Articles

Practicing in Online Retreats at IRC by Gil Fronsdal An innovative opportunity in our modern technological world is the creation of online meditation retreats. Rather than traveling from our homes to attend a retreat at a retreat center, the retreat comes to our homes. While home retreats are not new, they have tended to be […]

Skillful Evaluation of Your Meditation Practice, Part One by Gil Fronsdal Winter/Spring 2020 This is the first of two articles describing skillful ways to evaluate your meditation practice. The second article will be published in the next edition of the newsletter, this coming summer. This first article will cover examining our motivation for practice and

Meditation Instructions on Retreats by Gil Fronsdal Central to a meditation retreat are the meditation instructions the teachers provide. The instructions are treasures, based on the cumulative meditation experience of many people, ultimately traced back to the meditation practice of the Buddha. They are taught as means to calm our agitation, understand our minds, heal

Wise Perspectives for Retreat Practice by Gil Fronsdal A surprisingly high percentage of our happiness and woe is dependent on the viewpoints through which we interpret our experience, views which are often not only unexamined, but also unrecognized.  Operating invisibly, they become the source of further interpretations, conclusions and judgments we make about our experience, our

Dharma Service on Retreat by Gil Fronsdal Many people are first motivated to participate in meditation retreats in order to deepen their own meditation practice or to address their personal suffering. At some point, this motivation can transform into a growing interest in supporting others to similarly deepen their practice and overcome their suffering. At

Mindfulness of Breathing on Retreat by Gil Fronsdal “When mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated, it is of great fruit and great benefit. When mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated, it fulfills the four foundations of mindfulness. When the four foundations of mindfulness are developed and cultivated, they fulfill the seven factors of

Listening to Dharma Talks on Retreat by Gil Fronsdal The daily Dharma talk is an important part of insight meditation retreats, especially if one listens with mindfulness, focus, and a clear idea of one’s purpose for listening. It’s possible to listen to a talk with the same dedication given to sitting and walking meditation. This

Preparing for a Retreat by Gil Fronsdal Being well-prepared for a meditation retreat supports a good beginning to your retreat. It facilitates an easeful settling into the practice and a more immediate immersion into the focused mindfulness of your direct experience. With adequate preparation you can begin the retreat with fewer and less compelling preoccupations,

The Practice of Leaving a Retreat by Gil Fronsdal The end of a meditation retreat is as important as any other part, and approaching it as a significant period of practice can lead to many benefits. The final stage of a retreat and the period following provide significant opportunities for insight and self-understanding. Instead of

Practicing with Pain on Retreat by Gil Fronsdal If mindfulness is to be relevant and liberating in all areas of our life it needs to include discomfort. To be free only when we are comfortable is not the freedom that Buddhism advocates: real freedom is found when we have inner peace and equanimity in times