Due to understandable caution about Covid-19, my forthcoming retreat is now being moved online. Maybe you can make it?

Can't see images? Click here...

My Saturday, March 21 New York retreat is now a world-wide event! I hope that you and everyone you know are safe, healthy, and have ample supplies for the lock-down situation many of us are living in.  Next weekend I was supposed to be leading a meditation retreat at the New York Insight Meditation Center. Due to understandable caution about Covid-19, the retreat is now being moved online. It'll be available through the free Zoom app, and also on your regular internet browser. This means, of course, that you can attend wherever in the world you happen to be. I hope you can make it. The retreat is a rare opportunity to learn how to bring effortless states of joy and calmness into your life. Love, Bodhipaksa Here are the details from the NYIMC website: Jhāna, Step By Step – A Daylong Retreat WITH BODHIPAKSA Saturday, March 21st, 2020 | 9:00am – 3:00pm “There is no jhāna for one who lacks insight; no insight for one who lacks jhāna. One in whom both jhāna and insight are found is indeed close to Awakening.” (Dhammapada, verse 372) Jhāna, or meditative absorption, is an example of what modern psychology calls “a flow state.” In jhāna we’re effortlessly present with our experience: undistracted, calm, embodied, and joyful. This kind of meditative experience can seem unattainable to any but an elite of “expert” meditators. But is that the case? You’ve probably been given very specific instructions on how to develop mindfulness. You’ve probably received very clear direction in how to cultivate lovingkindness. But jhāna — even though it’s traditionally considered to be the basis of Awakening itself—is usually left to chance. It’s no wonder that jhāna remains annoyingly elusive, or only happens out of the blue, often with us not being entirely clear how or why. But, what if there was a simple, step-by-step way to let jhāna arise? During this online daylong retreat Bodhipaksa will break down the components of the jhāna experience and introduce a step-by-step approach to cultivating it. You may or may not experience jhāna on this weekend, but you’ll certainly move in that direction and will come away with a whole new bunch of meditation skills! At the end of this program, retreatants will have access to a video recording of the day.

If you're an iPhone or iPad user, you're invited to try out the FREE Bodhi Mind app, which offers hundreds of guided meditation recordings by Bodhipaksa. A unique feature of Bodhi Mind is "Sitting With Bodhi," which nourishes your practice with daily guided meditations that are just 10 minutes long.

Learn the Art of Mindful Self-Compassion We all long for someone who can offer us unconditional love and support. But what if that person is us? It's always exciting when a book you've written is published, but I'm especially excited about this one, because it's a topic that's dear to my heart. For many years now I've been teaching the art of practicing self-compassion — learning to support and encourage yourself in the face of challenges. Over and over again I've heard from meditation students who have found the techniques of mindful self-compassion I teach vital in freeing themselves from habits of self-criticism and self-hatred, and from the suffering they cause. And having these teachings in book form brings them to a whole new audience. I'm especially pleased to have endorsements from Rick Hanson, Tara Brach, and Sharon Salzberg. I hope you enjoy from and benefit from the book. Love, Bodhipaksa

Wildmind 3205 Mead Hill Road Newmarket NH 03857 USA https://www.wildmind.org .