Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

Nov 21 2022 200 ep. 36 mins 404

Shaila Catherine's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed) Podcast artwork

Shaila Catherine is the founder of Bodhi Courses (bodhicourses.org) an online Dhamma classroom, and Insight Meditation South Bay, a meditation center in Mountain View, California (imsb.org). She has practiced meditation since 1980, with more than nine years of accumulated silent retreat experience, and has taught since 1996 in the USA, and internationally. Shaila has dedicated several years to studying with masters in India, Nepal and Thailand, completed a one year intensive meditation retreat with the focus on concentration and jhana, and authored The Jhanas: A Practical Guide to Deep Meditative States (Wisdom Publications). From 2006–2014, Shaila studied jhana and vipassana under the direction of Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw, and authored Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Handbook for Mastering Jhana and Vipassana (Wisdom Publications, 2011) to make his systematic approach of meditative training accessible to western practitioners. Her third book, Beyond Distraction: Five Practical Ways to Focus the Mind, teaches skills to overcome restless thinking, rumination, and obstructive habitual patterns. Shaila’s teachings are characterized by precision, diligence, and gentleness. She emphasizes deep samadhi, jhāna, loving kindness, and the path of liberating insight.

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Shaila Catherine: Advice to the Dying: Don’t Cling to Anything

Nov 21 2022 22 mins

(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This guided meditation offers a comprehensive training in non-attachment and letting go. The instructions list various objects and perceptions that one might be attached to, and recommend that we train ourselves to not cling to each item. It follows the advice that Venerable Sariputta offered to the lay disciple Anathapindika on his d

Shaila Catherine: Beyond Distraction: Five Practical Ways to Free the Mind

Apr 12 2022 29 mins

(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) On the occasion of the publication of her third book, Beyond Distraction: Five Practical Ways to Free the Mind, Shaila Catherine shares a progressive series of strategies to overcome the hindrances of restlessness, obsessive thinking, and rumination; dispel thoughts of anger, hatred, and anxiety; and curb habitual distractions. By fre

Shaila Catherine: Guided Meditation: Beyond Distraction — Five Strategies to Remove Distracting Thoughts

Apr 11 2022 23 mins

(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this guided meditation, Shaila Catherine introduces a progressive series of strategies to overcome restlessness, obsessive thinking, rumination, and habitual obstacles and hindrances. By freeing the mind from the fetter of restlessness, meditators calm their minds, develop tranquility, strengthen concentration, create the condition

Shaila Catherine: Mindfulness with Breathing: Observing the Long & Short Breaths

(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) In this guided meditation, Shaila Catherine leads you through the first step of Anapanasati, also known as mindfulness with breathing. This first step is a great way to settle yourself during a meditation session, or out in the world.

Shaila Catherine: Refraining from Intoxication

Apr 06 2021 22 mins

(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This talk explores the fifth precept: the commitment to refrain from intoxicating the mind through the use of alcohol, drugs, or addictive desires. Originally this precept highlighted the dangers of home-brewed alcohol, but can be expanded to address the many ways we may seek to excite, dull, distort, or intoxicate our minds. By worki

Shaila Catherine: Refraining from Sexual Misconduct

Mar 08 2021 35 mins

(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) This talk addresses the third ethical precept — refraining from sexual misconduct. Practicing with the precepts involves becoming mindful of our actions, recognizing the effects that our actions have on ourselves and others, learning to respond to our thoughts and feelings with wisdom, kindness, and restraint, and honoring our commi

Shaila Catherine: Cultivating Patience

Jun 30 2020 45 mins

(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Shaila Catherine discusses the importance of patience in our practice. This talk explores benefits, opportunities, and challenges that we experience when cultivating this often under appreciated virtue of patience.

Shaila Catherine: Mindfulness

Feb 10 2020 35 mins

(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Mindfulness (Sati in Pali) is a whole-hearted observation of the present moment with a quality of mind free of desire/aversion. It forms the basis for cultivating all the Awakening Factors.

Shaila Catherine: Mindfulness

Feb 10 2020 35 mins

(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) Mindfulness (Sati in Pali) is a whole-hearted observation of the present moment with a quality of mind free of desire/aversion. It forms the basis for cultivating all the Awakening Factors.

Kim Allen: Investigation

Feb 10 2020 48 mins

(Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley) What is meant by investigation (damma vicaya in Pali) and how do we prepare ourselves to undertake it.