Meetings for August and September moved to Stafford Park (corner of Hopkins and King, 9 blocks west of IMC)
Dates are changed from the first Sunday:
August 15 and September 12 are new dates.
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Letting go is an important practice in everyday life, as well as on the path of liberation. Daily life provides innumerable small and large occasions for letting go of plans, desires, preferences, and opinions. It can be as simple as when the weather changes, and we abandon plans we had for the day. Or it can be as complex as deciding what to sacrifice, when pulled between the needs of family, friends, career, community, or spiritual practice. Daily life provides many situations where letting go is appropriate, or even required. Learning how to do so skillfully, is essential to a happy life. Buddhist practice leads to a letting go that is more demanding than what ordinary life usually requires. Beyond relinquishing particular desires and opinions, we practice letting go of the underlying compulsion to cling to desires and opinions. The liberation of Buddhism is not just letting go of outdated and inaccurate self-concepts; it also involves giving up a core conceit that causes us to cling to ideas of who we are or aren’t. Liberation is releasing the deepest attachments we have. The practice of letting go is often mistrusted. One good reason for this mistrust is because, without wisdom, it is easy to let go of the wrong things; for example, when we let go of such healthy pursuits as exercising or eating well, instead of our clinging to those pursuits. Another reason for mistrust, is that letting go or renunciation, can suggest deprivation, weakness, and personal diminishment if we think we have to abandon our views and wishes in favor of the views and wishes of others. It is possible to let go either of a thing or of the grasping we have to that thing. In some circumstances, it is appropriate to give something up. In others, it is more important to let go of the grasping. When someone is addicted to alcohol, it is necessary to renounce alcohol. However, when someone is clinging to the past, it is not the past that needs to be abandoned, rather it is the clinging. If the past is rejected, it can’t be a source of understanding. When there is no clinging to it, it is easier to learn the lessons the past provides. At times, it is important to understand the shortcomings of what we are clinging to before we are able to let go. This may require investigation into the nature of what we are holding on to. For example, many people have found it easier to let go of arrogance when they see clearly the effect it has on one’s relationships with others. When we see clearly what money can and can’t do for us, it can be easier to let go of the idea that money will give us a meaningful life. Sometimes it is more important to understand the shortcomings of the grasping itself rather than the object of grasping. Grasping always hurts. It is the primary source of suffering. It limits how well we can see what is happening. When it is strong, clinging can cause us to lose touch with ourselves. It interferes with our ability to be flexible and creative and it can be a trigger for afflictive emotions. By investigating both the grasping itself and the object of our grasping, it becomes possible to know which of these we need to let go of. If the object of grasping is harmful, then we let go of that. If the object of grasping is beneficial, then we can let go of the grasping so that what is beneficial remains. Helping a neighbor, caring for your own health and welfare, or enjoying nature can be done with or without clinging. It is accomplished much better without the clinging. The Buddhist practice of letting go, has two important sides that fit together like the front and back of one’s hand. The first side, which is the better known, is letting go of something. The second side is letting go into something. The two sides work together like letting go of the diving board while dropping into the pool, or giving up impatience and then relaxing into the resulting ease. While letting go can be extremely beneficial, the practice can be even more significant when we also learn to let go into something valuable. From this side, letting go is more about what is gained than what is lost. When we let go of fear, it may also be possible to let go into a sense of safety or a sense of relaxation. Forsaking the need to be right or to have one’s opinions justified can allow a person to settle into a feeling of peace. Letting go of thoughts might allow us to open to a calmer mind. By letting go into something beneficial, it can be easier to let go of something harmful. At times, people don’t want to let go because they don’t see the alternative as better than what they are holding on to. When something is clearly gained by letting go, it can be easier to do so. We can see the Buddhist emphasis on what is gained through letting go by how the tradition understands renunciation. While the English word implies giving something up, the Buddhist analogy for renunciation, is to go out from a place that is confined and dusty, into a wide open, clear space. It is as if you have been in a one room cabin with your relatives, snowed in for an entire winter. While you may love your relatives, what is gained when you open the door and get out into the spring, probably feels exquisite. One of the nice things about letting go into something is that it has less to do with willing something or creating something than it does with allowing or relaxing. Once we know how to swim, it can be relaxing to float by allowing the water to hold us up. Once we know how to have compassion, there may be times when we not only let go of ill-will, but also let go into a sense of empathy. Letting go of fear, may then also be resting back into a sense of calm. A wonderful result of letting go is to experience each moment as being enough, just as it is. It allows us to be present for our experience here and now with such clarity and freedom that this very moment stands out as something profound and significant. We can let go of the headlong rush into the future, as well as the various, imaginative ways we think, “I’m not enough” or “this moment is not good enough”, so we can discover a well-being and peace not dependent on what we want or believe. A fruit of Buddhist practice is to have available a greater range of wholesome, beautiful and meaningful inner states to let go into. In particular, one can come to know a pervasive peace, accessible through both letting go and letting go into. The full maturity of this peace is when we let go of our self as the person experiencing the peace. With no self, there is just peace. The July – September 2010 Newsletter is now available for download. We are happy to announce an update to the Audio Dharma website. Some of the major features of the new site include:
The April – June 2010 Newsletter is now available for download.
https://www.createspace.com/3411350 “Passing It On” is a collection of writing and art by lay practitioners connected with the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California. It shows that helpful teaching can be found in the ordinary lives of lay practitioners. The collection celebrates our everyday lives, but not in a way that ignores its complexity. The personal essays, short stories, poetry, and art explore the challenges we face and the moments when we rise to meet those challenges. “Passing It On” publishes the work of emerging and established artists who are striving to be thoughtful and awake. The collection invites readers to consider an array of ideas and then to join the conversation by submitting work for future editions. In the 2500 year-old tradition of dana “generosity” the collection is offered freely at http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/passing-it-on/ in HTML and PDF. Guided meditations for working with Pain, guided by Ines Freedman, are now available for download: http://www.audiodharma.org/talks-pain.html My name is Toren. I am in 6th grade and go to Dharma Rocks at IMC. I have organized a food drive at IMC for Second Harvest Food Bank. If you like, when you come to IMC please consider bringing a donation for the food drive. They ask that you do not donate bulk packages of rice, flour, and sugar, as well as foods packed in glass. The food barrel is in the community hall at IMC. The food drive will last until the first week or two of April. New IMC Community website We have launched a new IMC Community website. The IMC Community was created so that members from the IMC/AudioDharma worldwide community can take refuge and help each other with various aspects of their practice. You can become a member of the IMC Community site at: IMC News and Upcoming Events Mail List Want to know what is going on at IMC? Don’t want to miss an event? We have created a new weekly “IMC News and Upcoming Events” email to keep you informed of all the events and news happening at IMC. You can sign up for the email list at: In order to reduce gasoline usage as well as congestion and parking in our neighborhood, IMC is beginning a test program to help coordinate ride sharing to IMC events. The test program is using a service called GoLoco.org , which helps match drivers and passengers by allowing each to post trips that they are making or want to make. More information about GoLoco’s service can be found at http://www.goloco.org/help If you are interested in participating in this test program:
We hope that this service will be of use to our community. As this is a test program, we would like to get your feedback to ensure that the service if both useful and useable by our community. In preliminary testing, out of the many ride sharing services GoLoco seemed to best fit our needs, but if it is determined that GoLoco is not appropriate for IMC, we will try other similar services. Please send your feedback to the communications director at imc.communicationsdirector@gmail.com. Also, if you have any questions about or problems with the carpooling program, please contact the communications director as well. * Apart from establishing a local “group”, IMC is neither in charge of or responsible for the GoLoco ride matching program. Those who become GoLoco members assume all the responsibilities, obligations, risks and liabilities inherent to the GoLoco service. Please consult the GoLoco Terms of Service. The January-March 2010 Newsletter is now available for download Thank you so much to all the volunteers who make a heartfelt contribution of time and effort to keep IMC running smoothly. From small jobs to large, all are important to the well being of the sangha. From the results of our recent survey, it is clear that many more sangha members are interested in volunteering. With this in mind, there are a number of new opportunities for participation. In particular, we are planning major improvements to Audiodharma which will require technical skills. We have also scheduled a semi-annual beautification day on March 6th for temple cleaning. Current Volunteer Opportunities
If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out a volunteer application at: http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/community/volunteer/. I’m also happy to hear from you with any suggestions for improvements. IMC is such a strong community because of the caring and commitment each of you offers. Thank you for all you do. –Hilary Borison, Volunteer Director The results of the Sept-Oct 2009 IMC Community Survey are in. They are broken into three parts and are available in PDF:
Our survey received 322 responses – 242 (75%) from people who attend in person, and 80 (25%) from people who primarily interact with IMC online. Fully 98% report that Buddhist practice has had a positive or very positive effect on their life. In-person population:
Primarily online population:
Open-ended comments: Gratefulness for IMC was most common. Access to teachers / mentor support and various ways for connection within the sangha were primary themes. Passing It On is an independent, ad-free collection of writing and art by lay practitioners connected with the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California. The collection celebrates the every-day lives of dharma practitioners, but not in a way that ignores its complexity. The personal essays, short stories, poetry, and art explore the challenges we face and the moments when we rise to meet those challenges. Passing It On is available in HTML and PDF at: Dear friend of IMC, Twenty-five years ago a few people began to meet in Menlo Park on Monday evenings to practice mindfulness meditation and listen to Buddhist teachings together. They planted the seed that grew to become IMC. Not only do we have an active center, we also have a “virtual community” of thousands who listen to our talks online through Audiodharma, iTunes and other websites. This is remarkable given that all our programs, publications, and online Dharma talks are offered freely. Our growth is clearly the result of the generosity of the many people who have benefited from what our community offers. Those of you who practice with us, who volunteer, and who financially donate to IMC all contribute to the field of generosity and goodwill which sustains us. Our programs are open to anyone to participate as they can and as they want. In this annual fundraising letter, I first and foremost want to express my great gratitude to all the people who practice with and support IMC. For me, our community is a wonderful expression of the liberation, compassion and love that the Buddha pointed to. I never could have imagined I would be teaching in such an inspiring community based on the most meaningful values found in Buddhism. Many, many thanks! IMC is fortunate to have a well cared for building, an expanding range of programs, an extensive online offering of talks, and enough support to offer residential retreats every year. The donations we receive from this end-of-the-year fundraising letter are significant means by which we finance our online offerings, our center and our growth, including how many residential retreats we can offer. I invite you to donate to IMC. If you do, we will use your donations skillfully and will measure our success by the amount of well being we’re able to bring to the world. We hope to support increasingly more people in their practice to ease suffering and find freedom. You can find more information on how to donate by visiting: With gratitude and best wishes, Gil Fronsdal |
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