Cambridge Insight Meditation Center logoCambridge Insight Meditation CenterDedicated to integrating meditation practice and wisdom into daily life

Back to all Programs

Aging, Sickness, and Death as Gateways to Living a Fuller Life: Exploring the Buddha’s Five Reflections (hybrid – in person)

Program Type:
Teacher:
Time:10:00 am - 5:30 pm
Date:Saturday - May 6, 2023
Sessions:1
Registration for this program is closed.

In-person registration for this program is closed. You can still register online.

This program will be hosted both in-person and online (hybrid). This is the registration page to join Matthew Daniell in person at our Center in Cambridge. (Register here if you prefer to attend online.)

Walk-in registrations will not be available. Please bring a vegetarian lunch or plan to go out during the lunch break. Masks will be required throughout the Center, except while eating.

The Buddha's teaching called The Five Reflections illuminates how old age, illness, the inevitability of death, and the lawfulness of cause and effect can be powerful, liberating teachers in our lives. Paradoxically, turning towards the inevitability of change and loss can help us face and transform our fears.

With the strength of community support, we may grow our capacity to see into these universal aspects of being human with more wisdom and compassion. This can give us new resources to skillfully care for ourselves and others and help us to live richer and more fulfilling lives in the here and now.

This workshop is appropriate for beginners, as well as experienced meditators, and will combine periods of meditation, reflection, and discussion. Though open to everyone, it is not recommended for those experiencing grief from a recent loss or illness. This program will not be recorded. Full and partial scholarships are available up to 72 hours before the start of the program.

Matthew Daniell has been practicing Buddhist meditation since 1985. He studied Zen, Tibetan Buddhism in India, and Insight Meditation in the United States, India, Burma, and Thailand, where he was an ordained monk for a year. His main teaching mentor is CIMC founder Larry Rosenberg, with whom he co-taught for over 20 years. Matthew was a founder and the guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center of Newburyport, MA (2005-2022). He is the founder and guiding teacher of the North Shore Insight Meditation Center (2022-present). Since 2008, he has been a member of the Religious Services Department at Phillips Exeter Academy where he leads meditation groups for students and faculty. He also teaches at Omega, the Philadelphia Meditation Center and other locations.

There are no prerequisites for this program. This workshop is not recommended for those experiencing grief from a recent loss or illness.

Workshop

Attending an In-Person Workshop at CIMC (see below for attending online workshops)

  • Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to check-in and to find a comfortable place in the meditation hall.
  • While at the Center all phones, pagers, beeping watches and other electronic devices must remain completely turned off at all times.
  • Parking at CIMC is limited; we suggest taking public transportation to the Center whenever possible.
  • Lunch will not be provided. Participants are invited to bring their own vegetarian meal to the Center or may buy lunch in the neighborhood. A list of local restaurants and food stores will be available.
  • Food and beverages, including water, are not allowed in the meditation halls.
  • We strongly recommend you dress in layers since the temperature in the meditation hall will vary throughout the day. The hall thermostat is set to a comfortable temperature range; however, please give yourself a range of clothing options, as individual preferences for warmth or coolness differ widely and cannot be accommodated.
  • Please leave shoes on the shoe shelves on the first floor and keep your valuables with you at all times.
  • CIMC provides zafus (round cushions), zabutons (large mats), meditation benches, blankets, and chairs for your use. At the end of the program, we request that participants brush off their zabuton and plump up their zafu. All other items should be returned neatly to where they were found.
  • CIMC is a refuge. Out of compassion for those who may have chemical sensitivities, please avoid using scented products—lotions, deodorant, after-shave, hair products, perfume, clothes laundered with scented detergent, or dryer sheets—before you come to the Center.

Attending an Online Workshop

  • We will be using Zoom for this workshop. Before your workshop begins, be sure to download Zoom and familiarize yourself with using the program, including the chat feature. Specifics about how we will be using Zoom during your workshop will be covered at the beginning of the workshop; however, we are not able to provide technical support during the workshop.
  • We ask that you treat our virtual meditation hall as if we were together in person, in the same room. The teachers and other yogis benefit greatly from your full presence and careful attention.
  • Join each session of the workshop a few minutes early. This will support the teachers and your fellow participants.
  • Ideally, power off phones and smartwatches for the entire time scheduled for the workshop on each day. Please don’t check your devices during breaks. We suggest that you put an “away” message on your email and voicemail and leave your devices in another room during your workshop hours.
  • Please keep your video on during our time together as much as you can. This supports a sense of connectedness and sangha.
  • Closed Captions for CIMC Programs are generated through “live streaming” via Rev.com. CIMC programs are not live-streamed to any other platform for any other use.
  • You will receive a welcome email from CIMC a day or two before your program that will include the zoom link and further information.