Coastside Vipassana

Pt. Montara Hostel, Montara
Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30 pm
(by donation)


	Getting Here Safely North-bound drivers take note! Map & directions... Where to Park Please help our hosts at the hostel by parking only in designated areas.

Basic Meditation
Instructions:

You can download notes from Andrea's five-week introductory course, either week by week ...

	Mindfulness of the Breath
	Mindfulness of the Body
	Mindfulness of Emotions
	Mindfulness of Thoughts
	Mindfulness in Daily Life

or all in one document ...

Introduction to Vipassana

All files are in PDF format.


	Listen Online: You can also download or listen to basic meditation instructions at AudioDharma.


	Keep in Touch: If you have questions about Coastside Vipassana or want to keep informed of future events, just ask to be included in our email list.

Links:

There are more resources about the Buddha's teaching and Vipassana at ..

Access To Insight


	About Us: Coastside Vipassana is informally associated with the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City. Many of our speakers teach and practice there and are dedicated practitioners of insight meditation in the traditions coming out of Burma and Thailand. We also host members of the ordained sangha, and occasionally teachers from other lineages.

The Buddha, First Teacher of Mindfulness Vipassana, or mindfulness meditation, was first taught by the Buddha 2,500 years ago. In this style of meditation, widespread today in Southeast Asia and increasingly popular in the West, one learns to watch what arises without judgment or reaction. In so doing, the mind can become clear and steady, and we begin to see things as they really are, without the distortion of our hopes, fears and confusion. Some apply mindfulness to reduce stress and control pain, and many find the practice a help with daily life, but the Buddha's purpose was clear: this way of seeing leads to freedom from suffering.

We gather on Wednesdays, and welcome others ... the merely curious, the earnest beginner, the dedicated practitioner ... to join us. We generally begin with 30 minutes of silent meditation with enough guidance to introduce visitors to the basics. Afterwards we hear a dhamma talk from a visiting teacher (most, but not all of whom, are primarily grounded in the Theravada tradition of Buddhist practice). There is usually time for Q&A at the end of the evening, or for another short sitting. There is no charge for the teachings, but we welcome donations to support the teachers and our hosts at the hostel.

Teachers and Topics -- Sometimes we know the topic of a dhamma talk ... such as when we have arranged a series of talks on a specific topic ... but often a visiting teacher will talk on whatever is foremost in their life and practice at the moment.

May 7: No meeting tonight! -- Due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict at the Lighthouse, we can't meet there this week but will resume our weekly schedule next week.

May Monastics

For the next two weeks, we'll have tea and conversation from 6:00 to 6:45, followed by our regular evening's program from 7:00 to 8:30. If you can make it at any time during the tea ... early, late or last minute ... please join us.

Anagarika
Santussika

May 14: Anagarika Santussika -- "Finding and Sharing the Dhamma" -- Our speaker will share some of the experiences that led her to leave the way of the householder later in life and the special joys of sharing the Dhamma with her grown son, now a monk in Thailand.

Anagarika Santussika left her business as a software design consultant to enter seminary and become an interfaith minister in 1998, the same year her son went to Thailand where he ordained as a monk in the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah. She gradually embraced Buddhism as her path and practice, and her life continued to change in painful but helpful ways, leading her to the life of renunciation. She ordained with eight precepts (white robes) in December 2007. She is scheduled to join the community at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England as a novice in July.

Ajahn
Thanasanti

Ajahn
Upekkha

May 21: Ajahns Thanasanti and Upekkha -- Our guests tonight are visiting from England in preparation for founding a nun's community in the US over the next several years.

This visit, and their work to start the community, are supported by the Saranaloka Foundation. Jill Boone, the Foundation's president, will also be with us to discuss these plans and how those interested can help.

Ajahn Thanasanti was born in California, graduated from UCSC and worked for a few years as an analytical chemist. In 1987 she went on a pilgrimage to India, Nepal and Thailand to meet many of the meditation masters she had heard about. She went to Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England in 1989 to begin training as a novice, and received full ordination in 1991. She spent a few years travelling as an alms mendicant without a fixed abode.

Ajahn Upekka was born in Provence, France. She married and taught kindergarten for 12 years, but realized through these experiences that she needed a more fulfilling life. She began her explorations through psychotherapy and travels in India before ordaining in 1987. Supporting women in their search for truth is important in her heart and she has been training novice nuns for many years.

Basics of Insight Meditation

Andrea
Fella

May 28 : Andrea Fella -- Working With Thoughts -- Our thoughts can be either a major barrier to meditation or a very fruitful object for our meditation. But how do we avoid the former and leave ourselves open to the latter? There will be time for questions and discussion.

Andrea ordained as a nun in Burma, and has done intensive long-term practice under Asian and Western teachers. When not on retreat herself, Andrea is often found managing retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Andrea teaches meditation at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City.

This page is usually updated at the end of each month.


	Lighthouse, fog-signal building and Montara Mountain in the distance.

Pt. Montara Hostel is located on Highway 1 at 16th Street in Montara. We'll meet in the fog signal building next to the lighthouse. (The building is heated by a wood fire, but can still be a bit chilly on cold, foggy days; dress appropriately. The floor is carpeted, but you might want a pad or folded blanket if you plan to sit on a cushion. There are also plenty of chairs available.)

Please see these directions for getting here safely!

The hostel is run by a non-profit organization with the intent of "helping all, especially the young, gain a greater understanding of the world and its people through hosteling." Guests of all ages stay at Pt. Montara and at hostels world-wide. We are grateful to the hostel staff for their support.