with Susan Kaiser-Greenland

with Susan Kaiser-Greenland

This evening’s talk will address the overlap between psychotherapy and meditation, from the perspective of a Western psychiatrist whose introduction to the study of the mind came through Buddhist meditation. Discussion will center on how primal emotions like aggression and desire are handled. While it is often assumed that Buddhism counsels suppression or eradication of such energies, Mark Epstein will propose another model. Drawn from his studies of both D.W. Winnicott and the Buddha, this evening’s presentation will use the Buddha’s own inner struggle as a model for our own. Meditation instruction will be offered. Mark Epstein is a Harvard trained psychiatrist with a private practice in New York City. A longtime student of Joseph Golstein and Jack Kornfield, he is the author of a number of works about the overlap of Buddhism and psychotherapy, including Thoughts without a Thinker, Going to Pieces without Falling Apart, and Psychotherapy without the Self.

We will use the Four Foundation of Mindfulness as a frame of reference to support the understanding of our relationship with our inner and outer environment.

These regularly scheduled evenings open up to practice questions allowing time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

What does it means to be awake from moment to moment? Do you have difficulties in finding balance in your life? Are you centered and grounded in your daily life? We will explore the last two of the seven factors of awakening: Concentration and Equanimity. When mindfulness and concentration practice gains momentum, we will begin to find balance in our daily life. Equanimity will organically arise and serve as a supporting factor on the path to inner-peace, true happiness and final awakening. The day will include mindfulness of walking, sitting, standing, discussion group, guided meditation instructions, question and answer session, and Dhamma talks.

Join us for a Monthly Sitting and Inquiry with NYI Guiding Teacher, Gina Sharpe. These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

Join us for a Monthly Sitting and Inquiry with NYI Guiding Teacher, Gina Sharpe. These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

These regularly scheduled mornings begin with a guided meditation, sometimes followed by standing or walking meditation. There is a Dharma talk and often a question and answer period where attendees can inquire about practice.

Join us for a Monthly Sitting and Inquiry with NYI Guiding Teacher, Gina Sharpe. These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

These regularly scheduled mornings begin with a guided meditation, sometimes followed by standing or walking meditation. There is a Dharma talk and often a question and answer period where attendees can inquire about practice.

People of Color Sangha Evening: May 20, 2013 with Gina Sharpe. This begins with a guided meditation, then a Q and A and then a talk on Training the Mind.

S.O.S. - Sitting on Sunday: August 4, 2013

These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

S.O.S. - Sitting on Sunday led by Gina Sharpe. Includes questions and answers and a talk on Generosity.

Dharma practice points us towards liberation; boundless freedom of being, great depths of love and joy, and a graceful participation in life’s unfolding. What is liberation? What seems to be in the way, right now, of living freely? What is your deepest knowing, and how can it liberate you, here and now? The day will be led by Martin Aylward, and is open to both committed dharma students, and those who may be totally new to practice, but feel themselves drawn to freedom of being. There will include silent and guided meditation practice, teachings and discussion, and some dialog exercises. The day will emphasize a direct exploration of freeing up our life, right in the midst of living it.

Practice questions allowing time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

Monthly Sitting and Inquiry: Nov 26, 2013

Monthly Sitting and Inquiry: Jan 28, 2013

These regularly scheduled mornings begin with a guided meditation, sometimes followed by standing or walking meditation. There is a Dharma talk and often a question and answer period where attendees can inquire about practice.

In his new book, 10% Happier, ABC News anchor Dan Harris tells the story of how a skeptic became a meditator, and how the practice helped him better manage an extremely competitive career. One of the key developments in Dan's strange odyssey from avowed critic of all things touchy-feely to unlikely evangelist for meditation was an unusual friendship with Dr. Mark Epstein, the Buddhist psychiatrist and author. Through many years of regular lunches and dinners, Mark helped Dan see the value of mindfulness — and also its limits. During this evening event, the two will share the story of their friendship and its lessons.

These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

These regularly scheduled mornings begin with a guided meditation, sometimes followed by standing or walking meditation. There is a Dharma talk and often a question and answer period where attendees can inquire about practice.

These regularly scheduled mornings begin with a guided meditation, sometimes followed by standing or walking meditation. There is a Dharma talk and often a question and answer period where attendees can inquire about practice.

These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

A Buddhist Response to Climate Change Using essential Buddhist teachings we can examine the suffering that is being caused by climate change. We feel for the beauty and life-enriching presence of animals, forests, oceans and our many different human relationships and, as we focus on gratitude, we gain a capacity for understanding our grief, sorrow and shock at the prospect of their demise. Understanding the causes of climate change and the interdependence of living systems, we can move into engaged action. When we see the importance of generating skillful effort to deal with climate change we can focus on specific and constructive actions and be the change we want to see in the world.

These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

This sitting group provides instruction in insight meditation and fosters mutual support and understanding among the growing community of people of color who find nourishment and inspiration in the practice.

These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

Our environmental crisis is generated by an obsession with ownership and individualism that obscures the truth of our inter-dependence within a web of life. In a world divided by inequity, racism, and wars, Dharma practice shatters the illusion of dualistic consciousness, offering a new paradigm. This mini-retreat explores the process which generates divisiveness: papanca or conceptual proliferation in service of delusion. The ending of papanca reveals the unshakeable depth and the undivided nature of reality at the heart of all circumstances, revolutionizing our way of being and living — both personally and globally. Copies of Thanissara's book, Time To Stand Up, An Engaged Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth, will be available for purchase and can be signed by the author.

These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

Many of us are still processing the events of earlier this month and perhaps also a multitude of emotions. A number of practitioners are asking how to practice internally and externally, as directed by the Buddha, with the events of our contemporary lives. We are once again asked to investigate a most poignant aspect of practice — how external events can be met internally with the wisdom of interconnectedness, compassion and integrity; and externally without duality. On July 19, as part of our Monthly Sitting & Inquiry, NYI will offer the opportunity to come together and mindfully listen to, share with, and support one another as we bring our practice to all that is occurring within and around us.

In cooperation with the New York Buddhist Climate Action Network (NYBCAN), please join us for an evening discussion with thought leaders Charles Eisenstein, Lou Leonard and Colin Beavan, moderated by NYI Teacher Sebene Selassie. While we are always living in times of uncertainty, the current state of the human endeavor holds wildly varied possibilities for rejuvenation or peril. The imperatives of a financial construct based on a model of infinite growth are coming up against the very real constraints offered by a finite planet. Interestingly, at the same time as we are seeing heightened political tensions and violence, we are also seeing an out-pouring of compassion and organization to steer the human ship toward a more loving and sustainable way. This discussion will explore the teachings of The Middle Way, our current growth oriented economic structure and that structure's effect on our spiritual and physical environment. This evening kicks off weekend events in partnership with NY BCAN, including a daylong seminar with Charles Eisenstein on Saturday and culminating in the March for a Clean Energy Solution in Philadelphia on the eve of the Democratic National Convention.

This sitting group provides instruction in insight meditation and fosters mutual support and understanding among the growing community of people of color who find nourishment and inspiration in the practice.

This sitting group provides instruction in insight meditation and fosters mutual support and understanding among the growing community of people of color who find nourishment and inspiration in the practice.

This sitting group provides instruction in insight meditation and fosters mutual support and understanding among the growing community of people of color who find nourishment and inspiration in the practice.

These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

Amma Thanasanti will be leading our Tuesday evening sit as a special guest. The topic will be “Marrying the mystics' passion for love and the activists' passion for justice”.

Amma Thanasanti will be leading our Tuesday evening sit as a special guest. The topic will be “Marrying the mystics' passion for love and the activists' passion for justice”.

2500 years ago, Buddha taught meditation and inner inquiry as a revolutionary practice; Training the mind and freeing the heart to turn against the streams of greed, negativity and confusion that we see habitually affecting both our own inner lives, and driving the dominant forces of society. How can we genuinely explore and deeply understand how these currents and habits operate, so as to find an inner freedom and ease, and to make a wise and effective response to the world we live in?

2500 years ago, Buddha taught meditation and inner inquiry as a revolutionary practice; Training the mind and freeing the heart to turn against the streams of greed, negativity and confusion that we see habitually affecting both our own inner lives, and driving the dominant forces of society. How can we genuinely explore and deeply understand how these currents and habits operate, so as to find an inner freedom and ease, and to make a wise and effective response to the world we live in?

The great Black American singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder once sang, “Love’s in need of love today.” His words couldn’t be more true as we face a global community struggling with war, poverty, illness, climate instability, and the rise of political authorities and governments who do not seem to be grounded in compassion or kindness. We speak about love and attempt to practice love but some of us are losing faith in the transformative power of the wish for ourselves and others to be happy. Our practice of love is in need of our renewed faith in love. In this talk, we will be exploring the question of how practicing love can become a strategy that resists and undoes our experiences fear, apathy, and numbness as we attempt to live and love in a challenging world.

The great Black American singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder once sang, “Love’s in need of love today.” His words couldn’t be more true as we face a global community struggling with war, poverty, illness, climate instability, and the rise of political authorities and governments who do not seem to be grounded in compassion or kindness. We speak about love and attempt to practice love but some of us are losing faith in the transformative power of the wish for ourselves and others to be happy. Our practice of love is in need of our renewed faith in love. In this talk, we will be exploring the question of how practicing love can become a strategy that resists and undoes our experiences fear, apathy, and numbness as we attempt to live and love in a challenging world.

The Mula Sutta is a profound teaching that in ten lines condenses the journey from separative consciousness to the non dual heart. Thanissara will explore the process of unfolding this journey as it moves through the dissolution of discordant and isolating narratives to deepening trust in intuitive awareness informed by the living Dharma.

The recording of the Q+A follows the study of the Mula Sutta which is freely available here: http://nyi.dharmaseed.org/admin/talks/talk/47371/

The teachings of Buddhism are often understood as an individual practice of psychological and spiritual liberation. How do these teachings and practices apply to transforming our relationships and our society? What is the freedom promised by the Buddhist path and how does it relate to issues of systemic oppression and collective suffering?

This guided meditation took place at the start of the evening event with Kevin Griffin

In a time of great conflict and contention in our society, it’s helpful to look to the Buddhist teachings on loving-kindness for guidance. In this evening talk, Kevin will introduce the themes of his latest project, how to live with wisdom and open-heartedness in the world. Drawing from several early suttas he will talk about the challenges of living in harmony, free from ill-will and the suffering of attachment.

Mindfulness practice provides a powerful support for clear, kind, and effective conversations. Join author and meditation teacher Oren Jay Sofer for this exploration of how our contemplative practice provides a foundation for bringing more compassion, clarity, and connection into our speech and relationships. In these polarized times, how can we speak and listen in a way that is aligned with our values? How can we hear others with divergent views? Oren will be offering teachings from his new book, Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication.

Mindfulness practice provides a powerful support for clear, kind, and effective conversations. Join author and meditation teacher Oren Jay Sofer for this exploration of how our contemplative practice provides a foundation for bringing more compassion, clarity, and connection into our speech and relationships. In these polarized times, how can we speak and listen in a way that is aligned with our values? How can we hear others with divergent views? Oren will be offering teachings from his new book, Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication.

This sitting group provides instruction in insight meditation and fosters mutual support and understanding among the growing community of people of color who find nourishment and inspiration in the practice of meditation.

Meditation practice cultivates a diverse set of attentional, emotional and introspective skills. Central to the practice of mindfulness is the stabilization of attention. But before our attention stabilizes, practice can be overstimulating. This talk will explore the process through which the mind comes to rest. In developing this steadiness, equanimity (the capacity to fully permit the flow of both pleasure and pain) is a vital skill. We will see how concentration and equanimity reinforce each other and support a deeper understanding of ourselves. And how this stability, in turn, makes space for the heart to respond with joy and compassion.

Meditation practice cultivates a diverse set of attentional, emotional and introspective skills. Central to the practice of mindfulness is the stabilization of attention. But before our attention stabilizes, practice can be overstimulating. This talk will explore the process through which the mind comes to rest. In developing this steadiness, equanimity (the capacity to fully permit the flow of both pleasure and pain) is a vital skill. We will see how concentration and equanimity reinforce each other and support a deeper understanding of ourselves. And how this stability, in turn, makes space for the heart to respond with joy and compassion.

Lama Rod Owens is the guest teacher for this evening. Members of POC Sangha and Insight Out LGBTQI Sangha are invited to attend. The usual 5/22 Insight Out meeting is cancelled. This sitting group provides instruction in insight meditation and fosters mutual support and understanding among the growing community of people of color who find nourishment and inspiration in the practice of meditation.

In his new book From Suffering to Peace – The True Promise of Mindfulness Mark Coleman, author and senior teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, weaves together contemporary applications with mindfulness practices in use for millennia. His approach to mindfulness and meditation empowers us to engage with and transform the inevitable stress and pain of life, so we can discover genuine peace — in the body, heart, mind, and the wider world. In this evening talk, Mark will lead brief mediations and explore the aspects of his book to help practitioners, of all kinds, access and benefit from the “true promise of mindfulness”.

In his new book From Suffering to Peace – The True Promise of Mindfulness Mark Coleman, author and senior teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, weaves together contemporary applications with mindfulness practices in use for millennia. His approach to mindfulness and meditation empowers us to engage with and transform the inevitable stress and pain of life, so we can discover genuine peace — in the body, heart, mind, and the wider world. In this evening talk, Mark will lead brief mediations and explore the aspects of his book to help practitioners, of all kinds, access and benefit from the “true promise of mindfulness”.

How can our spiritual practice be a source of healing and guidance in troubled times? The Buddhist path and its meditation practice offers a range of resources that can help us face challenges, personally and collectively.

How can our spiritual practice be a source of healing and guidance in troubled times? The Buddhist path and its meditation practice offers a range of resources that can help us face challenges, personally and collectively.

Awareness and wisdom are qualities of mind that together provide the ingredients for clear seeing and compassion to arise. These timeless qualities are essential for meeting the challenges of our current world and in helping us live a skillful life. This evening talk will start out with a guided meditation followed by a dharma talk on how to cultivate these essential qualities.

Awareness and wisdom are qualities of mind that together provide the ingredients for clear seeing and compassion to arise. These timeless qualities are essential for meeting the challenges of our current world and in helping us live a skillful life. This evening talk will start out with a guided meditation followed by a dharma talk on how to cultivate these essential qualities.

Awareness and wisdom are qualities of mind that together provide the ingredients for clear seeing and compassion to arise. These timeless qualities are essential for meeting the challenges of our current world and in helping us live a skillful life. This evening talk will start out with a guided meditation followed by a dharma talk on how to cultivate these essential qualities.

During these troubled times when we are witnessing so much polarization, fear and hatred in our world, this is a time to come together to experience the peace that lies at the heart of our being. From that place of peace and ease, we can move out into the world as more effective agents of change to benefit of all beings.

During these troubled times when we are witnessing so much polarization, fear and hatred in our world, this is a time to come together to experience the peace that lies at the heart of our being. From that place of peace and ease, we can move out into the world as more effective agents of change to benefit of all beings.