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- Samatha Practice Groups--We currently
have two practice groups in session, who are focusing their groups on the practices in our lineage:
- Spokane, Washington, USA: Brian Gavin is leading the Spokane practice group, monthly from
January to June 2012, the first Sunday of every month from 10am to noon. Please click this hotlink to see the website http://www.meetup.com/Spokane-Concentration-Meditation-Group/ .
- Glastonbury, Connecticut: Sister Phap
Chan, a long-time friend and yogi at our teaching events, is leading this group from April to August 2012, 6:30-8:30pm on
the last Sunday of each month. Please email Sister Phap Chan at phapchan@phapchan.net for more informaiton.
- Announcing:
Our First Teacher-in-Training, Brian Gavin!
- We are pleased to announce our
first Teacher-in-Training, Brian Gavin. Brian is now authorized to give dharma talks, and will be learning how to lead daylongs soon. Brian
shares his own experience of the territory from "first sit to first jhana" in a clear way that people find both
interesting and inspiring. He is very dedicated to this practice, is a great yogi, and has been with us on all of our long
retreats to date. For more information about Brian, including how to arrange for a dharma talk at your location, please visit
our About Us page. Brian travels extensively and may be in your area soon!
- Upcoming
Retreats:
- Our next retreat is Sept. 8-21, 2012,
our annual 2-week retreat at Cloud Mountain. Please visit our Events page for details.
- March 23-29, 2013 is a 6-day
Brama Viharas retreat at Cloud Mountain.
- August 3-5, 2013 is a 3-day Introduction
to Concentration retreat at Cloud Mountain.
- Recent
Interviews:
- Month-long
Retreat in 2013 at Samish Island, Washington
- 25-day Retreat in Washington,
2013: We will also offer our first 25-day retreat, October 13-November 8, 2013, at a private retreat center
on Samish Island, near Bellingham, Washington. The estimated cost is $1350 and all rooms are single cabins. Pre-registration
is now open.
- These retreats are in addition to our usual 13-day annual retreat at Cloud Mountain,
which next year will be held Sept 8-21, 2012. See our Events page for details.
- Practicing the Jhanas
Book:
- Our book is now available
on e-readers! The e-reader version is sold at a reduced cost, on Amazon Kindle (hotlink below), Barnes & Noble, and Google.
http://www.amazon.com/Practicing-Jhanas-Traditional-Concentration-Meditation/dp/159030733X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311954335&sr=8-1
- Our book Practicing the Jhanas
(published by Shambhala Publications) is available in major bookstores and most internet
booksellers. To order, please see our Books page. Our original book, Jhanas Advice from Two Spiritual Friends,
was purchased by people in 31 countries on six continents in a two year period. The Shambhala version contains one additional
chapter on "First Sit to First Jhana", as well as an expanded section on Purification of Mind.
- Several wonderful reviews of our book have been released,
including Yoga Journal UK, Wisdom Quarterly and Buddhadharma. The latest is on this site at
- Knowing & Seeing, by Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw
- This seminal book is now available at cost for purchase on Amazon.com, thanks to two yogis in our sangha--Ted Weinstein
and Michael Nagy. The book is beautiful, and is so much easier to read and use than the download version. It sells for cost
at $15.99, with any small proceeds donated to Pa Auk Monastery. Click here to order: http://amzn.to/knowingseeing or for a description visit our Books/Dana page.
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What is the Samatha / Jhana Practice?
The jhana practice is an ancient type of concentration meditation (samatha) that
predates written history as a method to purify the mind. It was taught to the Buddha by his teachers, and he practiced and
taught the jhanas throughout his life. This practice was so important to him, that jhana meditation was his last
act before he died.
Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw of Burma is considered by many to be the leading Buddhist jhana teacher
alive today. Tina Rasmussen and Stephen Snyder were taught personally by the Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw, who has authorized them
as the first Western lay people to teach the samatha practices as the Sayadaw taught them. Their book, Practicing
the Jhanas, is an accessible and direct experiential account of samatha practice. Their book has been endorsed
by the Sayadaw, Joseph Goldstein, Guy Armstrong, Richard Shankman, Rick Hanson, and others, and is published by Shambhala
Publications.
They offer several services to practitioners interested in the samatha practices of which the
jhanas are a part. Their services are for both experienced meditators interested in deepening their concentration practice,
as well as new meditators beginning a concentration practice. They offer: - Retreats
- Daylong intensives
- Dharma talks at your location
- One-on-one spiritual
guidance
- Free downloads of dharma talks on the jhanas practice
Click here for more information
About Us or the Services we offer.
Click here to download the Anapanasati Meditation Instructions Card
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| Stephen & Tina with Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw August 2009 |
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Periodically, we distribute emails
about upcoming events, new postings, and our publications. To join, please click here to go to the Contact Us page. If you send us your email address we will add you to our distribution list.
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