A Morning of Insight Meditation
Date & Time: Sunday 11th May/Sunday 8th June 9.30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Where: Collis Sandes House, Tralee, Co.Kerry
For Whom: Suited to people with some experience of mindfulness meditation or other forms of meditation.
There will be guidance given. It's not suitable for complete beginners. If you're not sure if it's for you do contact me.
What will the morning feature? Periods of reflections & teaching. Sitting meditation. Standing meditation, Walking meditation. Maybe some gentle mindful movements. Some space for sharing and responses. It may also feature some listening/speaking meditation in pairs. I tend to play things by ear depending on the group. Scripts usually end up out the window anyway! See below for a description of insight meditation.
What to bring: There will be seating, but if you are used to sitting on the floor, best to bring a cushion(s), mat, shawl, meditation stool etc..
Atmosphere: We will switch our phones off for the morning to allow a deeper immersion in the practice.
Cost: The morning is offered on a donation basis which can be offered on the day or afterwards.
This practice is referred to as dana in the traditions I have practiced in. You can read more about that here.
There will be a bowl for cash donations on the day or donations can be made online on the day or afterwards.
Donations go towards a) covering the expenses for the space other expenses and b) the guidance/teachings
How to Register?
Please fill out this brief registration form to book a place.
Any questions please contact me.
Hope to see you there
Pádraig
What is Insight Meditation?
Insight meditation generally refers to a range of meditation practices drawn from the Buddhist traditions but does not require one to formally be a Buddhist. The only conversion required is the conversion from the path of suffering to the path of peace.
It involves applying a sustained, curious, and caring attention to our moment-to-moment experience.
We may start with a focused attention on the breath before opening to the broad field of experience including bodily sensations, emotions, thoughts and sounds. As our restless minds settle down somewhat - a gradual process requiring patience, we can encounter a sense of clarity, ease, and insight into life. Like the sun breaking through the clouds, the light of wisdom and love, among other wonderful qualities, can dawn on us.
As Annie Dillard writes: "I cannot cause light; the most I can do is try to put myself in the path of its beam."
Althought it is common to encounter difficulties such as restlessness, wandering mind, lethargy etc... this practice is not beyond any of us.
We can put ourselves in the path of the light's beam and let our lives be illuminated.
I have been practicing in this way for over 20 years and continue to be struck by the quiet beauty of the practice.
"In the process of engaging in mettā practice, over time, the heart transforms. The heart being transformed, the eyes transform, the seeing transforms, the actions transform, and the choices transform. Out of the heart’s transformation – that’s at the centre of everything. It changes the way we see the world and the way we act and choose in the world. And then through that, of course, we are transforming the world."
Rob Burbea
When: Monday evenings 8 - 9 p.m. in March (3rd,10th, 17th,24th,31st)
Where: Online via Zoom (Link will be posted here on Mondays).
You can also email me at padraigwayoftheheart@gmail.com to receive the link
Here's the link :
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83958460871?pwd=CRlB1btC2YQ117JK1JdFasKyKFN7cP.1
Meeting ID: 839 5846 0871
Passcode: 837884
Format:
After an inital reflection/reading for 10-15 minutes, there will be a lightly guided meditation for around 30 - 40 minutes, closing with open-space for sharing, questions, silence
More Details:
Suitable for anybody who has some experience of meditation and would like to highlight the loving qualities of our awakened nature. In Buddhism mettā is emphasised as a divine dwelling of the heart, free from boundaries and limitations.
Resources:
Here you will find some of the recordings from previous sessions as well as links to further resources
Sessions are freely offered.
There is the opportunity to offer dāna (donation) if one is moved to do so.
Hope to meet you in the Metta-verse
Pádraig
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes"
Marcel Proust
I am interested in hosting ongoing drop-in sessions for practitioners who have or would like to have a regular meditation practice, and who feel they could benefit from ongoing drop-in group sessions.
When: Sunday Evenings from March 30th 2025. 8 - 9 p.m. (Irish Time) until 27th April
Online via Zoom. Zoom link to be posted here on Sundays
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88001944793?pwd=Zl7mjaIPI6blFePRU0ROrUyfPg29iS.1
Meeting ID: 880 0194 4793
Passcode: 984343
(unless otherwise cancelled. If I can't make a particular Sunday I will mention it here)
A typical session will consist of a short reflection and/or reading, some meditation(s), and space for sharing.
I expect the format to evolve over time.
These sessions are offered freely.
What is Insight Meditation?
Insight Meditation invites us to see things differently. It facilitates a paradigm shift of the Heart. It involves the opening of eyes to see deeply into the heart of experience. And this seeing unburdens our being, it leaves us travelling lighter.
So for example, a typical practice in the Buddhist tradition is to attend to the changeable, dynamic, uncertain aspect of experience. Through ongoing and repeated application of deep attention to this quality of change the grasping and resistance towards the flow of life can soften and dissolve. The fruit of this practice is less suffering in the face of change and impermanence. This is just one example. There are many others in the Buddhist tradition.
Come and See!