Online: Building a Relevant and Transformative Meditation Practice
with Dave Smith
Sunday, April 6th, 2025 | 10:00am – 1:00 pm ET
The most fundamental definition we find of the Buddhist path to awakening is fairly straightforward: cultivate the wholesome, and abandon the unwholesome.
This idea is further teased out in the teachings on right effort, and it is even further defined within the context of the fourth foundation of mindfulness. Bhikkhu Analayo states that the task of the fourth foundation is to monitor the mind’s progress in overcoming the hindrances, and developing the awakening factors. This perspective on the practice offers us a very explicit directive and can help guide us develop a clear undertaking that supports an unshakable faith in the project of waking up. As mindfulness continues to make inroads within a variety of settings in our culture, now is a great time to uncover its origins and bring them to light in a meaningful and pragmatic way.
During this half-day event, Dave Smith will offer teachings, guided practices, and periods of Q&A where we can discuss these ideas as a group in support of each of us developing a mode of practice that is both relevant and transformative. Cutting through the confusion of the meditative experience is essential for each of us to feel confident on the ground in which we stand.
This event is open to all who are interested. No prior experience is needed.
Stay tuned for Dave Smith’s upcoming course at NYInsight, starting May 20.
Registration:
Please register below. If you are able, registering at the “Supporter” level enables others to attend at the “Subsidized” level. Thank you for your generosity! (Please note that the registration price includes a base level of teacher support, and you will have the opportunity to donate more after the program.)
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Volunteering
All of our programs rely on volunteers to support our teachers and staff with various tasks and responsibilities. Volunteering allows you to participate in our programs at no cost. To inquire about volunteering opportunities, please fill out our inquiry form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Teacher(s)
Dave Smith
For nearly 30 years, Dave Smith has held a practice rooted in the Insight Meditation (Vipassana) tradition. He was empowered to teach through the Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society, is a certified teacher for Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB) which combines contemporary emotion based scientific research with contemplative practices and psychology drawn from Buddhism.
Dave teaches residential meditation retreats, weekly live dharma classes, online courses, and workshops. He has developed educational tools and resources, including mindfulness and emotional skills training, in both secular and Buddhist contexts. Dave also works with students 1:1 through his dharma mentoring program.
In 2016 he founded the Secular Dharma Foundation to foster the advancement of emotional and psychological well-being through the education and integration of mindfulness, psychology, and various therapeutic modalities. Dave lives in Paonia, CO with his wife and two sons.