TBA IMG
Insight Meditation Group of Houston

Personally, I have received many benefits from our group practice, especially from the interviews with Venerable Dr. Dhammapiya Sayadaw . Please see my report card below from last weeks interview on 9-20. I wrote this to show my appreciation. Background Meditation is normally called a skill of mental training, but the ultimate truth is that Vipassana meditation is in reality a process of processes. All things are manifested in a process of phenomena in constant change. All things--including the act of observation in daily life or in meditation, the observing mind and the object--are in a process of flow from the direct experience of practice, flowing in the flow and with the flow. As Sayadaw Shaw O Min states in his booklet, Right Attitude in Meditation , "...The object is not important. The mind that is working in the background-working to be aware, i.e., the observing mind- is more important..." In a slow process of mental training, to shift attention from the observed obj...

Stilling the Restless Mind- a 7 day Insight Meditation retreat lead by Venerable Seelananda. This will be held in a idelsitic location- the American Bodhi Center . The retreat date is from November 26th, 2009 to December 2nd, 2009. The American Bodhi Center is dotted with rolling hills and brooks and is full of geographical variety. It serves as a cultural, educational, and altruistic activity center for Buddhism. The Bodhi Center has a grand meditation hall and comfortable living quarters for meditators. Surrounded by quiet forest (see video and phots) accommodating either individual or groups retreat. To register please call 979-921-6969 or download for retreat information, registration and consent forms .

IMG Notes for August 30, 2009 The IMG extended five hour session began at 7:00 A.M. with a 20 minute audio dharma talk given by Thanissaro Bhikku. The subject of the talk, Befriending The Breath, was an insightful discussion on the importance of learning to be 'friends' with the breath. We all know the paths that some of our 'old friends' can lead us down--those old friends being the unskilful states of mind. Developing a new friendship with the breath can lead us to new friends, and new, skillful states of mind. These skillful states bring us true peace and happiness, but in order to achieve this, we must spend more time with the breath, and develop a lasting friendship with it. We must learn to ignore the call of our old friends while we are cultivating a relationship with our breath. Choosing and developing a friendship with our breath will yield the best friendship that we can ever have. Group discussion began about 11:00 A.M., and the main subject of interest cente...

IMG Notes from August 23, 2009 We are halfway through our sessions, and questions often come up during our practice. 1. Has the effort been worth it so far? 2. Why are we not enlightened yet? 3. Will we be enlightened by the end of our six months together? 4. If not, will we continue? The demands of raising children, managing our careers, and interacting with our spouses can indeed place significant strain on our practice time and practice attitude. We must have faith and confidence in the knowledge that our efforts are worth it, even if at times it doesn't seem to be. Sometimes, it is not until we face a major life altering experience that we begin to see the benefits of our practice reveal itself. Josten shared his recent experience with illness, a hospital stay, and his personal revelation regarding the value of his practice. Even though he experienced severe pain and discomfort, he realized that his practice sustained him, and made his ordeal easier to bear. Are you ready t...

IMG Notes from Aug. 7, 2009 A. After walking and sitting meditation, Rev. Hung-I joined our group for a half hour discussion. Ken informed the group that Josten is not feeling well. (Get better, Josten!) The Reverend praised the group for its commitment, and he understood the determination that goes into making the decision to continue practice. He was also happy to see us using the temple. B. For discussion, three questions were offered to the Reverend. Question 1. What is mindfulness? The Reverend touched on several points regarding the nature of mindfulness. The key points were that we all have some level of mindfulness, but most of the time we do not use it in the right way. There must be Right Mindfulness. Right Mindfulness leads to Right Concentration; Right Concentration leads to Right Contemplation. Question 2. What is the value of Walking Meditation? The main points given on this question were that sitting and walking meditation complement each other. Walking meditation helps...

Dear Dharma friends, We would like to invite you to join our Dharma talk by Ken Pao on Sunday Aug. 16th. Ken has been studying Buddhism since 1993. He has deep understanding of Buddha’s teaching from both Mahayana and Theravada traditions and has also practiced “Emptiness Meditation”, “Zen meditation”, and “Insight meditation”. Ken is currently leading the Insight Meditation Group and the “Middle-Way” Discourse Study Group in the temple. Ken’s Dharma talk will touch upon the following topics: 1. How practical is the Buddha’s teaching for the lay person? 2. According to the Theravada tradition, what is the most important stage in the enlightened path? 3. Can the precepts, concentration, and wisdom be accomplished in one single practice? Hope to see you this Sunday! Meditation, Kwan Yin Hall, 9:00 – 10:00 AMDharma talk, Kwan Yin Hall, 10:15 – 11:15 AM

What is important to physicists is also important to meditators. When physicists were asked what is important for them when they approach problems in physics, they cited two factors: --First, there must be confidence that the problem itself is worthy of their effort and investigation. The problem is VERY important. --Second, there must be confidence that there is a solution to the problem--that it can be overcome. These two factors relate directly to our meditation practice. First, we must have confidence that the challenge of daily, committed practice is worthy of our effort and investigation. Once we discover that meditation requires daily practice, it is too easy to say, "Oh, meditation is good, but I do not have the time." Secondly, we must have the confidence that we can overcome the problems that confront us as we strive to maintain our daily practice. Once we begin to practice and we begin to realize how little we know, we may begin to doubt or rethink our effort...