Meditation Class
Instructional sessions are usually two hours in duration; the class sequence of five sessions is held in South Elgin.
There is no obligation except your commitment to undertake the entire sequence of instruction. Classes are led by Deb Wright, a graduate of
the Advanced Study and Practice Program at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.
In this tradition, the teachings are offered freely; if you consider them of value, an offering is considered appropriate
($25-$50 suggested). The choice to offer something in return is entirely up to you. For more information on the philosophy and practice
of dana (generosity), click here.
To inquire about meditation classes, please contact Deb.
To pre-register for a future class, please click the Register button. (Classes occur as there is interest.)
The materials on this page support our meditation class. Although they are available to anyone who visits the site, they are meant to be used in conjunction with practice under the guidance of a mentor or teacher.
Week 1 - The Basics
This week, we will introduce mindfulness meditation as taught over 2500 years ago by Siddhatta Gotama, known as the Buddha. Mindfulness meditation is the entry level for both vipassana, or insight, meditation and samadhi, or deep concentration of mind. Mindfulness training effectively quiets the mind and awakens us to what is actually happening without distraction or distortion. This clear seeing helps us to respond wisely to whatever arises in our experience, and is a good preparation for other styles of meditation.
Of what are we taught to be mindful? According to the Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta, we are to train in The Four Foundations of Mindfulness:1. Contemplation of bodyFor more about mindfulness, see Jack Kornfield's article, "Doing the Buddha's Practice" (Shambhala Sun, July 2007).
2. Contemplation of feeling
3. Contemplation of mind
4. Contemplation of mind-objects
We will be using supplementary materials developed for mindfulness training by Gil Fronsdal of the Insight Meditation Center. Please note full terms for usage and distribution here.
Week 1 Homework: Mindfulness of Breathing (Gil Fronsdal)
Instructions for Walking Meditation (Gil Fronsdal)
For a glossary of Buddhist terms from Insight Meditation Society, click here.
Week 2 - Mindfulness of the Body
"When we look for happiness, we tend to look far away. Even when we're meditating, we tend to look far away from where things actually are. Everything we need to know, the Buddha says, lies in this fathom-long body with awareness."
--Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Please read Gil Fronsdal's article on The Body at the Center.
Week 2 Homework: Mindfulness of the Body (Gil Fronsdal)
Week 3 - Mindfulness of Feelings
"Vedana (Pali): Feeling; the pleasant, unpleasant or neutral feeling tone that arises with all experience; one of the five aggregates."
--IMS Glossary of Buddhist Terms
Feeling or sensation is actually the affect tone that precedes the more complex emotions. Emotions are considered mental formations and are part of Mindfulness of Thoughts (week 4). However, some teachers teach emotions as part of mindfulness of feelings (as Gil Fronsdal does in the homework below).
(Optional: For a very detailed discourse on feeling as it is presented in the Buddha's teachings, see the article by Nyaponika Thera at Access to Insight.)
Week 3 Homework: Mindfulness of Emotions (Gil Fronsdal)
Week 4 - Mindfulness of Thoughts
"If you do not wish to be prone to anger, do not feed the habit; give it nothing which may tend to its increase."
--Epictetus
Please read Sandra Hammond's article on Working with Thoughts and Emotions in Practice.
Optional: Gordon L. Smith provides a lengthy article on productive and unproductive thought in meditation. If you are ready to tackle it, you will find it here: "thinking, thinking."
Week 4 Homework: Mindfulness of Thoughts (Gil Fronsdal)
Week 5 - Mindfulness of Mind
"It is the very mind itself
That leads the mind astray;
Of the mind,
Do not be mindless."
--Takuan Soho
The fourth foundation of mindfulness investigates the principles underlying our experiences and the factors that inhibit or facilitate meeting this life with wisdom.
Week 5 Homework: Mindfulness Meditation (Gil Fronsdal)
Continuation - Integration of Practice in Daily Life
It is important to continue this foundation by cultivating mindfulness in daily life. Please read Gil Fronsdal's suggestions on this topic at Week 6: Mindfulness in Daily Life.
As you continue your practice, it is helpful to have the support of community with others who are also making the effort to integrate mindfulness into daily life. After completion of this class, you are invited to meet weekly with EAIM's regular sitting group on Tuesday evenings from 7 - 9 p.m. for meditation and discussion.
