A Beautiful State of Being: Meeting Others with an Open Heart
Devin Berry, Jozen Tamori Gibson and Matthew Hepburn
Register for this 3-Day recorded program, and enjoy 30-days of access to each recorded session through our replay library.
In this retreat, we will develop the practice of metta (kindness) meditation, cultivating our natural capacity for an open heart towards ourselves, our communities and all beings. We will offer instructions and metta practices along with reflections that explore the heart of compassion, joy in the happiness of each other, and equanimity in the midst of whatever arises in our lives. In addition to the daily talks, we will offer guidance on how to participate in a retreat from home, weaving your practice into everyday activities and setting aside time for sitting and walking meditation.
This retreat is open to everyone and all practice expressions, from beginners to experienced. Please join just as you are.
Cost is sliding-scale: $200, $130, or $80, your choice. Registration fees support the Insight Meditation Society’s work online and at our physical retreat centers in Barre, MA. Scholarships ($40) are available. We welcome you to reach out, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. For more information, please email imsonline@dharma.org.
A note on dana (generosity)
Most IMS teachers—like insight teachers around the world—rely on the generosity of students for their livelihood, and receive no compensation from course fees. All IMS online teachers receive a modest dana advance from IMS to guarantee a minimum level of financial support. (Click here to learn more about the dana practice.) There will be an opportunity to offer a contribution to your teachers at the end of this course.
REGISTER HERE
Daily Schedule
**All times listed are suggestions
Day 1
7:30 – 9 pm – Opening Session – Devin, Jozen, Matthew
Day 2
8 – 9 am – Guided Morning Meditation & Instructions – Matthew
11 – 11:45 am – Dharma Talk – Devin
7 – 7:45 pm – Guided Evening Meditation – Jozen
Day 3
8 – 9 am – Guided Morning Meditation & Instructions – Jozen
11 – 11:45 am – Dharma Reflections
1:30 – 2 pm – Closing Session – Devin, Jozen, Matthew
Teacher Bios
Devin Berry has been meditating for over 20 years. His practice is primarily informed by the classical teachings of early Buddhism and the Insight Meditation tradition. He has undertaken many periods of silent long-term retreat practice. Devin completed the Dedicated Practitioners Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, where he is a visiting teacher. He is currently in the 2017-2021 Insight Meditation Society Teacher Training Program. Devin served as a core leader with San Francisco POC Insight Sangha. He is a community teacher at East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, CA where he co-founded the teen sangha and the Men of Color sangha. Devin currently serves on the Board of Directors of Insight World Aid. He has recently relocated to Western Massachusetts and teaches nationally.
Jozen Tamori Gibson (they, them) began formal meditation practice and study in 2004. Jozen is a student of Sotō Zen and Theravada practices, wisdom traditions, and serves on the New York Insight teacher council. A participant in the 2017-2021 Insight Meditation Society Teacher Training Program, Jozen shares their path of interdependent liberation by honoring the wisdom and compassion of all teachers, highlighting their mother, Akimi, and their dharma root teacher, Pamela Weiss.
Matthew Hepburn caught fire with the Dharma through retreat practice in his early twenties. He began offering vipassana instruction in 2012 at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, where he is continually inspired by the deep Dharma of daily living. He is a participant in the 2017-2021 IMS Teacher Training Program.
