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IMS Spring 2007 Newsletter INSIGHT NEWSLETTER SPRING SUMMER Urban Buddhism: Awakening Anywhere, Anytime 2007 An Interview with Rodney Smith Welcome to our colorful Spring Rodney Smith began practicing insight meditation in 1975. He came to IMS issue of Insight Newsletter. in 1976 as the center’s first long-term retreatant. Over the last 30 years he has spent time on staff, explored practice as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, served It’s a smaller edition than hospices in a variety of positions for 16 years, authored Lessons from the Dying usual, reflecting our twofold and offered the Buddha’s teachings across the country. He lives with his wife, intention – to conserve resources Ellen, in Seattle, where he founded and guides the Seattle Insight Meditation by reducing the amount of Society (www.seattleinsight.org). paper we use and to invite Rodney, how would you Any facet of life can be used to resolve you to visit our website for define ‘Urban Buddhism’? the suffering of disconnection. The Urban Buddhist harbors no defense, frequently updated news and ‘Urban Buddhism’ is the practice of seeks no shelter and avoids no conflict articles. A fuller newsletter taking all environments as opportunities for the resolution of her/his wholeness. will be published in the Fall. for spiritual awakening. Work, family, Nothing is avoided or passed by as relationship and other avenues of life mundane. Wherever there is discord are all acknowledged as vital areas for and struggle, there is insight into investigation. Those who fully embody contraction and resistance to life. the entire spectrum of their lives, This is true on emotional, psychological without spiritually prioritizing any and spiritual levels. one aspect or activity, are what I term Urban Buddhists. What brought you to this understanding? From this perspective, all moments are equally precious. Whether we are When I was new to meditation retreats, practicing formal meditation on retreat the final instruction given was to bring or showing up for ordinary moments of the mindfulness we had been cultivating our daily lives, the same unobstructed during the course into our daily lives. inner freedom is always available. I was never very good, however, at (continued on page 2) THE NEWSLETTER OF THE INSIGHT MEDITATION SOCIETY visible. When we don’t understand this daily life practice. This kind of inquiry interconnection, we erroneously contributes to the natural unfolding assume we are separate. In this state of the Noble Eightfold Path, from one of separation, we think we have to aspect to the next. Ultimately, we get over ourselves, get over our mind move away from differentiation and states. We try ever harder to find the separation that causes suffering. freedom in some other timeframe We then find ourselves at the door outside of the here and now. to the infinite. Rodney Smith But we can’t ‘effort’ ourselves to freedom. What other forces have (continued from page 1) Instead, if we simply open to our molded your spiritual journey? suffering, rather than resist it, we come being mindful out of retreat – the back into a state of connectedness. Some decades ago, I found I had a lot of harder I tried, the less successful I Whether we connect with our knee fear around my mortality. So I decided became. In fact, I found it almost a pain while sitting on the cushion or to go into hospice care, because I sensed burden – something I had to add to with a deep wound in our psyche, we a potential for great learning. my already full life. I began to feel have automatically entered wise view. like a spiritual failure. I noticed that when people were facing Wise view helps us frame all of the imminent death, they often came to So I started to look at the Buddha’s other steps on the Noble Eightfold extraordinary places of spaciousness and teachings, at what might speak to Path. It allows us to move away from depths of understanding, independent me in every moment and across all individuation and towards wholeness. of any spiritual practice. I attributed this settings. I found the answer within the to the loss of future time. I couldn’t help Noble Eightfold Path. This is the path How does the Urban Buddhist but wonder how we would practice if the Buddha taught to those seeking work with wise intention? we had no future. liberation from suffering, and its eight elements are wise view, wise intention, Wise intention - the second aspect of the When we project into an abstract wise speech, wise action, wise livelihood, Noble Eightfold Path - is the heart’s future, we reinforce our self-doubt. wise effort, wise mindfulness and wise deepest longing. This longing is always If we approach practice in terms of concentration. available to us but gets sidetracked by developing certain states of mind, our secondary intentions such as acquisition, self-doubt refuses to acknowledge our How does the fame or power. The spiritual practitioner readiness for freedom here and now. Noble Eightfold Path must first discover that these secondary It’s very easy for us, as Westerners, to help us awaken? gains are ultimately unsatisfactory. assume that we’ll never be ready, that Then, energy aligns towards the wise there is always more to cultivate. This The entire Noble Eightfold Path serves intention to awaken. assumption keeps us from the very as a system for dismantling the sense of awakening we yearn for! self. It is our clinging to a solid sense of Much of spiritual practice is about self that causes our suffering. Unless redirecting the pursuit of those secondary Once I witnessed how hospice patients we see that our identity is constructed intentions into awakening. For the Urban were so powerfully affected by the from a set of beliefs, it’s easy to get Buddhist, inquiry and investigation are quality of immediacy, I realized this sidetracked into further supporting the essential tools in this transformation was a missing piece in most people’s illusion of the sense of self. We then and fully complement retreat practice. practice. I saw the enormous potential add to the problem rather than end Inquiry allows our ordinary lives to for awakening in this very moment. the suffering. unfold with the same depth available to us on intensive retreat. Read more of Rodney Smith’s interview at Wise view, the first step of the Noble www.dharma.org. Rodney will lead the Eightfold Path, can help us get back Asking simply, “Who am I?”, “What is New Year’s course at the Retreat Center, on track. It says that our lives are inter- this?” or “Where is contentment in this December 28 - January 6, 2008. For connected beyond what is immediately moment?” adds a seamless continuity to registration information, please see page 6. Page 2 www.dharma.org Spring • Summer 2007 A Good Night’s Rest! When IMS first opened its doors over CENTERS & RESOURCES 30 years ago, its community of largely young retreatants was comfortable sleeping almost anywhere, even on the floor if needed. The foam mattresses Barre Center for Buddhist that were subsequently obtained seemed Studies, located adjacent luxurious in comparison. But today, to IMS, offers a wide range of one-day, these “foamies” are well worn from use. weekend and longer courses integrating scholarly understanding The time has come for new beds! Please with meditative insight. www.dharma.org, help us purchase durable, regular-sized [email protected] or (978) 355-2347. IMS NEWS beds with real mattresses and mattress covers for those Retreat Center rooms that have held foamies and metal Cambridge Insight WORTH NOTING Meditation Center is a frames for many years. non-residential urban center for the teaching ‘You Choose’ Fee Spaces This effort is part of our Spring Fund and practice of insight at the Forest Refuge Drive that also includes raising money meditation. CIMC offers daily sittings, to replace the Retreat Center dining Wednesday night Dharma talks, ongoing meditation classes and a variety of meditation IMS is now offering a number of room furniture. We need your help to workshops and retreats. For more information ‘You Choose’ fee spaces for a personal buy simple yet sturdy new tables and visit www.cimc.info or call (617) 441-9038. retreat at the Forest Refuge. This is chairs from which we can all continue part of our ongoing endeavor to make to eat meditatively. the Buddha’s teachings accessible to all, Dharma Seed, freely regardless of means. To make a contribution, please visit offering recordings listen deeply our website or mail your gift to IMS. of Western Buddhist vipassana teachings, A ‘You Choose’ Forest Refuge space will soon be entirely is intended for experienced vipassana internet-based. Our new website, to launch meditators whose financial circumstances later in 2007, will feature a large archive might otherwise prevent participation. of dharma talks to stream and download IMS will pilot this program for a year, for free. For now, call us at (800) 969-7333 starting July 1, 2007 and ending for CDs and tapes. June 30, 2008. Applicants can select their own fee amount based on what The Insight Meditation they can afford. Community of Washington, serving the entire DC Spaces will be awarded on a first come, area, offers training in first served basis for retreats of one or mindfulness (vipassana) meditation and related Buddhist practices two weeks, as well as for stays of one that awaken the heart and mind. Look for or more months. us at www.imcw.org or call (202) 986-2922. One or two week spaces will begin and end on Sundays. Spaces for stays New York Insight, of one month (or more, in monthly located in Chelsea, provides a place where increments) will begin on the first of all are welcome to begin S each month.
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