gesture of support. Thank you Ajahn for your tremendous gift to Khuphuka Project, we deeply appreciate it. And thank you all at LIM for facilitating this gift, alongside the other awesome offerings you made these last few years to help KP be the great project it is, we appreciate your support.”

Retreats like this couldn’t possibly work without the enormous amounts of help given by scores of people, freely and always with good nature and good will: volunteers who assisted with transport, accommodation, registration, setup, washing-up, and many, many other jobs. Sitting in the Sunday sunshine (even the sun was generous to us), I felt really happy to be part of such an uplifting, co-operative event.

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Climate Change March: a dharma presence

2011-11-14T09:21:31Z

About 100 people attended as part of the dharma presence at the event. They came from several different Buddhist traditions, and included monks and nuns. Jane Knight had made some wonderful banners: you can see pictures on our Facebook page, at http://www.facebook.com/LondonInsight?sk=photos. More about the march, and the whole Climate Justice campaign, is available at http://www.campaigncc.org/

It was impressive that so many people turned out on a cold, busy day, and those who attended felt that the effort was well worth while. Increasingly, working to raise consciousness of the suffering caused by climate change is becoming an important concern of the whole Buddhist community. We are very happy to play our part in this effort.

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New Gaia House website and programme

2011-11-01T10:26:46Z

They have included a lot more detailed information: do have a look, at http://www.gaiahouse.co.uk/">

We have a website revamp of our own in hand, and hope to implement it in the next few weeks. Our 2012 programme is almost ready; we are just waiting on a bit more information about costs and, therefore, prices.

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Sharon Salzberg event: now 29th January

2011-11-01T10:19:44Z

You can find all the details at http://www.alternatives.org.uk/Site/EventDescription.aspx?EventID=927. The workshop takes place at Cecil Sharp House, in Regents Park Road: the website gives full details.

Regular readers will know that this event was originally planned for November. Sharon is one of London Insight’s most popular teachers, and we wanted to let you know of this opportunity to hear her teach in London. The cost is relatively high compared with that of London Insight events, but we understand that there will be no collection of dana (freewill offering).

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Ajahn Sucitto’s weekend: Saturday now full

2011-10-22T06:51:59Z

For various reasons, we won’t be able to move this weekend event to a larger space at King Alfred’s, and those who know the small hall will recognise that it has limited capacity.

Ajahn Sucitto would much prefer that people attended on both days. If you have not yet booked for Sunday, it’s possible that there may be some spaces on the door, but you will have to wait until just before the retreat starts, and may be disappointed.

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Moving towards charitable status

2011-10-06T15:06:16Z

London Insight is a much bigger and busier organisation than it was ten years ago. Our aims and activities are charitable in nature and are provided for the public benefit in accordance with charitable principles. Accordingly we have decided to apply to the Charity Commission for charitable status so as to obtain the benefits associated with such status, including promoting our ethos as a trustworthy, reputable not-for-profit organisation.

We now organise many more events in expensive central London venues than we used to, and often need to contribute to the expenses of teachers who are coming from abroad. We also have a paid administrator, on a part-time basis. The amount of money, and of work, which we handle makes it highly desirable to have some careful outside oversight of the way we operate. So you may find that everything is becoming slightly more formal than it used to be in the old days, but there is a good reason for this.

In a few months’ time we hope to be able to make a more definite announcement, but this is just to let you know some of our hopes for the future.

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Sharon Salzberg: book review

2011-08-23T17:51:43Z

The book has a clear, well-defined structure. After a brief introduction about the general benefits of meditation, there are four sections, each representing a week in the programme. For the first week, the focus is on breathing. In the second week, the beginner is encouraged to work with mindfulness of body. The third week has recommendations for mindfulness of feelings and emotions, and the fourth week concentrates on loving-kindness meditation. The reader is asked gradually to increase the time given to practice, so that by the end of the 28 days there should be six sittings per week, of at least twenty minutes duration. The last part of the book deals with keeping the practice going in the long term.
As this description suggests, Sharon Salzberg has written a very practical handbook. Her style is lucid and easy to follow. She includes many anecdotes about, and quotations from, students and colleagues. They illustrate the kinds of problems that all meditators face, and the realistic rewards that they may expect. For each of the four main sections, covering the weeks of the programme, there is a series of answers to frequently asked questions: many of these will strike a chord with anyone who has meditation experience. Included in the book is also a very useful CD, with nine tracks where Sharon guides the listener through the kinds of practice described in the book.
The book would make an admirable gift for anyone who is just beginning meditation practice, but it is a worthwhile read for all of us, experienced or otherwise. You won’t find discussions of the Buddhist scriptures here: indeed, the book explicitly states (on page 14) that the techniques can be used within any faith tradition, or in an entirely secular way. The focus is always on practice rather than philosophy. The work is accessible and readable, but at the same time not over-simplified. Sharon is quite open about all the pitfalls we face, and about the way in which consequences and outcomes are not always exactly what we expect. For example, on page 181, she quotes a meditator who still feels inadequate during the sitting period itself, but whose life and character has been transformed in a very positive way.
Am I biased in favour of this book by the fact that Sharon refers to London Insight in her Resource Guide, and by the fact that she has taught two extremely successful and popular weekend retreats for us? Maybe. But all the same, you are unlikely to regret buying and reading it. The power to inspire and instruct with complete clarity and honesty has to be valued wherever we find it. My recommendation is whole-hearted.
The book is published by Hay House, 28th July 2011, ISBN 978-1-84850-499-8. UK recommended price £10.99
Review by Anthea West

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Notice the Noticeboard

2011-08-17T15:14:04Z

You can be a Human Book at a Mile End fete, monitor your brain activity during meditation, join a flashmob in Trafalgar Square, study online with a South African centre, or harvest olives in Palestine. Have a look!

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Book early for Stephen!

2011-08-15T08:06:03Z

Because the numbers will be large, Stephen will almost certainly be teaching in the big dining hall at King Alfred School. This means that we won’t be able to organise a shared lunch, so please either bring your own lunchtime picnic, or be prepared to buy food locally.

For further details, and to make a booking, please go to http://www.londoninsight.org/programme/event/stephen-batchelor-towards-a-secular-buddhism/

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