Sharon Allen is a long time practitioner and teacher of mindfulness meditation and different forms of movement. She taught Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for many years. Sharon leads several on-going meditation groups that explore spiritual development through meditation, study, and reflection. Sharon encourages the integration of mindfulness in dealing with life’s ever-changing events. When it is suitable, Sharon offers the movement practices of Tai Chi and Qi Gong to enhance mindfulness. These movement practices can be adapted and are beneficial for people with varied physical capabilities.
Sharon Allen gave the fourth talk in the eleven-week series "Ten Perfections." Mindfulness and patience are important qualities to develop on our path.
The First Noble Truth is the Buddha's explanation of dukkha, or the truth of suffering. Dukkha refers to the physical and mental stress that we encounter in the process of living. Its meaning is deeper than pain and misery, and refers to our reactions to our experiences. We need to fully recognize and understand suffering as part of the path to liberation.
No one wants to suffer, and yet we do. The first sermon that the Buddha gave after his awakening addressed the issue of suffering. He articulated four basic tenants that have been remembered as the Four Noble Truths. They include the full understanding of suffering, the abandoning of the causes of suffering, the realization of the end of suffering, and the cultivation of the path leading to the end of suffering. It is through a wise relationship to suffering that freedom will be known.
Sharon Allen gave the third talk in a four-week series titled "Cultivating Mindfulness". She discussed the place for skillful thoughts in meditation, and why knowing how to foster mindfulness in thinking is an important foundational practice for any meditator.
This series is an introduction to the meditative development of mindfulness through which we refine our ability to focus and bring clear attention to all aspects of experience. We will cultivate mindfulness of breath, sensations, emotions, thoughts and actions. This series includes exercises that enhance mindfulness, support the establishment of a daily meditation practice, and highlight balanced awareness in work and home life.
Sharon Allen gave the second talk in a eight-week series titled "Seven Factors of Awakening". She discussed how the power of investigation is essential to letting go of harmful states of mind and to nurturing beneficial states of mind. When we know this for ourselves, we attain increased confidence in the path and are prompted to put more energy into our practice and understanding. This puts us on the path to liberation.
These seven qualities offer an effective framework for cultivating the mind, overcoming the hindrances, and balancing the energetic and calming forces that develop in meditation. When cultivated and balanced, the mind is ripe for awakening. This series will explore each factor to reveal its importance, function, and role in the process of awakening.
This talk by Sharon Allen is the second in the speaker series entitled "Doorways to Insight." Sharon talks about unsatisfactoriness, which is one of three characteristics of experience. The Pali term for unsatisfactoriness, or suffering, is dukkha. Some examples of dukkha are physical pain, mental stress, sorrow, and despair. It is caused by clinging to things that will change, and/or wanting things to be other than the way they are. It can be liberating to recognize dukkha for what it is.
This is the fourth talk in a speaker series titled Ethics, Action, and the Five Precepts. This precept deals with abstaining from sexual behavior that causes pain, suffering or injury to others, including sexual activity that is damaging to relationships. Looking at our behavior in relationship to the precepts, they protect us and others from harm. The precepts are not commandments, but rather training rules that support our spiritual development and the quality of our personal character. They are how an awakened person acts through intention, sensitivity, and a pure heart. They are principles to live by.
This series explores virtue as the indispensable foundation of Buddhist practice. It is structured according to the five training precepts. These precepts are not rules to be followed obediently; rather, they serve as guidelines for the intentional development of compassion, mindfulness and wisdom. These five precepts offer us a joyful method to cultivate the heart, nurture harmony in our relationships, and free the mind from inner forces of greed and hatred that if left unrestrained might cause suffering for ourselves and others.
