Sharon and Mary will be teaching Insight Dialogue at Te Moata from 11–18 February 2012 and offering a daylong retreat in Wellington 25 February. Their visit is being co-ordinated by Vivien Blackshaw; to contact Viv click here to send an email.
Insight dialogue is an interpersonal meditation practice. It is based upon traditional Buddhist insight meditation, and involves cultivating the same qualities of mindfulness and calm concentration.
These qualities are cultivated while in relationship, while speaking and listening with one or more people, and as such, the keen and settled mind can gain insight into the nature of suffering and ease, identification and freedom.
The topics of the dialogues are intended to invite the meditators into direct experiences of impermanence and selflessness, love and compassion, the suffering that comes with clinging and the release that comes with letting go.
The wisdom of selflessness and the compassion of the shared human experience become immediately present. The integration with our lives is revealing, challenging, and liberating.
Sharon Beckman-Brindley is a co-founder and guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Charlottesville, Virginia. She is a senior teacher of Insight Dialogue and has studied and practiced intensively with Gregory Kramer since 2001. She is a graduate of the Community Dharma Leaders program at Spirit Rock Meditation Centre. A clinical psychologist, she has taught Vipassana Meditation as well as its application to psychotherapy for over 15 years.
Mary Burns is a senior teacher of Insight Dialogue. She leads retreats worldwide and also offers online teachings in Insight Dialogue through the Metta Foundation. A long time student of meditation and yoga, Mary has taught Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for many years. She is a licensed clinical social worker who has studied and practiced for three decades at the intersection of western and eastern healing traditions.
1 – COROMANDEL
Date: 11 – 18 February • Starts 2pm after lunch
Venue: Te Moata retreat centre, Tairua, Coromandel
Cost: $470 plus dana for the teachers
To download the flyer for this retreat click here.
To book your place(s) on the retreat send an email to Te Moata
To find out more about the retreat schedule and shared transport send an email to Viv
2 – WELLINGTON
A one day insight dialogue retreat in the city
Date: Saturday 25 February • 9.30am to 6pm
Venue: Level 1, 60 Ghuznee Street, Central Wellington
Cost: $50 plus a gift of dana to teachers
To download the flyer for this retreat click here.
For more info and to book a place, send an email to Caz or phone/text 021 111 0373
You can make a donation by internet banking by making a transfer into the ABET bank account. The bank account number for the fund to contribute towards Sharon and Mary’s travel costs is
03 - 1355 - 0600085 - 04
Or go into any New Zealand bank to make a payment – preferably SBS Bank, or Westpac.
Clicking the Donate button below opens a new window to a secure website through which you can make a donation to the fund for for Sharon & Mary’s retreat by credit card via givealittle.
Whichever country your card was issued in, your donation will be in New Zealand dollars.
The figure above for the amount raised is what has been donated through givealittle. The fund for Sharon and Mary contains $956.00 (1 February 2012).
See Different ways to give for other ways to donate.
To view the fundraising raffle click here.

Sharon Beckman-Brindley and Mary Burns
Coming to teach Feb 2012

Support Martine and Stephen Batchelor’s visit
Coming to teach Feb 2012.

Support Eric Kolvig’s visit
Coming to teach Oct & Nov 2012

Support Pracha Hutanuwatr’s visit
Date to teach to be set