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Jill Shepherd's Dharma Talks
Jill Shepherd
Wisdom and compassion are two themes that inform my current exploration of the dharma, and I aspire to integrate these as fully as I can in both formal practice and daily life.
2024-07-20 06 meditation: Compassion for a good friend 21:47
Southern Insight Meditation Rest, resilience, renewal, release:
2024-07-20 05 short talk: Compassion 12:27
Southern Insight Meditation Rest, resilience, renewal, release:
2024-07-20 04 meditation: Resting into mettā / kindness 19:43
Southern Insight Meditation Rest, resilience, renewal, release:
2024-07-20 03 talk: Exploring mettā as rest 19:00
Southern Insight Meditation Rest, resilience, renewal, release:
2024-07-20 02 meditation: mettā for benefactor 24:53
Southern Insight Meditation Rest, resilience, renewal, release:
2024-07-20 01 talk: An overview of the four brahmavihāra heart qualities 22:36
Exploring how kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity work together to keep the heart in balance
Southern Insight Meditation Rest, resilience, renewal, release:
2024-07-17 short talk: an overview of brahmavihāra practice 14:00
Southern Insight Meditation
2024-07-17 Meditation: resting into mettā / kindness 29:40
Southern Insight Meditation
2024-05-22 10 Morning reflection and guided meditation: Muditā 43:21
Includes a short reflection on Vesak and acknowledgement of Joseph Goldstein's 80th birthday
Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge May 2024
2024-05-08 04 Morning reflection and meditation: releasing reactivity 45:13
Training to recognise the very beginning reaction of clinging or resisting, as that inner "ugh" or "mmm," helping those instinctive reactions to soften and release
Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge May 2024
2024-04-19 24 talk: The three universal characteristics and anattā 41:32
Exploring how the three characteristics can be used to help soften afflictive mind-states, with a focus on anattā or not-self
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Together and Alone: Finding freedom individually and collectively
2024-04-17 21 talk: An overview of the brahmavihāra with an emphasis on muditā or appreciative joy 36:35
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Together and Alone: Finding freedom individually and collectively
2024-04-15 14 talk: Second Noble Truth; craving for sense pleasures, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming 33:52
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Together and Alone: Finding freedom individually and collectively
2024-04-13 06 talk: Right View 39:47
Exploring conditionality as an aspect of Right View; understanding what conditions support freedom and what conditions get in the way; includes a brief exploration of the five hindrances
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Together and Alone: Finding freedom individually and collectively
2024-04-11 short talk: Tasting freedom 13:11
Looking at some classical definitions of Nibbāna, then relational practice exploring how you taste or touch freedom in your own life
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight meetings 2024
2024-03-31 04 talk: Exploring the Wisdom wing in relation to the three universal characteristics, and the Second Noble Truth 55:51
How the three universal characteristic of anicca, dukkha and anattā can support release from craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming, and comparing mind
Auckland Insight Meditation Two Wings of Compassion and Wisdom: a day of online practice
2024-03-31 03 meditation: Exploring our relationship to unpleasantness or unsatisfactoriness, dukkha 27:56
Auckland Insight Meditation Two Wings of Compassion and Wisdom: a day of online practice
2024-03-31 01 meditation: Settling in, arriving, introduction of Jill 20:51
Auckland Insight Meditation Two Wings of Compassion and Wisdom: a day of online practice
2024-03-28 talk: Exploring the Second Noble Truth - craving for sense pleasures, craving for becoming and craving for non-becoming 29:33
Looking at the social aspects of craving: desire to be seen or to be invisible, for example, and the common phenomenon of comparing mind or mana
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight meetings 2024
2024-03-21 short talk: Changing our relationship to dukkha 13:07
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight meetings 2024
2024-03-04 13 meditation: Standing, tuning in to feeling-tones and cetanā 20:07
Blue Mountains Insight Meditation Centre Nine-day insight meditation retreat
2024-02-22 talk: Death contemplation, gratitude and muditā practice 33:29
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight meetings 2024
2024-02-15 talk: Freedom and death contemplation p2 25:43
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight meetings 2024
2024-02-01 talk: Freedom and contemplation of death 25:36
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight meetings 2024
2024-01-25 talk: Freedom and Mindfulness 25:40
Continuing to explore freedom in the context of the Buddha's teachings, how mindfulness supports it, and some ways to maintain mindfulness in everyday life
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight meetings 2024
2024-01-18 short talk: Exploring freedom as the goal of our practice 23:01
A short talk introducing a new theme for the start of the new year The Way to Freedom: what hinders, and what helps Each week we'll be looking at some of the common obstacles that cause stress, distress and suffering in our lives, and what we can do to support experiencing more ease, happiness and peace, instead Focusing on what freedom means to each of us with a written contemplation, then looking briefly at the three core afflictive energies of greed or compulsion, hatred or aversion,, and ignorance or delusion
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight meetings 2024
2024-01-13 10 meditation: cultivating the heart energy of mettā or kindness 22:31
A short meditation to develop mettā, beginning by establishing well-being in the body then attuning to the energy of kindness at the heart-centre
Australian Insight Meditation Network Two-day insight meditation and Insight Dialogue workshop
2024-01-13 09 instructions: cultivating skilful mind-states such as mettā or kindness 6:26
Short instructions for developing mettā or kindness as a skilful mental quality
Australian Insight Meditation Network Two-day insight meditation and Insight Dialogue workshop
2024-01-13 08 instructions: proliferation 8:01
Short instructions for working with mental proliferation or papanca, seeing the chain reactions that cause it and coming back to the immediacy of sense-based experience to re-ground awareness
Australian Insight Meditation Network Two-day insight meditation and Insight Dialogue workshop
2024-01-13 07 meditation: mindfulness of thoughts and emotions 25:19
Steadying awareness on the experience of breathing, then opening to sounds, thoughts and emotions coming and going
Australian Insight Meditation Network Two-day insight meditation and Insight Dialogue workshop
2024-01-13 06 instructions: mindfulness of mind 13:12
Instructions for paying attention to the mind and mental activity, knowing thoughts and emotions without taking them personally and identifying with them
Australian Insight Meditation Network Two-day insight meditation and Insight Dialogue workshop
2024-01-13 05 meditation: mindfulness of hearing and physical sensations 24:28
Steadying awareness on the experience of breathing, then opening to hearing and physical sensations through the whole body
Australian Insight Meditation Network Two-day insight meditation and Insight Dialogue workshop
2024-01-13 04 instructions: mindfulness of mindfulness itself 14:22
Exploring different qualities of mindfulness, opening up from the "anchor" of the breath to bring awareness to sounds and physical sensations
Australian Insight Meditation Network Two-day insight meditation and Insight Dialogue workshop
2024-01-13 03 meditation: mindfulness of breathing 26:52
Establishing mindfulness of the body sitting, then bringing awareness to the rhythm of breathing and the subtle energetic effects of inhaling and exhaling
Australian Insight Meditation Network Two-day insight meditation and Insight Dialogue workshop
2024-01-13 02 instructions: mindfulness of the body 6:47
A short introduction to mindfulness of the body, including posture instructions
Australian Insight Meditation Network Two-day insight meditation and Insight Dialogue workshop
2024-01-13 01 talk: welcome and introduction to insight meditation 16:43
Welcome and introduction to the workshop purpose: to deepen the practice of Insight Meditation, which harnesses the power of mindfulness to develop understanding in all aspects of our lives, which leads to greater ease, happiness, and peace of mind
Australian Insight Meditation Network Two-day insight meditation and Insight Dialogue workshop
2024-01-05 30 instructions: equanimity as a brahmavihāra practice 13:41
Sydney Insight Meditators :  Nine-day insight meditation retreat
2023-12-17 Q&R session 26:11
with Elizabeth Day, Jill Shepherd, Willa Thaniya Reid
Auckland Insight Meditation Online meditation day: Seven Awakening Factors
2023-12-17 meditation: Awakening Factor of Equanimity 33:36
Auckland Insight Meditation Online meditation day: Seven Awakening Factors
2023-12-17 meditation: Awakening Factor of Pītī, Joy 30:55
Using mindfulness of breathing to support energising and lightening into subtle pleasantness and joy
Auckland Insight Meditation Online meditation day: Seven Awakening Factors
2023-12-17 Introduction to the theme of the day: attending to the Awakening Factors 37:33
with Elizabeth Day, Jill Shepherd, Willa Thaniya Reid
Introduction to the teachers and the theme: the Awakening Factors as good friends Guided meditation establishing mindfulness of the body and breathing
Auckland Insight Meditation Online meditation day: Seven Awakening Factors
2023-12-03 Celebrating the Parami 52:36
A view of the ten Parami and how they've been cultivated during this retreat
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Three-Month Retreat - Part 2
2023-11-26 Effortless effort 47:13
Exploring refined effort at this stage of the retreat, include some ways to practice with Anatta, how self constructing creates stress
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Three-Month Retreat - Part 2
2023-11-26 Morning reflection 58:43
Check in with body, heart in mind, notice the attitude to experience
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Three-Month Retreat - Part 2
2023-11-21 Brahmavihara Practice: Mudita 43:34
Some short reflections on Muditā, then a guided meditation cultivating appreciative joy for oneself and an "easy being"
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Three-Month Retreat - Part 2
2023-11-19 Working with anxiety and other afflictive states 44:50
Some suggestions for navigating difficult mental states
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Three-Month Retreat - Part 2
2023-11-12 Exploring Vedana 53:10
Looking at the role of Vedanā in fueling reactivity, and ways to relate more skillfully to it; includes an exploration of worldly and UNworldly feeling-tones
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Three-Month Retreat - Part 2
2023-11-09 Morning reflection 63:43
How to decide which practice method to use and when
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Three-Month Retreat - Part 2
2023-11-03 Reflections on clinging 57:47
Brief exploration of clinging, and how to help it to release
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Three-Month Retreat - Part 2
2023-10-31 Brahmavihara practice: Metta for benefactor and good friend 46:14
Establishing some well-being in the body then cultivating metta for the benefactor or easy being, then a good friend
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Three-Month Retreat - Part 2
2023-10-29 Clinging and release in relation to mindfulness of the body 52:18
Exploring clinging IN the body and clinging TO the body (ie identification with it), and ways to experience release of this clinging
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Three-Month Retreat - Part 2
2023-10-28 Instructions and practice: mindfulness of emotions 58:59
Developing a skillful relationship with emotions, knowing they're impermanent, impersonal nature. Includes a brief introduction of the acronym "RAIN" recognize, allow/accept, investigate, non-identification as nature
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Three-Month Retreat - Part 2
2023-10-19 talk: pāramī of mettā - kindness, good will 20:29
Exploring what supports kindness and what gets in the way, focusing on self-view and clinging to being right; includes a short guided meditation on "practicing being wrong"
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-10-12 talk: the pāramī of patience and resolve 27:50
Some reflections on how the pāramī of patience and resolve provide crucial support for both regular meditation practice and retreat practice. Includes an exploration of the need to honour natural rhythms, and how metaphorically "lying fallow" allows deeper healing and wisdom to emerge
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-09-07 talk: Reviewing all ten pāramī, in conversation with Auckland Insight sangha members 46:31
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-08-31 30 talk: An overview of the Noble Eightfold Path 35:57
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Two-week insight meditation retreat
2023-08-30 27 meditation: exploring the insubstantiality of experience 52:25
Beginning with physical sensations, knowing them as impermanent and insubstantial, then opening to sounds and mental activity; simply recognising experiences being known, without identifying with them as I, me, or mine
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Two-week insight meditation retreat
2023-08-28 25 talk: Exploring the Awakening Factors 31:11
An overview of the seven awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy (pītī), tranquility, samādhi and equanimity, and how these work together to support conducive conditions for insight to arise
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Two-week insight meditation retreat
2023-08-27 20 instructions: self-compassion 29:15
Acknowledging the inevitable ups and downs of being on retreat, making space for those changing conditions and orienting to self-compassion as needed for support to stay steady
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Two-week insight meditation retreat
2023-08-25 17 talk: Muditā or appreciative joy 24:06
Exploring different aspects of muditā: as happiness for others' happiness; as appreciation or gratitude; as recognition of our own strengths or good qualities, as in the Buddha's instructions to Mahanama
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Two-week insight meditation retreat
2023-08-24 12 instructions and meditation: pleasant unworldly vedanā and mettā 41:12
Exploring pleasant worldly and unworldly vedanā as a support for mettā; guided meditation orienting to the embodied energy of warmth and kindness, and inviting that energy to pervade in all directions
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Two-week insight meditation retreat
2023-08-23 10 instructions and meditation exploring feeling-tone or vedanā 24:34
How feeling-tone conditions reactivity when there's no mindfulness, then exploring vedanā in relation to the sense doors of seeing, hearing and the body
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Two-week insight meditation retreat
2023-08-22 08 talk: the four brahmavihāra as supports for releasing the hindrances 28:39
An overview of kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity, and how they can be used as antidote to the hindrances
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Two-week insight meditation retreat
2023-08-21 04 instructions: Mindfulness of the body and mindfulness of breathing 50:29
Establishing a strong foundation of embodied awareness as an antidote to the tendency to be lost in the mind
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Two-week insight meditation retreat
2023-08-19 01 opening talks and guided meditation 53:38
with Elizabeth Day, Jill Shepherd, Willa Thaniya Reid
Welcome and orientation to the retreat structure and purpose, with guided standing and sitting meditation
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Two-week insight meditation retreat
2023-08-12 08 talk: Q&R and closing reflections 25:55
with Elizabeth Day, Jill Shepherd, Willa Thaniya Reid
Auckland Insight Meditation Online meditation day: Understanding the citta (heart/mind)
2023-08-12 07 meditation: further development of mettā and muditā as supports for freeing the citta 31:59
Auckland Insight Meditation Online meditation day: Understanding the citta (heart/mind)
2023-08-12 04 meditation: continuing attuning to the quality of the heart-mind 32:45
Auckland Insight Meditation Online meditation day: Understanding the citta (heart/mind)
2023-08-12 01 Opening reflections and guided meditation: Establishing awareness of citta 30:02
with Elizabeth Day, Jill Shepherd, Willa Thaniya Reid
Welcome and orientation; establishing awareness of citta (heart/mind)
Auckland Insight Meditation Online meditation day: Understanding the citta (heart/mind)
2023-08-03 talk: the pāramī of equanimity 32:41
Expectations are the enemy of equanimity
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-06-25 08: Questions and Reflections 28:30
with Elizabeth Day, Jill Shepherd, Willa Thaniya Reid
Auckland Insight Meditation Online meditation day: Exploring vedanā or feeling-tone
2023-06-25 07 meditation: opening to pleasant feeling-tones 30:16
Auckland Insight Meditation Online meditation day: Exploring vedanā or feeling-tone
2023-06-25 04 meditation: exploring feeling-tone in relation to sounds 31:30
Exploring feeling-tone in relation to hearing: noticing pleasant, unpleasant and neutral feeling-tones and releasing any tendency to move into reactivity
Auckland Insight Meditation Online meditation day: Exploring vedanā or feeling-tone
2023-06-25 01 short opening talk and guided meditation establishing the theme of exploring feeling-tone 32:06
with Elizabeth Day, Jill Shepherd, Willa Thaniya Reid
Auckland Insight Meditation Online meditation day: Exploring vedanā or feeling-tone
2023-06-15 short talk: pāramī of mettā, kindness 16:00
A short exploration of kindness: how it's supported by our capacity to rest, and is itself a restful quality
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-06-01 talk: the pāramī of resolve 35:23
Exploring the quality of resolve as a resource in three arenas: for strengthening our commitment to regular meditation practice; going on retreat; and facing in to the challenges of the climate crisis
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-05-18 talk: the pāramī of truthfulness 24:30
Exploring truthfulness in relation to speech, and how in some circumstances, the Buddha advocated for speaking "dispraise" of those who are worth of dispraise
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-05-17 Finding moments of ease in the midst of it all 51:40
In this meditation and talk, Jill begins with a clear and concise description of the four noble truths and explores inner ease as one way of connecting with and understanding this core teaching. She offers accessible practices for cultivating it.
Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community
2023-05-14 Closing Dedication (Sunday) 1:35
London Insight Meditation Jill Shepherd – Exploring the four brahmavihāra heart qualities in daily life
2023-05-14 Guided Equanimity Practice (Sunday) 21:12
London Insight Meditation Jill Shepherd – Exploring the four brahmavihāra heart qualities in daily life
2023-05-14 Equanimity – Upekkha (Sunday) 13:39
London Insight Meditation Jill Shepherd – Exploring the four brahmavihāra heart qualities in daily life
2023-05-14 Guided Appreciative Joy Practice (Sunday) 18:24
London Insight Meditation Jill Shepherd – Exploring the four brahmavihāra heart qualities in daily life
2023-05-14 Appreciative Joy – Muditā (Sunday) 15:46
London Insight Meditation Jill Shepherd – Exploring the four brahmavihāra heart qualities in daily life
2023-05-13 Guided Compassion Practice (Saturday) 27:23
London Insight Meditation Jill Shepherd – Exploring the four brahmavihāra heart qualities in daily life
2023-05-13 Compassion (Karuṇā) (Saturday) 16:07
London Insight Meditation Jill Shepherd – Exploring the four brahmavihāra heart qualities in daily life
2023-05-13 Guided Practice (Saturday) 26:34
London Insight Meditation Jill Shepherd – Exploring the four brahmavihāra heart qualities in daily life
2023-05-13 The interrelationship between Insight practice and the four heart qualities (Saturday) 11:17
London Insight Meditation Jill Shepherd – Exploring the four brahmavihāra heart qualities in daily life
2023-05-12 The interrelationship between the four heart practices (Friday) 17:41
London Insight Meditation Jill Shepherd – Exploring the four brahmavihāra heart qualities in daily life
2023-05-12 Metta Meditation (Friday) 13:20
London Insight Meditation Jill Shepherd – Exploring the four brahmavihāra heart qualities in daily life
2023-05-12 Introduction the retreat (Friday) 4:35
London Insight Meditation Jill Shepherd – Exploring the four brahmavihāra heart qualities in daily life
2023-04-20 talk: pāramī of patience 29:23
Patience is a quality that is undervalued in mainstream society with its emphasis on instant gratification, but in the Buddha's teachings, it's seen as the foremost of all the pāramī. Fortunately, it's something that can be trained in, initially by recognising where we're IMpatient, then making the effort to orient to steadiness and non-resistance.
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-04-13 talk: pāramī of energy 28:47
Exploring how energy needs to be guided by the previous pāramī, wisdom, to make sure that our energy is put to best use. Individually and collectively, we tend to use the resource of our own energy in the same way that we relate to other resources:over-exploiting it, until we’re depleted, exhausted, on the verge of burn-out. A wise relationship to energy includes paying attention to how we renew, refresh and resource ourselves, so that energy is available when we most need it.
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-03-16 talk: pāramī of wisdom 26:35
How wisdom supports all the other pāramī, and how it can be cultivated on different levels, corresponding with the head, heart, and gut
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-03-09 talk: pāramī of renunciation or relinquishment 29:23
How the pāramī of nekhamma or renunciation/relinquishing invites us to explore our relationship to wanting, and how the societal-wide craving for comfort helps fuel the climate crisis
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-03-02 talk: pāramī of sīla / ethical conduct 25:57
Exploring the pāramī of sila or ethical conduct, looking at some of the main differences between Buddhist ethics and mainstream Western ethics
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-02-23 talk: pāramī of dāna / generosity 30:41
Exploring generosity as a spiritual practice by bringing more refined awareness to how we give, and the benefits that come from the reciprocal flow of giving and receiving
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight weekly talks 2023
2023-02-16 17 meditation: spaciousness 42:57
Orienting to spaciousness and ease, opening to the full range of experiences including the rain
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Seven-day insight meditation retreat
2023-02-15 15 talk: Restlessness and remorse 38:36
An exploration of physical and mental restlessness, anxiety and remorse, and some ways to help these afflictive energies release
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Seven-day insight meditation retreat
2023-02-14 10 meditation: Orienting to ease and well-being as an aspect of mettā, kindness 45:04
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Seven-day insight meditation retreat
2023-02-14 13 meditation: Mindfulness of thinking 28:48
Beginning with the breath, physical sensations and sounds, then opening up awareness to include thinking
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Seven-day insight meditation retreat

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