I like to ask students, "What kind of life do you want after stream entry?" and then work backwards from there to see what kind of awakening we should optimise for...
Registration full, but…
Both sections of this course is currently full, with a waitlist
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But, we are offering a free half-day retreat on The Progress of Shinsight, a Map of Awakening through the Lens of Shinzen’s Mindfulness System. If you would like to join us, you can register for the retreat here.
We will also be launching further units of this course. Let us know your information if you’d like to know about future course sections.
About this course
There is a fascinating overlap between Shinzen Young’s extensive mindfulness system and the classical map of enlightenment found in the Progress of Insight (PoI). In this course we will explore the stages on insight outlined in the PoI, through the lens of Shinzen’s system. In particular, we will look at the stages of purification as skills that can be endlessly developed, rather than simply as benchmarks of our progress. If the skill is sharp enough, the stage arises naturally.
In traditional Mahasi practice, one would not drill down into a particular sensory area to sharpen a specific insight. But, one of Shinzen's major contributions was opening up the pallet of options so a meditator or teacher can create laser guided techniques, depending on the goal. In this case, the goal is deep clarity of the experience of the stages of the Progress of Insight. When I first began exploring the path of awakening, I did so through this dual lens, leaning heavily on Shinzen's highly detailed toolset. Over time, I found Shinzen’s system invaluable for navigating myself and students through the classical maps of awakening.
This course will be guided by Janusz Welin.
Join us for a 6 month primer into how to use Shinzen’s system to develop the skills of the Progress of Insight. The group will meet weekly via Zoom and will explore meditation techniques and tools to support and develop your practice. There will be two sections of this group, each limited to 25 people.
Who is this course for?:
This course will be a good fit for anyone interested in deep meditation practice. If you are unfamiliar with Shinzen Young's system and want to find a place to start, this course would be a great fit for you. If you are very familiar with Shinzen Young’s system and are interested in learning how to apply it to the PoI, this course would be a great fit for you. This course will be especially useful for people who are interested in a different perspective on the classical maps of enlightenment. The meditation practices will blend smoothly with people who have practiced in the Mind Illuminated system (although we won’t be intentionally tracking along with the stages outlined in that system). Because I will be teaching the stages of the PoI as skills that can be sharpened, this course will also work for those who have already been through these stages, but would like a different perspective.
Please note: This is not an academic course and will rely heavily on experiential learning rather than theoretical understanding. This course will focus on experiencing the PoI rather than understanding it. While we will briefly overview the concepts of the stages outlined in the PoI, this course will be more like a long retreat woven into life rather than a seminar on understanding the Progress of Insight.
About the Course:
This course will have a heavy emphasis on self direction and learning to bring these practices continuously into our daily lives. Because of this, recordings and guided meditations will be available and participants will be asked to increase their skills outside of class time, on the cushion and in daily life.
We will begin by getting our foundational skills in place (Shinzen's See/Hear/Feel + Rest) and discuss the relevance of developing ethics alongside mindfulness and concentration skills. As part of this, we will all be sure we were all clear on our values (what's important to us in life), given that there is no one, generic awakening, but numerous ways to use awakening to have more fulfilling lives. In this course, we will ask the question, “what kind of life do I want after stream entry?” and will return to our values repeatedly to assess practice/ life balance.
Each insight practice will be paired with a parallel nurture positive practice (E.g. the Non-Self section will also include learning the Multiple Self model (an extension of Internal Family Systems). This is meant to give us a balanced set of deconstructive and reconstructive tools.
We will then talk about the "window of tolerance" and how to assess when it's time to bear down or to back off on the path. (This is important for later stages in the path [e.g. Equanimity, where over-efforting can be a major impediment] and to be sure we're not creating chaos in our lives, as we explore this fascinating material.) We will also talk about tools to cool off on the path so we have these fully loaded for any difficult material if it arises. (It's essential to learn these tools well before you need them!)
We will then explore the "stages" as skills: three characteristics, cause and effect, nama-rupa, non-self, arising and passing away, deep equanimity... (I do these in my own special order as I find this is easier for people to learn experientially.)
Along the way, we will work on integrating these practices into all aspects of our lives, since stream entry is just a beginning.
Requirements:
• Ability to meet weekly at designated time. (Janusz will guide classes bi-weekly, and on alternate weeks participants will meet for group practice and discussion.
• Attendance at all classes with 3 unexcused absences.
• One hour per day (half on the cushion, half in daily life) of meditation using the specific techniques outlined in this course.
• Participating in group discussions, guided meditations, at home practice and Q/A sessions.
• Participation in group practice and discussion.
• Willingness to self monitor any difficulties and to stop the practice and seek support if experiences are disturbing.
About Costs and Transparency: My greatest desire would be to run this course for free to everyone who wanted it. Over time, my partner and I have tried a number of ways to keep our offerings sustainable. We are both full time meditation teachers, dedicating most of our time to students (yet my wife is also getting a PhD so, like wow... I am a very lucky husband...) The model we have found that can serve the most people is this: to ask participants of organized courses or 1-on-1 mentorship to pay the highest sustainable amount they can, and with that support, to offer as many low cost or free resources as possible. We currently offer a three times per week livestream so anyone can come and ask their questions or chat... but, if we offered everything for zero, we wouldn't be teaching for long. So, our goal is to find a contribution amount that would be significant for you yet sustainable as well. This is a personal choice and we encourage you to use your meditation skills to make this decision. Our goal is to support scholarship by asking folks to pay the highest amount they are comfortable with and then using that support for folks who have less robust means at this time.
Lastly, given the fact that most western dharma communities are overwhelmingly composed of white folks, we want to encourage under-represented groups (people of color, LGBTQAI folks, etc.) to participate and, if needed, to get support through scholarship.
Schedule
Group T2 - Tuesdays, 9-10:30 am, NYC time (GMT-5)
DATES:
• May. 26
• June. 9, 23
• July. 7, 21
• Aug. 4, 18
• Sept. 1, 15, 29
• Oct. 13, 27
• Nov. possible makeup days: 10, 24
Group S - Saturdays, 11-12:30 pm, NYC time (GMT-5)
DATES:
• May. 30
• June. 13, 27
• July. 11, 225
• Aug. 8, 22
• Sept. 5, 20,
• Oct. 3, 17, 31
• Nov. possible makeup days: 14, 28
Future Classes
Want to hear when about our beginners course or our Multiple-Self Model courses? Sign up on our email list and we’ll keep you posted.
Also, be sure to check out our free resources (guided meditations, videos and our livestream.)